23. Prophets’ Faith (2)

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Hymns: 320 – ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, 335 Keep On Believing, 339 When I Fear My Faith Will Fail

Hebrews 11:32-35 (KJV)

 32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell … of the prophets 33Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34Quenched 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. 35Women received their dead raised to life again:

 The Prophets’ Faith (2)

OUTLINE

(1) Experience God’s Mighty Deliverance

 

INTRODUCTION

The writer of Hebrews sought to inspire his readers to understand the substance of faith through the trials of faithful men in the past by showing us their actions of faith.

We notice these trials were life-threatening. Exercising faith involves entrusting and surrendering our lives to God’s care even in the sight of imminent physical danger. Faith overcomes even men’s greatest fears, of pain, suffering to the point of death.

How is it possible to be still and not fret in the face of mortal danger? This is the substance of faith that the writer is drawing us to take hold of for our own lives, in our times.

Jesus gives words of comfort and encouragement to the persecuted in Matthew 5:10-12, “10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt. 5:10-12 KJV)

Heavenly reward seemed so distant from the suffering saint, yet this is the substance of faith that God has us to take hold. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides us with the substance of faith to have strong hope in the face even of the prospect of death.

(1) Experience God’s Mighty Deliverance

  1. Daniel

The life of the prophet Daniel and his Jewish friends in Babylon feature vividly in our minds as we read 32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell … of the prophets 33Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight …

 This glowing message of faith under persecution during the Babylonian exile set in narratives (Daniel 1-6) and the visions of Israel’s future after Exile (Daniel 7-12) is a must read for believers undergoing trials of faith that your faith in God may be strengthened. God has a good plan for His people. He will do them good. They are to trust Him and obey Him and keep following Him.

Daniel was God’s man who by God’s grace confronted kings, subdue kingdoms, that they may believe in the God of heaven, Israel’s God, the living and true God, in particular, Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s absolute monarch in this personal testimony of Nebuchadnezzar.

34And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 35And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 36At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 37Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. (Dan. 4:34-37 KJV)

This was our prayer meeting devotion on 14 May 2014 entitled “He Is Able to Abase” (Daniel 4). The king learnt his lesson. He realized that the God who made him king can also reduce him to nothing. He came to his senses and acknowledged the sovereignty and dominion of God over him. Nebuchadnezzar lifted his eyes to heaven and God restored his understanding and he blessed and praised and honoured God. Indeed, he acknowledged that the most High’s dominion is an everlasting dominion. Nebuchadnezzar thought he was the “most high” but he was awakened to the truth that there is an eternal God who is the Most High ruling all mankind.

Also, in the prayer meeting devotion on 21 May 2014 entitled “Weighed and Found Wanting” (Daniel 5) when the Babylonian kingdom ended and the Persian kingdom was inaugurated. Daniel told this to Belshazzar, the last Babylonian king.

God’s warning came through God’s own hand. The Jews must have felt so helpless when they might have known how the heathen desecrated their Temple vessels. God Himself acted by the fingers of a man’s hand, wrote a message upon the wall in the king’s palace.

It sent fear in the heart of Belshazzar. God is able to subdue the most wicked and self-confident of men. God is in charge of His created world, not these. He summoned the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers threatened them to unravel the mystery. The queen mother (who is the mother of Belshazzar) who has known of Daniel and his ability to unravel deep mysteries proposed to the king to summon Daniel.

 11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans,and soothsayers;

The king promised Daniel great riches and power which Daniel rejected. He was a true servant of God. He served God in the fear of God and not for any filthy lucre.

 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

He pronounced God’s judgment upon the king. He reminded the king how Nebuchadnezzar his predecessor was humbled to acknowledge the God of the Jews.

And now he Belshazzar has spurned that knowledge.

 22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.

Here is the judgment:-

 25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

These mysterious words were God’s indictment that Belshazzar’s reign is over, his life will soon end, and his kingdom will be divided and given to someone else.

Like the scorner in the Proverbs who refused reproof and counsel whom the Lord declared His judgment.

 Proverbs 1:25-33 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

 Proverbs 10:25 As the whirlwind passeth, so isthe wicked no more: but the righteous isan everlasting foundation.

The unrepentant sinner faces God’s wrath. Whereas Daniel, God’s servant, was preserved and honoured in the new kingdom of the Medes and Persians.

In our prayer meeting devotion on 7 May 2014 entitled “Our God Is Able to Deliver” (Daniel 3), was this introduction, “Walking with God requires courage, exceptional courage in the case of Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They lived in momentous times where their faith were put to great test. Did they buckle under the stress and strain of threat to their very life? They did not. Where does this courage come from? Their faith in the living God.

17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Dan. 3:17-18 KJV)

Why tremendous courage and testimony it must have been to all who listen to their words of faith. They were prepared to suffer for their convictions. If God would deliver them from the fiery furnace, so be it, it is up to Him. They were prepared to die. They were determined in their heart to remain faithful and let God take care of the outcome. They did what they know is right. And let God take care of what come next. They understood that God may intervene to deliver them but He is not obligated to do so. They were prepared to honour Him and glory His Name anyway. What courage of faith!

The Apostle Paul said these same words whilst languishing in prison to hold fast to his faith despite great sufferings.

