God's faithfulness

When I read about the great cloud of witnesses who are commended for their faith in Hebrews 11, I become more and more impressed with how God deals with them.

Yes, the Old Testament saints honor roll is posted as an example for us to follow. We as Christians are to keep on running the race. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and many others made it to the finishing line, so let's persevere to the end.

Hebrews 11 also tells us about the God we serve and of His great faithfulness. Let me explain.

One thing I like about the Bible is that it tells us as it is, warts and all. It doesn’t seek to cover up the facts about the faults in the characters of the faithful. I was taught as a kid that you don’t air your dirty laundry in public.

The Bible however, takes a very different tack. It exposes the sin of the Old Testament saints. They are not commended for being good. They are commended because they place their trust in a compassionate and merciful God. This God is slow to anger and is more faithful to them, than they are to Him.

In verse 32 Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah and David are commended for their faith in glowing terms. In verse 33 it says that “through faith [they] conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised;”

When however, you look at the lives of these Old Testament heroes you see what a dysfunctional lot they are. Gideon puts God to the test with a fleece. Barak refuses to go into battle without the prophetess Deborah. Samson leads a life on the wild side. Jephthah foolishly makes a vow to God that commits him to sacrifice his own daughter and David commits adultery with Bathsheba and has Uriah her husband murdered, in an attempt to cover up the deed.

These men are commended for their faith in Hebrews 11 despite their flaws. God deals generously with them. He commends them for their perseverance and trust in Him as they serve Him, despite their own personal failures.

This gives us great hope. For if God deals mercifully and compassionately with this motley lot, will He not also deal the same way with us when we stuff things up.

God is faithful to the dysfunctional. He is faithful to sinners. There is hope for all who place their trust in Him. 

So let's throw off sin which so easily entangles us, and fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and keep running towards the finishing line.

A great crowd of Old Testament saints cheer us on shouting, "God saved us, trust in Him. He can save you!"