Supreme Perfection

Scripture Reading: Judges 7:1-9

Kid’s Time:

Proposition: The faith of all the saints of old can only be perfected with the addition of our faith.

Interrogative: How do we complete the OT saints with our faith?

Transitional Statement: Progression of faith that leads to the completion of God’s promises.

I. Their Faith Secured the Promised Land

Hebrews 11:30 NASB95

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

Hebrews 11:31 NASB95

31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

Joshua 2:8–14 NASB95

8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10 “For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 “When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 “Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, 13 and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the Lord gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

Joshua 6:25 NASB95

25 However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

II. Their Faith Protected the Promised People

A. Through Miraculous Deliverance

Hebrews 11:32 NASB95

32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

Gideon — Mighty warrior!

Judges 7:1–7 NASB95

1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’ 3 “Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’ ” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained. 4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.” 6 Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home.”

Judges 7:19–22 NASB95

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. 22 When they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

Barak —

Judges 4:1–9 NASB95

1 Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 The sons of Israel cried to the Lord; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years. 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 7 ‘I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’ ” 8 Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Samson —

Judges 16:28 NASB95

28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”

Jephthah — Judges 11

David —

Samuel —

These are just a sample of many more who could be named.

Hebrews 11:33 NASB95

33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

Conquered — Gideon, Jephthah, David

Performed acts of righteousness — David, Elijah, etc.

Obtained Promises — David, Hannah (the birth of Samuel)

Shut the mouths of lions — Daniel 6

Hebrews 11:34 NASB95

34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Quenched the power of fire — Hananiah, Azuriah, Mishael (Shadrack, Meshak, Abendigo)

Daniel 3:16–18 NASB95

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Escaped the edge of the sword — Jephthah

Made strong — Samson, Gideon

Mighty in War — David, Jephthah, Barak

Foreign armies to flight — David, Jephthah, Barak

B. Through Supernatural Endurance

Hebrews 11:35 NASB95

35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;

Hebrews 11:36 NASB95

36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.

Others (of a different kind) — different because they were not well known?

Hebrews 11:37 NASB95

37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 11

MILTON says of the martyrs, “They shook the powers of darkness with the irresistible power of weakness.”

Hebrews 11:38 NASB95

38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

It takes as much if not more faith to endure ill-treatment than it takes to believe God for deliverance. Those who die for Jesus or suffer in obscurity don’t suffer in these ways because their faith was too little.

III. Their Faith in Waiting for the Promise

Hebrews 11:39 NASB95

39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

Acts 13:32–33 NASB95

32 “And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today i have begotten You.’

Matthew 13:17 NASB95

17 “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Hebrews 11:40 NASB95

40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

What was provided was the coming of the Messiah. But even though we can experience Him now through His Spirit, we do not have the ultimate conclusion of our salvation.

Romans 8:23 NASB95

23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

So, we all wait until the last of the elect are saved by God and Jesus returns with the New Jerusalem.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 11

The full blessedness of body and soul shall not be till the full number of the elect shall be accomplished, and all together, no one preceding the other, shall enter on the full glory and bliss

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Ten: Faith—The Greatest Power in the World (Hebrews 11)

Faith is possible to all kinds of believers in all kinds of situations. It is not a luxury for a few “elite saints.” It is a necessity for all of God’s people.

Lord, increase our faith!