32 And what shall I more say? for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to flight armies of aliens. 35 Women received their dead by a resurrection: and others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 and others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword: they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves, and the holes of the earth. 39 And these all, having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise, 40 God having provided some better thing concerning us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

      12:1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of (our) faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

      The examples of faith in the eleventh chapter follow the chronological order. Beginning with the mention of creation, he speaks of Abel, then of Enoch, then Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses; whereupon comes the exodus from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, and some events connected with the possessing of the promised land--the fall of Jericho and the saving of Rahab. The rest of Israel's history he cannot enter into particularly, but briefly mentions the names of a few bright stars in the nation's galaxy of faithful ones, and then gives a general summary of great things done through faith.

      Ten kinds of victories of achievement. Who subdued kingdoms by faith? Who obtained promises? Who was delivered from lions by his trust in God? Who from the power of fire? Who from the violence of men--the edge of the sword? Who received a new influx of strength from God, a supply of their weakness? (Samson's history; see about Sarah, verse 11; compare David--Psalms 18:29-34.) Who waxed mighty in war and turned to flight armies of the aliens? What women received their dead by a resurrection? Any reference Bible will enable one to answer all this.

      Now, in regard to these victories of faith, there are several notable points to be mentioned.

      1. The faith of those heroes met with trying circumstances and was victorious in dangers and difficulties. Nothing is further from the truth than the idea that trusting in God will insure an easy and comfortable life, smooth sailing under clear skies, with continually favorable breezes. Not so. Even when Jesus was himself in the boat with his disciples, there arose a great storm. Victory means conflict; and conflict mean adversaries, obstacles, evils, and dangers.

      "The memory of the heroes and heroisms of the olden time," says Andrew Murray, "may be most instructive if we regard them in their true light. One thing that impresses us is how little God has promised to faith that it will be freed from difficulty and danger. It would be as easy to God to prevent the enemy coming as to give the victory over him. To do this [61] would be infinite loss; faith would never be called into exercise; man would never learn to know either his God or himself as God's child. Every trial accomplishes a double purpose. It gives us the opportunity of honoring God by the trust with which we wait on him, and it gives God the opportunity of showing how faithful he is in watching over his child, and how truly God is working for him and in him. It is in trial that all the heart of the child is drawn out toward the father in dependence, humility, and trust. It is in trial that God can reveal in the opened heart of his child all the tenderness and all the saving power of his love. Without trial there could be no school of faith, no growth of spiritual character, no strength of will given up to God and clinging to him. Let us bless God for every trial, small or great."

      2. The great things these heroes accomplished were done by faith--that is to say, in reliance upon God and at the bidding of his word. The man who follows his own will or wisdom is not walking by faith. Aside from the one reason that they were following the word of the Almighty, the actions of those men of faith had no justification--were utterly unreasonable. It was not Gideon's human wisdom that led him to attack the numberless host of Midian with three hundred men, but the wisdom of God, which to men seem as foolishness. Luke 5:4-6 illustrates the principle of acting by faith--that is, on God's word alone; likewise Matthew 14:29.

      3. The winning of those victories and triumphs required power. We can also see at a glance that the power was not of man; for the weakness of these men, in each case, was the very reason why they trusted in God. The power was of God. It was God that gave victory to Gideon, Barak, David. Even Samson had no abnormal strength of his own; his strength was given by God--not of man, nor of human nature. From all of which we gather the vastly important lesson that faith walks in the power of God, acts in the power of God, fights by the power of God; and since God's power is invincible, faith can never fail or be overcome.

      What, then, have those great examples to do with us? Simply this: That when we, as they did, go forth to do God's bidding, we may count upon God's power to enable us to do; and when we at God's word go forth to meet Satan in all his power, the principalities and powers and spiritual hosts of wickedness, the world and the flesh besides, we shall be held up in the conflict, though we are weak, because it is the fight of faith; we shall be more than conquerors, for we stand in the Lord and in the power of his might. We can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. "Through God we shall do valiantly; for he it is that will tread down our adversaries." (Psalms 60:12). We depend upon him. When we go to obey him, we trust no human prospect, for we are weak. But God is with us, as he was with them. Let us not fear, nor be discouraged at the immensity of the task or the strength of the adversary. "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary. . . . He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength. [Mere human strength will not suffice, for] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men [man at his best] shall utterly fall: but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31).

