By Faith, the Prophets
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We are finally finishing the Hall of Faith.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
I want to depart slightly from how I have been doing this, rather than focusing on the individuals, I want to highlight each of these actions.
We already talked about those who conquered kingdoms, and enforced justice
Joshua and the Judges
We saw How David recieved the Crown he had been promised and escaped the edge of the sword
and how many of the biblical figures were strong in weakness and might in war, putting armies to flight
But what about Shutting the mouths of lions, and quenching the power of Fire?
These both refer to events that take place in the book of Daniel
And what about the next several verses
Women recieving their dead by ressurection
people who are tortured, suffering mocking and flogging chains and imprisonment
Stoned to death
Sawn in two
killed by the sword
Most of these are described as the lives of several of the prophets.
So lets go through them
Shut the mouth of Lions
That could reference Samson
But more famously Daniel
Daniel in the Lions den
Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
Daniel continues to pray to God, even though the king made a decree not to pray to anyone except the king for 30 days
so he is thrown in the lions den,
and the lions do not eat him.
Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Daniel was saved by an angel from God, because Daniel stood fimr for his faith.
Quenched the Power of Fire
Well this is obviously Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
Israelites living in Babylon
refuse to bow to the giant Idol the Nebuchadnezzar makes of himself
Daniel 3:13–18 (ESV)
Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
THey refused to bow to anyone but their God
Daniel 3:19–28 (ESV)
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
He order them to be killed in a furnace, which is used to heat clay and melt gold
and it is so hot that the soldier that thwo them in are killed
But then there are 4 of them in the fire
and one of them is like the Son of God
God was with them, because they refused to let go of their faith.
Going back to Hebrews 11:35-38
Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Women receiving back their dead
This happens twice in the old testament
Elijah
Elijah had told the king that No rain will fall on the land
and as the land dried up God sent Elijah to live with and care for a widow.
And while Elijah stayed with her, her little jar of flour, and her little container of oil were not used up.
But then this woman’s son dies.
After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
Elijah prays and has to even try to warm up the body with his own, and God brings life back to the the boy
Elijah did many other cool things as well
When the drought was to come to an end, Elijah tried to convince Israel to return to God by giving an ultimatum to the prophets of Baal
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
The prophets of Baal try to do everything they can to get baal to light the sacrfice on fire, and they even start killing each other, and Elijah is trash talking the entire time.
Its okay to make fun of other people’s false gods.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”
Elijah sets himself up for failure, he prepares the sacrifice and then covers it with a lot of water,
Remember they are in a drought. water is hard to come by.
and When he prays God answers and consumes the sacrifice
and the people recognize it.
But then there is no change, instead of celebrating that they now know who God is, the rulers try to have Elijah killed.
But Elijah feel like he is alone
and so God tells him to find the next prophet over Israel
a young man named Elisha
and elijah trains him
and then when Elijah’s time has come he asks Elisha what he wants.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Elisha see Elijah get carried up to heaven, and Elijah’s coat falls back down on elisha
and elisha recieves a double portion of Elijah’s spirit
the Holy Spirit
and when you count them Elisha does twice as many miracles in his life as Elijah did.
Including rasing the dead
cleansing a leper,
Church what do we learn from the prophets who have faith?
People do not like them
and While God Saved Daniel and Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego,
While God took Elijah to heaven like Enoch so that he didn’t die
Not everyone was saved from the wrath of the people who don’t want anything to do with God.
Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Tortured,
flogged
imprisoned
Many of these refer to Jeremiah
Who lived in a time when No one wanted to hear the Word of God
So they imprisioned him
and he kept preaching about Israel’s coming judgement and redemption
stoned
Zechariah, one of the minor prophets was stoned in the temple
between the altar and the threshold
Jesus even speaks of this
Sawn in two
While not in the Bible, Jewish tradition states that the Prophet Isaiah was sawn in two by the order of King Manneseh
They went about in animal skins and lived in caves
Church living a life by Faith is not always easy
There are times when having faith is amazing and its like Joshua or Gideon, or David
and there are times when having faith is hard, and it will not be easy, and it might mean the end of your life here.
But there is something better waiting beyond that.
And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
See all of these people were looking ahead to Jesus, the Savior
Every single one of the Prophets looks to the Savior
and he didn’t come in their time
He came in ours.
Church we have recieved what those who lived by faith were hoping for
Salvation, forgiveness of Sin
Reunification with God
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Church, the men and women of faith from the past are watching us, and cheering us on, lets follow their example and look to Jesus, and follow him wherever he may lead.
How do we live by faith,
We follow Jesus, our highest authority, no matter the cost.
And when we follow Jesus
We give our best., like Abel
We walk with God, Like Enoch
We fear God over men, Like Noah
we trust his promises, Like Abraham
we fight for his blessing - Like Jacob
we learn to use our gifts - Like Joseph
we are made new - Like Moses
God fights on our side - Like Joshua
He accepts us into his family - Like Rahab
He makes us strong in our weaknesses and our failures - like the judges
He will give us what he promised - like David
and it will not be easy, but it will be worth it - like the prophets
