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FAITH OVERCOMES THE WORLD
Hebrews 11:29-40
Key Verse: 11:29
"By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land;
but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned."
There is a geographical division in Hebrews chapter 11. The
borderline for this division is the Red Sea. Part I, verses 4-28, deals
with fathers of faith who practiced faith as a matter of life and
death. As a result, they pleased God and experienced the power of
faith. Especially, by faith, they overcame their fatalistic elements of
life and gave life-giving examples of how to live a victorious life.
Their faith pleased God. God set each of these heroes of faith as a
pillar in his salvation work and history. Part II, verses 29-40, is the
history of Israel's conquest of the promised land, beginning from
crossing the Red Sea. Here, the author deals with fathers of faith who,
by faith, fought and conquered the promised land. It is indeed
startling to know that the people of Israel, who had been too helpless
to move as a result of 430 years of life in captivity, now stood up to
fight and conquered the promised land. The people of Israel, who were
once slaves, became people of conquest when they depended on God. May
God help us to learn faith that overcomes the world.
I. The acts of faith (29-31)
First, by faith, the people passed through the Red Sea (29). The people
of Israel were not at all fighters due to 430 years of slavery in
Egypt. But by faith they escaped Egypt and made the Exodus. At that
time, they must have felt that they were mighty warriors. Soon they
confronted another impossible task. Look at verse 29. "By faith the
people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the
Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned." This verse vividly shows
that impossible people carried out an impossible task. As we know,
until now the Israelites had been slave people who were broken,
dispirited and powerless to do anything. It was impossible for the
600,000 Israelites to cross the Red Sea, for it was too deep and wide
to swim across and they had no boats. They were too afraid to look at
the Red Sea; it made cold sweat break out on their backs.
The 600,000 Israelites could not advance because they were blocked
by the Red Sea, and at the same time, they could not retreat because
the Egyptian army was chasing them from the rear. They could not fly
away because they had no wings. They were in a boundary situation: they
had to either surrender or drown. When they heard the sound of the
Egyptian chariots, which was like the sound of a speedy whirlwind, they
immediately turned on Moses and began to complain, "Was it because
there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to
die?...Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone...'" (Ex
14:11,12). They felt like dying when they looked only at their
situation.
What could Moses do in this situation? Humanly speaking, he had no
way. But in God, he had a way. Moses did not say like contemporary
leaders, "Well, I will think about what I can do. Instead, Moses
looked at God and remembered God's promises (Ex 3:12a). Moses said to
the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the
deliverance the Lord will bring you today" (Ex 14:13a). How did the
people respond? In this helpless situation, they did not remain
stubborn. They responded to Moses' words because they were obedient,
and they had no choice. His people, who had felt like dying in fear,
began to gain strength when they began to have faith in God through
Moses.
When Moses raised his staff and stretched out his hand over the sea
as the Lord had commanded, the water was divided into two parts and
stood like walls. At that moment, the people could have calculated and
said, "What will we do if the water falls upon us and we are drowned?"
But they overcame their inner fear, and by faith they put their shaky
feet in the Red Sea, and passed through it as on dry land. The people
of Israel were slave people. In their slave mentality, they were used
to sitting down. They moved as much as they were whipped. But they
crossed the Red Sea as on dry land when they heard God's words through
Moses.
Verse 29 also teaches us about God. God wanted his people to become
strong by overcoming their human conditions by faith. God wanted them
to experience the power of faith in God Almighty. God wanted them to
cross the Red Sea by faith. God did not let them remain as weaklings
permanently. God did not want them to remain as childish or petty
people. God wanted them to experience the power of God and to become
powerful people. God wanted them to conquer the promised land.
There is a Red Sea in each person's life. If a man remains in
despair, looking at his roaring Red Sea, he will become a man of
despair and die of despair. He will suffer from all kinds of fear
throughout his lifetime and die in fear. Moreover, he cannot please
God, nor can he be a child of God. But if, by faith, he crosses his own
Red Sea, he will be called a child of God who pleases God. Let's look
at verse 29b. "...but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were
drowned." The Egyptians thought, "If these Israelite slaves can pass
through the Red Sea unharmed, so can we." So the Egyptians depended on
army force and their skill and tried to cross the Red Sea. They all
drowned. We can cross our Red Sea only by faith.
Second, the faith that felled the walls of Jericho (30). Here we learn
that the power of faith comes from absolute obedience to God's word.
Look at verse 30. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people
had marched around them for seven days." The fall of Jericho is
recorded in Joshua 6:1-20. The Israelites had crossed the Red Sea and
come into the promised land at last. They were overjoyed to put their
feet on the promised land. But to their surprise, instead of milk and
honey in the promised land, there was an invincible fortress full of
enemies ready to shoot them down through arrow holes in the walls. It
was the well-fortified city of Jericho. They were full of dreams and
expectations of the promised land, but it was not the land they had
dreamt of. It was nothing but a battleground. Jericho was the first
enemy stronghold to conquer. The promised land was not given free of
charge. They had to conquer it to possess it.
It was impossible for the Israelites to do battle and conquer the
walls of Jericho because they were not disciplined in battle. They had
no ladders to climb up the walls. They had to give up.
But they could fell the walls of Jericho when they absolutely
obeyed the word of God. God commanded them to march around the city of
Jericho once a day in complete silence for six days, and then, on the
seventh day, march around it seven times. They were to blow trumpets
and shout. What a ridiculous strategy! The strategy sounded as if it
would not scare anyone or anything away, not even a pet dog, "Mike." So
it was difficult for them to obey. There are many who say after
listening to God's word, "It's good for you, but not for me." Such
people have no respect for God's word. From God's point of view, they
are very disobedient people to God. To our surprise, the Israelites
obeyed God's instructions exactly. Then the walls of Jericho fell down
flat, making a thunderous sound. Victory was theirs when they
absolutely obeyed God's command. If they had not obeyed God's command
absolutely, they would have perished. But by faith, when they
absolutely obeyed God's command, they won the first victory in the
promised land. We learn that the greatest act of faith is to obey God's
word absolutely in an impossible situation. Then we can experience
God's victory.
This event of felling the walls of Jericho changed the people of
Israel from a multitude of slaves into mighty soldiers of God. This was
a glorious work of God in his people. Through this victory they were
convinced that by faith they could conquer the promised land. Through
this victory they could say, "God is our commander and he is our
banner! He is our victory!" (Ex 17:15).
Third, "by faith the prostitute Rahab..." (31). Look at verse 31. By
faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not
killed with those who were disobedient. There was one woman whose
faith made the conquest of Jericho possible. She was Rahab. The author
of Hebrews regarded the story of Rahab in the Old Testament as an
example of faith which could not be omitted. Rahab's story is recorded
in Joshua 2:1-24, and its sequel, in Joshua 6:25. When Joshua sent
spies to Jericho, Rahab welcomed them even though she was a prostitute
who lived in the city wall. She helped the spies escape. This
prostitute caused the ruin of her own country. Humanly speaking, she
was a national traitor. She was a medley of contradictions. However, in
God's history she was a woman of faith and wisdom. She staked her life
and future on her faith that the God of Israel is the Creator God. She
believed that God had given the land of Canaan into the hand of Israel.
She believed that God is the Sovereign Ruler of history. She believed
that God would do what he had planned to do. She believed that her
country was about to be conquered. She lost no time. By faith she could
immediately take a stand on God's side. Her act of faith was to stand
on God's side at a historical moment.
Rahab's testimony--that God had given the city of Jericho into the
hand of Israel--convinced the spies that God was in their midst; and
the news enhanced the morale of the undisciplined Israelite soldiers
until they were filled with fighting spirit, until they won the victory
before fighting. Because of her faith that God is the Creator, Rahab
pushed aside other heroines of faith, and she was included in the
genealogy of Jesus, even though she was a Gentile prostitute.