      Faith always was, is, and shall be, successful and victorious in every undertaking, every battle. That is according to God's idea of success. But as men see it, some of the heroes of faith were vanished and left dead upon the battlefield. As others by faith won in conflict, so these by faith could afford to fail and lose for God. But did they fail? Did they lose? Is it not as great a victory to endure loss, torture, and death in holding fast a principle when hostile forces by bribe or threat would compel you to give it up? Death is no failure to God's people; whereas surrendering loyalty to God in order to save one's life would be failure indeed and ignominious defeat. "Your saints in all this glorious war shall conquer, though they die." The same faith, then, that made some strong to do great feats and win successes of achievement, made others strong to win great successes of endurance. These, suffering all manner of evils and cruelties, and being sustained in the darkest hour by trust in the God who would not allow that they would come to naught in the end, counted not the sufferings of the present time worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed. Chief of this class of sufferers was Jesus Christ himself. They might have escaped that fate had [62] they chosen to do so; but they lived for the unseen, and gave up this present life that they might obtain a better resurrection (verses 35-38).

      That those saints of old had to wait for Jesus before they could be truly cleansed and perfected and obtain the promise in its fullness and reality (verses 39, 40) has already been brought out in connection with Hebrews 9:15.

      Who, then, are the great cloud of witnesses? The men of faith mentioned and alluded to in the eleventh chapter. And of what are they witnesses? Of God's faithfulness and the reward of faith? No doubt. But here they are represented as witnesses of our Christian race. It may be too much to conclude from this that the spirits of the departed faithful men are cognizant of our affairs and are watching our race. By an easy figure of speech these men, who are examples to be emulated and before whom we need to be ashamed if with all the light and advantage of this day we fail in a race which they won in those darker times, could be represented as witnesses; just as Napoleon, in his speech under the shadow of the Egyptian pyramids, said to his soldiers: "Frenchmen, forty centuries are looking down upon you; quit you like men!" If, however, the import of this verse (12:1) is literal, it certainly implies a knowledge of, and a moral participation in, our race by those victorious souls of old.

      The first preparation now is to lay aside every weight, everything that hinders. Weights, or hindrances, are not sins. The man who runs in a race must deny himself many things that are good and lawful, because they hinder and encumber. "And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they (do it) to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible" (1 Corinthians 9:25). In eating and drinking, in apparel, in possessions, in pleasures, in associations, here and there, we find a weight that hinders us. Blessed is he who will cast all drawbacks and needless bulk aside and concentrate all his heart on winning the race. Let every man be his own judge in these matters and deal faithfully with himself. "And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell." (Matthew 5:30).

      The next preparation is to lay aside the sin which does so easily beset us. Every man will himself know best what sin that is in his case. There, where our weakest point is, we must fight the strongest fight. That particular sin we must turn against with our whole heart, and put it to death, cutting off its every avenue, forestalling its approach, rejecting it in every guise, watching and praying.

      Now that the hindrances and bars are removed, comes the exhortation: "Let us run." There is no other figure that so represents entire concentration of soul and purpose upon one end. During the race the runner has but one aim, one thought--to make the goal. Paul said: "One thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before. I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14). So run, and you shall obtain. Moreover, this is not a sport only, but "run in patience"--it is a Marathon run of steady, patient endurance. The meanwhile look unto Jesus; from Him is all your strength, in Him is your life. He will sustain you. He first originated your faith; continue in it now, and He shall be its perfecter and rewarder.

      Father, give us help and grace that we may run a good race. Help us to divest ourselves of everything, however lawful and pleasant, that would encumber us and draw our hearts away from the goal of the high calling. We know that in this race no other man's success can mean failure to us, and that there is no doubt of our reward if we run patiently and faithfully. We look unto you, O Lord; our souls look up unto you. Be you near to encourage us and strengthen us. May we also, after the example of your people of old, meet our adversary in the armor of faith; stand fast in faith through whatever trial and danger we may have to encounter. Show us the joy of believing, and give us the [63] calm that fills the heart which is stayed on you. Guard us safe in your power through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time; keep us from stumbling, and set us before the presence of your glory without blemish in exceeding joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

      Why does God allow us to suffer?

      What is discipline? ("chastening" in the KJV.)

      What is the Bible teaching as to the meaning and aim of discipline?

      How shall we take discipline?

      Does anything depend upon the spirit in which we receive it? [64]

[LOH3R 61-64]