{11:30} By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
By faith the walls of a city fell down! City walls don't just fall down, they don't. Seriously, do walls just fall down out of the blue? No. By faith these walls were brought down. By faith.
{11:31} By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
A part of a group of unbelievers a prostitute didn't die with them...why? Because by faith she took in the spies of God and did so with peace. Even in a group of unbelievers there can be found faith and that is a saving faith.
{11:32} And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and [of] Barak, and [of] Samson, and [of] Jephthae; [of] David also, and Samuel, and [of] the prophets{11:33} Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions{11:34} Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. {11:35} Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection{11:36} And others had trial of [cruel] mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment{11:37} They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented{11:38} (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and [in] mountains, and [in] dens and caves of the earth. {11:39} And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise{11:40} God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not bemade perfect.
These amazing people of faith. Their lives were lives of pain, agony, death. These people, people like you and I, by faith did so much. Or rather, God did so much through them by faith. Kingdoms were subdued, they obtained promises, stopped the lions mouths, stopped fires, the dead were raised to life. Great feats of faith and great rewards of torture and pain.
Every single person that walked by faith did so living out their lives without ever seeing the promise made to them of life eternal.
Why?
Read that last verse again-
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not bemade perfect.
Those great men and women of faith would not be made perfect without us!
This huge wonderful family of God needs all its members to be perfect before the promise is fulfilled.
We ask ourselves why God waits, why does the suffering go on and on.
I say we need to wait for all things to be fulfilled that were prophesized. God couldn't end things without the fulness of time and all things being complete because it's intricatedly tied to the overall plan. The plan that includes all who have faith being saved by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ so that without every last person of faith the body of Christ, the church of Christ would not be complete!
The wait is necessary, the wait full of suffering and yet the promise reward worth it all.
The reward of eternity has no price.
The reward of a life with our Lord and Savior, with the purest love ever is our hope, to be a part of the family of God, the children of God.
May we through grace obtain the faith of all those who before us and complete the family.
By the will and mercy of our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment