"And what
shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of … Jephthah, of David
also, and Samuel and of the prophets" (Heb. 11:32).
Jephthah
"Now
Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor … When the children of Ammon
made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the
land of Tob; and they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may
fight with the children of Ammon" (Judg. 11:1-6).
Even though he
was an experienced military man, Jephthah did not rely upon his experience,
expertise, and courage when faced with this new challenge. Rather, he first
sent a lengthy appeal to the king of Ammon as to why the Ammonites should leave
Israel alone. He concluded by saying, "I have not sinned against you, but
you do me wrong to war against me; the LORD the Judge be judge this day between
the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. Howbeit the king of Ammon
hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him" (11:27,28).
Jephthah in
this way cast the whole matter of conflict between Israel and Ammon into the
lap of the LORD. As a result, "the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah
… and the LORD delivered them into his hands. And he smote them … with a
very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the
children of Israel" (11:29-33).
You doctors,
dentists, lawyers, engineers, teachers, biostatisticians, and other
professionals, do you rely solely upon your years of college instruction and
hands-on experience as you perform your daily occupation? You auto mechanics,
bakers, florists, cabinet makers, construction workers, and other tradesmen, do
you depend only upon your natural abilities and acquired skills in carrying out
your trade? You pastors, teachers, and evangelists, do you rely solely upon
your spiritual gift and your natural abilities in public speaking when you
preach a sermon or minister to individuals? Or do all of you, in spite of your
abilities, training, and many years of experience, still cry out to the Lord
for help in every endeavor of your daily occupation (at work or at home) and
service for the Lord?
The lesson of
faith is this:Faith does not depend upon one’s natural or acquired
abilities, spiritual gift, or experience, but still depends upon the Lord for
wisdom, help, and guidance in every endeavor of life.
David
"Behold,
there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the
armies of the Philistines … and all the men of Israel, when they saw the man,
fled from him, and were sore afraid … David [said] … Who is this
uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? …
And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant
will go and fight with this Philistine" (1 Sam. 17:23-32). Every man in
Israel was deathly afraid of Goliath and ran away whenever the giant presented
a challenge. However, David did not allow this universal pattern of fear and
cowardice on the part of others to influence his own response to the situation.
Neither did
David have the attitude so prevalent today, "Let George do it" or
"someone else can do it better than I can." How often do we see
someone in need and pass by without offering to help? How often in the assembly
meetings does the Holy Spirit bring a hymn, a scripture, a prayer, or an
expression of praise and worship to our mind, and we do not give it out to
share with others? David, in contrast, saw what needed to be done and he set
about to do it. He lived by the rule given in James 4:17:"To him who
knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin."
David then
explained the basis of his confidence to King Saul:"The LORD who
delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will
deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine" (1 Sam. 17:23-37).
Have you ever
fantasized about being a hero or heroine? Lots of people—both children and
adults—do this, whether it is about killing a giant, scoring the winning
touchdown, turning the tables on a robber, or winning a debate with a very
intelligent person. (Every day we encounter people on the expressway who seem
to be fantasizing about driving in the Indianapolis 500.) Such macho fantasies
are a product of our egos, our pride, our desire for others to look up to us.
David became a
hero of the highest magnitude when he killed Goliath. But David was not brash,
arrogant, self-confident, or foolhardy in his engagement with the giant. He did
not pretend to be stronger, quicker, or a more expert marksman than the
soldiers of Israel. He was not on a suicidal, do-or-die, ego trip. He had
learned from personal experience—with the lion and the bear—the power and grace
of the LORD. He discerned that God was dishonored by this Philistine defying
His armies. He placed his full trust and dependence upon the LORD when facing
Goliath with only a sling and five smooth stones. He was in God’s will, and God
gave him a great victory. Following that victory, he maintained a humble
attitude when he told King Saul who he was:"I am the son of your servant
Jesse the Bethlehemite" (1 Sam. 17:58).
