November
10th
15:
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they
came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16: But
now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God
is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them
a city. 17: By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac:
and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten
son, 18: Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead;
from whence also he received him in a figure. 20: By faith Isaac
blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21: By faith Jacob,
when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped,
leaning upon the top of his staff. 22: By faith Joseph, when he died,
made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave
commandment concerning his bones. 23: By faith Moses, when he was
born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a
proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. 24:
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25: Choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a
season; 26: Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the
reward. 27: By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the
king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 28: Through
faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that
destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29: By faith they passed
through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to
do were drowned. 30: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after
they were compassed about seven days. 31: By faith the harlot Rahab
perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the
spies with peace. 32: And what shall I more say? for the time would
fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of
Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33: Who
through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34: Quenched 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. 35: Women received their dead raised to life again: and
others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might
obtain a better resurrection: 36: And others had trial of cruel
mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37:
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain
with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins;
being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38: (Of whom the world was not
worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and
caves of the earth. 39: And these all, having obtained a good report
through faith, received not the promise: 40: God having provided some
better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
The
thing that drove Abraham onward was that he had had a vision of a
better country. If that were not true then he would have gone back.
Babylon was a beautiful place. But he had seen a place that
transcended everything in this world. That’s faith. That’s seeing
what cannot be seen with the natural eye. The whole of Abraham’s
life was a life of hearing and believing. Isaac eventually did the
right thing and blessed Jacob. And when Jacob was dying, he did right
blessing the two sons of Joseph. Joseph’s life was a live of
believing too and in the end he did the right thing, prophesying of
the Exodus and giving instruction about his burial. By faith, the
parents of Moses hid him and when he was come to years, by faith
Moses forsook Egypt because he saw the reproach of Christ as a
greater thing than the wealth of Egypt. By faith he kept the Passover
and by faith He went through the Red sea. And so the story of faith
goes on and on. Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David and
Samuel. They all obtained ‘The Good Report’ (That is, that they
were righteous) i.e. ‘Such and such’ lived ‘so many’ years
and he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord’ etc, They
all received a good report but they did not receive ‘the promise’.
In other words they lived as righteous men but they did not enter
into the New Covenant! Nor did they enter The Messianic kingdom.
However God has provided the personal appearance of the Messiah
himself and they are all made perfect in their faith with us. For the
OT saint faith led to obedience and to the testimony of God that they
were righteous and to the promise of resurrection to eternal life.
- What did Abraham see?
- What do we mean by saying these men and women were people of faith?
- What does it mean to be a righteous man in OT times?
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