II. The power of faith (32, 33-40)
Let's read verses 32-34. Here the author emphasizes the great
things that God had done through the fathers of faith. How could they
do such great things, which have startled people down through the
generations whenever we hear about them? Look at verse 32. "And what
more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak,
Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets...." Most of the
heroes of faith he mentions are judges who were used by God in the days
of the conquest of the promised land. God's people could not maintain
God's blessing because they liked the advanced cultural life of the
Canaanites and flowing milk and honey more than God. The times of the
Judges were a time when the word of God was rare (1 Sam 3:1), and
ungodly people were the absolute majority. But despite their sins and
perversion, God raised up judges to deliver them.
When we study these people whom God used, we find one common factor
in them: they were all weak people. But their weaknesses were turned
to strength when they believed in God. Faith changed them into new men.
Faith gave them victory. For example, Gideon was threshing wheat in a
winepress--a secret place where the enemy Midianites could not see him.
Gideon was the youngest son and an escape artist. In addition, he was
very fatalistic about his national situation. But an angel of the Lord
came to him and said, "Am I not sending you to fight against the
Midianites?" When Gideon heard this, he had many complaints. But when
he obeyed God's word, the power of faith began to circulate in his
soul, and he became a charismatic leader. He could defeat the
Midianites, who were as numerous as swarms of locusts. Gideon won the
battle when he obeyed God's word.
Barak was supposed to be the commander-in-chief of the army of
Israel when Sisera, the general of a king in Canaan, plotted to invade
Israel with 900 chariots. Barak was too afraid to be
commander-in-chief. So he said to Deborah, "If you go with me, I will
go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go" (Jdg 4:8). So Deborah went
with him. Barak borrowed the faith of a woman, Deborah. Then he
defeated the entire army of Canaanites. May God grant us many
Deborahs!
Samson was a macho man of matchless physical strength. His problem
was his lustful desire. So Samson enjoyed a foxy woman, Delilah. As a
result, his two eyes were plucked out by his enemies. He made God very
sorry. He became like a Chinese bear in a circus before the enemy
Philistines. Samson was so sorry that he had displeased God. By faith
he wanted to please God just one time in his fatalistic situation. He
had no way to please God. But he had a way; it was through his crying
out in prayer. So he prayed, "O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God,
please strengthen me just once more..." (Jdg 16:28a). When he repented
and cried out to God for help, God returned his strength. Then Samson
began to push the two pillars of the Philistine temple. The temple
crumbled to the ground and 3,000 enemies of God were killed, and so was
Samson.
From Samson we learn that we can get the power of faith through
emergency prayer.
Jephthah was the son of a prostitute; he was nihilistic and lived
like a gangster with a band of thugs under him. At that time, the
Israelites were helpless under the constant threat of the Ammonites.
But by faith the Israelites visited Jephthah, established him as their
leader and defeated the Ammonites. These warriors of faith were too
weak to do anything. But when they depended on God, they became
powerful in battle and routed foreign armies and conquered kingdoms.
We learn that faith makes the weak into strong men and women. As
God s holy people, we cannot remain in our weaknesses, saying, "You
don't understand me." We must remember that God is Almighty God who
does not allow us to remain in weakness. God sent his Son Jesus to
make us strong while we were still weak in our sins (Ro 5:8). Those
who dwell in weakness must repent, depend on God, and experience the
power of faith.
Read verses 35-40. These verses exemplify that the power of faith
is stronger than anything else, even stronger than death. By faith,
many overcame extreme persecutions, human circumstances and conditions.
By faith they overcame themselves; they also overcame the world. So the
author says in verse 38a, "..the world was not worthy of them." These
people show us that faith is stronger than the world and that God works
with men and women of faith. These people were all commended by God for
their faith. We have many things to learn. But God wants us to learn
the faith that overcomes the world. God wants us to learn how to obey
God and become strong (40).
Let's read verse 29. God gave us the Red Sea to cross over. If we
don't cross over our own Red Sea, we cannot please God. When we cross
over the Red Sea, we can please God and be a blessing to our
descendants. May God help each of us to have faith to cross our Red
Sea.