There are
several lessons of faith here. First, faith does not follow the example and
pattern of man, but looks to Almighty God for wisdom and strength to carry out
His will. Second, faith, in dependence upon the Lord, does what needs to
be done without waiting for someone better qualified to do it. Third,
faith is not blind and
irrational, but takes account of previous evidences of God’s power and grace
when facing new challenges.
Scripture gives
an extraordinary amount of space to the history of David. Let us consider two
more incidents in which David spared the life of King Saul who jealously sought
to kill him. The first occurred in a cave where David and his men were hiding
from Saul. "Saul went in to cover his feet, and David and his men remained
in the sides of the cave … Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul’s
robe privily" (1 Sam. 24:3,4). The second occurred when Saul and his men
were asleep in a field. "David said to Abishai, Destroy him [Saul] not,
for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be
guiltless? … David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s bolster,
and they got away, and no man saw it nor knew it" (1 Sam. 26:9-12).
King Saul was
insanely jealous of David over all the honor the people gave him for killing
Goliath. He pursued David incessantly, seeking to kill him. On two separate
occasions David was given perfect opportunities to rid himself of his enemy. On
both occasions he disregarded the urging of his body guards to kill Saul. He
responded both times, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my
master, the LORD’s anointed" (1 Sam. 24:6; 26:11). Here the lesson of
faith is this:Faith does what is right before God even at risk to one’s own
personal safety and convenience.
Samuel and
the Prophets
Most of us were
taught the story of the little boy Samuel when we were little children. We
remember how the LORD repeatedly called Samuel, and the fourth time
"Samuel answered, Speak, for Thy servant heareth" (1 Sam. 3:10). The
LORD had a message for young Samuel to deliver to 98-year-old Eli, the high
priest of Israel. It was not an easy message but a harsh one. It spoke of
judgment upon the house of Eli because of the unrestrained wickedness of his
sons. Nevertheless, "Samuel told [Eli] every whit, and hid nothing from
him" (3:18). Faith does not allow age barriers or generation gaps to
keep one from obeying God.
It is good to
see that Eli encouraged Samuel to tell him the message he had received from the
LORD and that Eli accepted it as from the LORD. I have seen Christian men and
women reject gentle entreaties (1 Tim. 5:1) by younger Christians simply
because of their respective ages. Let this not be! We dare not reject the
Lord’s message, whoever and however old the messenger may be! "He who
refuses reproof errs … is brutish … shall die" (Prov. 10:17; 12:1;
15:10).
Samuel’s
faithfulness in delivering the LORD’s message when he was young enabled the
LORD to entrust him with other messages— including some difficult and touchy
ones—to the king of Israel when he was older. On one occasion "Samuel said
to Saul, You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD
your God which He commanded you" (1 Sam. 13:13). On another occasion,
"Samuel said unto Saul … Why did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but
did fly upon the spoil and did evil in the sight of the LORD? … Rebellion is as
the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because
you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being
king" (1 Sam. 15:16-23).
Speaking in
such a way to the king of a nation can be very risky and dangerous. Saul had
great respect for Samuel, so did not harm him. However, other prophets of the
LORD did not fare so well.
The prophet
Hanani reproved King Asa and was rewarded with imprisonment (2 Chron. 16:7-10).
King Joash had the priest’s son Zechariah stoned to death for daring to rebuke
his fellow Israelites for transgressing the commandments of the LORD (2 Chron.
24:19-22). Jeremiah was put in prison and then in a dungeon for prophesying the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Jer. 37,38). These men were
willing to lose the favor of others—and even their freedom or their very
lives—by reproving them by the Word of God.
This is a work
that God may call Christians today to do:"Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of
meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). It
takes one who is spiritual and meek to carry out God’s work of reproof and
correction of sinners. It is also a work that requires the courage and boldness
of faith. We may lose the favor and friendship of others—and maybe
worse—through such work. But let us be diligent in faithfully carrying out all
of the work that the Lord wants us to do, whether easy or difficult, safe or
risky.
The lesson,
then, is that faith is willing to lose the favor of others by bringing God’s
words of reproof and correction to them.