Philippians 1:19-20 “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and myhope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but thatwith all boldness, as always, sonow also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it beby life, or by death.”

God gave to the three captives courage beyond measure, boldness to testify for their Lord for all eternity. Indeed, even today, God is praised, Christ exalted for their faith even unto death. They knew, absent from the body, is present with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6 “Therefore we arealways confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.”

Their unfeigned faith, steadfast and sure infuriated the king. To ensure that they pay for their disobedience, the furnace was heated up 7 times stronger.

Faith triumphs over fear. Faith is the victory.

 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, andspake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

God honoured the simple faith of these young men, all glory redound to Him. The Son of God, the pre-incarnate Christ manifested His presence to save the deliver these faithful ones. In the fiery furnace, they saw the glory of God. When we stand up for Jesus, Jesus stands up with us!

 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

Such was the power of God’s mercy demonstrated upon His children who honoured Him with their simple faith.

Mark 11:22-24 “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

You may not be delivered like the way Daniel’s friends did for there were many who were martyred for their faith.

This account teaches us valuable lessons about God’s power and care for His children. Jesus said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Be of good cheer is to be of good courage, be strong in the power of His might. He is able. Abiding peace and enduring courage are the lots of the faithful.

We are put to the test daily living in a hostile world as Jesus Himself attested. Jesus prayed to the Father to keep His children would be protected from succumbing to the attacks of evil one.

John 17:14-16I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Is the Father not able to help us? Certain He can and He will.

  1. Elijah

… turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

I am reminded of the prophet Isaiah who predicted Judah’s deliverance, during Hezekiah’s reign from the Assyrian army encamped outside Jerusalem laying siege.

32Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. 33By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.34For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. (2 Ki. 19:32-34 KJV)

The Assyrian host was destroyed – 35And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 36So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.(2 Ki. 19:35-36 KJV)

 

  1. Elijah and Elisha

35Women received their dead raised to life again: 

Also, of Elijah who raised the widow’s son that died. This was the widow who provided Elijah lodging. God wrought a miracle through Elijah to fill empty many vessels with oil in the widow’s home so that she may be provided for in her desolation. She exercised faith to give God’s prophet her last meal.

17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 18And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? 19And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 20And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 21And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. 22And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 24And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.(1 Ki. 17:17-24 KJV)

Recall our prayer meeting devotion 0n 18 November 2015 on “The Prayer of Faith” 1 Kings 17:17-24, with this introduction, “Ordinary lives in the hands of God become extraordinary lives. This is the testimony of Elijah. The man of God placed his life at the disposal of God. He sought not his own glory (John 8:50). His life is hidden in God. Even the words that he speaks is not of himself but from the Lord (John 14:10, 24). This was how our Lord Jesus lived.

Andrew Murray observed well, “Christ found this life of entire self-renunciation, of absolute submission and dependence upon the Father’s will, to be one of perfect peace and joy. He lost nothing by giving everything to God. The Father honoured His trust and did all for Him, and then exalted Him to His own right hand in glory. And because Christ had thus humbled Himself before God, and God was ever before Him, He found it possible to humble Himself before men, too. He was able to be the Servant of all. His humility was simply the surrender of Himself to God, to allow the Father to do in Him what He pleased, no matter what men around might say of Him, or do to Him.”

Elijah was not perfect. He is a sinner like us. James 5:17a tells us that he was a man subject to like passions as we are. Like us, he faced trials and temptations. What distinguished Elijah was a man of God is that he lived a life of dependence upon God. This we see in the way he handled situations in life. He did not use his wisdom to solve problems but sought God in prayer.

It is that dependence that distinguished him as a man of God. He has been learning to live this life of dependence, of listening to the voice of God and obeying it moment by moment through life’s pathway.”

And of Elisha who raised the Shunammite’s dead son to life.

34And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 35Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. 37Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out. (2 Ki. 4:34-37 KJV)

 \This was the gist of our prayer meeting message 2 March 2016 – Crisis Management (2 Kings 4:18-37), “Life can be fraught with dangers and crisis situations. Oftentimes, when a crisis hits us, we are at the loss how to respond. As a child of God, we need to know that in all situations that befall us in life, God knows and understands and is still in control although the situation in our own assignment seemed to have spun out of control.

We may not understand why we are put in that predicament but we can seek God for direction on how to respond. What are the resources available at our disposal? We have here the story of this godly lady in Shunem who love God and ministered to God’s servant Elisha and was rewarded by God with a son. However, some years later, the son suddenly died. This was the story of how she managed that crisis.

 

  • Crisis At Hand (v18-20)
  • Calmness to Seek God’s Help (v21-30)
  • Claiming the Resource of Prayer (v31-34)
  • Courage to Trust God’s Power to Move In His Own Time and His Own Way (v35-38)

 

Having prayed, we need to know that God is still on the throne. We are to put our eyes on God and rest in His love (Adrian Rogers). Whatever the outcome may be, we trust God to work out His will in His time and in His way. A miracle was wrought to revive the dead child. Hallelujah! God’s name is praised.”

 

CONCLUSION

May the Lord grant us faith to walk with Him daily experiencing His sufficiency in our lives. Amen.