Have you ever thought about the lives of the people who are mentioned in Hebrews 11, the By Faith chapter? I mean, what the people did what they did and had faith that God would do His part.
Abel - faithfully gave God his best. Sure he was later murdered for it by his brother, but he faithfully gave.
Enoch - the only person in the Bible to ever not die. Because God had him taken up. What was so special about Enoch? What sets him apart from the other prophets?
Noah - builds a boat in the middle of a desert. He stayed faithful to God despite what his family and friends probably thought of him.
Abraham - he faithfully moves from the land he'd been living in to follow God. He also faithfully places his son to be sacrificed, trusting God to somehow someway fulfill His promise.
Isaac - faithfully blesses both of his sons even though Jacob had stolen the firstborn blessing.
Jacob - blesses the sons of Joseph and still worships as he dies.
Joseph - has faith that someday the people of Israel will leave Egypt and return back to where the covenant between God and Abraham was made.
Moses - his parents faithfully saved their baby boy from Pharaoh's edict. He later faithfully listens to the words of the burning bush and then follows a cloud.
Joshua & the army at Jericho - were probably thinking that this was a crazy way to capture a city. March around it daily and then blow the horns.
Rahab - faithfully hid the spies and even believed in a God that was foreign to her.
And there are so many others. I wonder am I living my life in such a way that I'd someday be able to be listed as having lived by faith? If I'm honest with myself, then I'd have to say no. But wouldn't it be fun to be able to right now say that I'm living my life in such a way that no one would be able to doubt that I live by faith? Yeah that'd be cool.
It is amazing! I think I often forget the people in the Bible were real and had their hopes, dreams, and fears.
ReplyDeleteGood post.
(As a sidenote, Elijah didn't die either. He was carried away in a chariot of fire. He and Enoch never died and will come back as the prophets after the rapture.)