Hall of Faith Series: Abraham and Sarah (Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19)

Well, it's time I did another 'Hall of Faith Series' post. It's been a while, hasn't it?  But, here I go now!

Today's Hall of Faith characters are Abraham and Sarah. They are indeed one of my favourites. However, I cannot adequately convey by a long shot the faith of these great characters, considering that the Bible places them as the father and mother of the faithful. Probably, that's why I've delayed so long in writing this post. 

They were not without failings and weaknesses, of course. The Bible records several of these. However, in spite of this, God's grace was made truly manifest in them, with everlastingly glorious consequences in their lives and history. 

Hall of Faith: Noah (Hebrews 11:7)

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Today's Hall of Faith character is Noah. Yes, Noah and the Ark! Everyone knows about that! You know, the ark, the animals, the Flood, the rainbow, etc... Since childhood we've all just loved it. But guess what! I think I love this account more now than I probably ever did when I was a little child. That's because I know now how deep and serious it was, as well as amazing.

After Cain killed Abel, God gave Adam and Eve another son. They called him Seth. He grew up to be like Abel - a man who feared God. Now there were two main family lines on earth: the line of Cain (representing those who were of the world, who were ungodly) and the line of Seth (representing those who were children of God). The entire Bible is full of that tension between the sons of light and the sons of darkness. This also continues till today. 

The years pass and those of the line of Cain grew more and more wicked. For several generations there was a difference between the Cain Line and the Seth Line. As time went on, however, the Seth line began to intermingle with Cain's line. They took on their ways and soon became like them. They lost touch with God, their Creator. They forgot God's instructions. They became violent and wicked (see Genesis 6). The only person on earth who kept himself and was not defiled by all of this was Noah. The Bible says that God saw Noah was just, 'perfect in his generation', who walked with Him (Genesis 6:9). What a wonderful thing for God to look and see us perfect in His sight. He sees that when we are clothed with the Righteousness of Christ. Amen! 

When God saw the wickedness, He regretted that He created man (see Genesis 6:6)! However, He wanted to save Noah. So He told him He was going to destroy the whole earth with a Flood. God told Him to build himself a huge ark and take with him his wife, his three sons, and their wives, as well as, two of every kind of animal, male and female, and seven from the clean animals. 

In Hebrews 11:7 it says that 'By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.' 

Noah believed God and obeyed Him when it was not the popular thing to do. Can you imagine! He was the only really Godly man on earth! It reminds me of the words of the song: 'Though none go with me, I still will follow'. 
Noah really had faith in God. He built the ark contrary to all human reasoning. Building a ship on dry land! Yet, he feared God and trusted His Word and that's what saved him, his family, and all mankind. He did not look to the seen and visible, rather he looked to the unseen, which is eternal (see II Corinthians 4:18).


Give us Lord that faith. To trust you and obey you without wavering and always look to that which is unseen which will last forever. Amen!

Learn More:

I highly recommend watching this classic movie about Noah. It follows the Biblical account closely. Though, I think the actual ark was much bigger, and perhaps a little bit more orderly:) 

Hall of Faith Series: Abel and Enoch (Hebrews 11:4-5)

Welcome to the first post in the Hall of Faith Series. 

I hope you'll be blessed.

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Abel offering a
'more excellent sacrifice than Cain'

The list of characters in the Hall of Faith of Hebrews 11, starts from the early beginnings of history with righteous Abel, who was the first one on earth to ever experience death and death by violence. 

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh" (Hebrews 11:4) 

As we all know the account from Genesis, he was the second son of Adam and Eve. Unlike his brother Cain, Abel took heed to what his parents said God required of them after their fall in the Garden of Eden. This was now the only way to approach God as sinners - offering a blood sacrifice. It was, of course, looking forward to Christ, the Saviour, who was to come and be '...the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world' (John 1:29). God gave Abel true saving faith. 


Abel was a shepherd, but Cain was a farmer (see Genesis 4:2). The Bible say in Genesis 4 that one day Cain and Abel decided to offer a sacrifice to God. Cain decided to offer fruits and vegetables he has grown. This does not sound too bad at first. However, he totally missed the whole meaning of the offering. He had no faith in it. It is was just a duty to him.


Abel on the other hand understood by faith what the offering represented. The blood of the blameless lamb was to be his substitute before God for his sins. Through faith he saw his Redeemer. That was what he brought to God - '...the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof' (Genesis 4:4). It was also his best. The Bible says that 'the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect' (Genesis 4:4-5). God looked into Abel's heart and found faith and saw him as righteous. But He did not find it in Cain. 


Cain, of course, was angry with God and Abel and so, murdered his own brother! In 1 John 3:12, it says why he slew him: 'because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.' Even in his death he still speaks faith to us. 


May the Lord give us the faith of righteous Abel! 

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The next character in the Hall of Faith is that of Enoch. We know so very little about him, except for these precious words: 

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him:  for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Hebrews 11: 5). 


Enoch and Elijah, were the only ones on earth to ever experience this: not tasting earthly death.


God did this for Enoch because he pleased Him. That is indeed a precious thing to have that said about you. But without FAITH it is impossible to please God (see Hebrews 11:6). When we approach God we must believe '...that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him' (11:16). Therefore, Enoch was full of faith in God. 


The only other place in the Bible where we know something more about Enoch's faith is in Jude 1:14-16, where Enoch is said to have prophesied, saying that '...the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that ungodly among them of their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him...' 


This is just a glimpse of the godliness and faith of this man of God. 
May the Lord grant us the faith of Enoch that causes us to please God always. 


Thank you for joining me on this journey. My presentation here is very poor. But I know it will be a learning journey for me and am being blessed with it as I hope it will bless you, too. 

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Learn More: 
Genesis 4:1-16
Hebrews 11: 4-6

Bible Provides Plan for WWI Battle

I came across a very interesting World War I story. One of that war's theatres of conflict was in the Holy Land where the British and other Commonwealth forces, under accomplished General Allenby, were fighting the Turkish forces who were allied with Germany and Austria. 

Sheer cliffs of Michmash

In 1917, General Allenby, along with his Sixtieth British Division,  entered the plain surrounding Megiddo and Mischmash (these lie north of Jerusalem) en-route to attack Jericho and drive the Turkish army back across the Jordan River. Directly in their path was the small town of Michmash which was located on a high, rocky hill overlooking the plain of Megiddo, also occupied  by the Turks. It was an almost impregnable with its sheer cliffs. 

Where is Michmash?

Jonathan and
armour-bearer climbing
cliffs at Michmash

The British forces were faced with a problem. How on earth would they penetrate that town? But General Allenby and his Brigade Major Vivion Gilbert, knowing their Bibles well, remembered that the name of that town was mentioned in I Samuel chapters 13 and 14. Here it describes how Prince Jonathan, along with his armour-bearer, found a secret rocky passage on the hillside that lead to the top of the town that was being used as a fortress by the Philistine army. With God's help, Jonathan and his armour-bearer, were able to surprise the Philistines and in the confusion the Philistines fought each other and were quickly and easily defeated. 

Jonathan and armour-bearer

General Allenby

General Allenby and those with him discovered that the topography of the area was still very similar. They managed to find that secret passage. His troops scaled these same sheer cliffs that Jonathan climbed thousands of years before and took the Turkish garrison by complete surprise. It was a decisive victory for General Allenby and the Commonwealth forces. Being victorious at Megiddo, Jericho, and Jerusalem, he finally broke the power of the Turkish army, a very important development for the future of the Holy Land, the Middle East, and the outcome of the war. 

At the end of the war, General Allenby was decorated as Lord Allenby 'Viscount of Megiddo'. 

This story shows how much God is at work in the affairs of man and the workings of history. The relevency of  His word is shown also in this story for guiding the details of modern day history. 

God Bless







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Reference: 


Katherine Pollard Carter, The Mighty Hand of God, Missouri: Impact Books, INC., 1991, pp. 87-89. 
(other references for that chapter in the book)