Hebrews 11:32-40 Bible Teaching

Hebrews 11.end
Meat
October 12th 2014
Welcome archivists (NOT anarchists), streamists, extremists and all those who are none of the above but here in living color . . . and what a beautiful group they are.

This is a CAMPUS gathering – afternoon, we call it MEAT.

Our purpose is to pray together, hear the word of God set to music (and sing along if able and inclined) silently reflect for a few moments on our walk, faith and relationship with the King, and then spend the majority of our time in the Word of God in a verse by verse study.

Why do we do “church” this way?

Because we believe that this is what people need when they come to church. It may not be what they like – but based on what scripture tells us this IS what we need.

The WASHING of the Word which, like a two edged sword divides between OUR mind, will and emotion (the Soul) and the Spirit of God within us.

So let’s pray, hear the Word set to music, sit for a minute in silence and come back to John chapter 13 continuing at verse 1.

We left off with David

Hebrews 11:32 “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”

So today we have “And of Samuel, and of the prophets and of the prophets.

So let’s talk about Samuel, whose name means, “heard of God.”

We read about this man of faith in 1st Samuel 1 and it begins with a woman named Hannah – who was one of the two wives of Elkanah, an Ephrathite who lived in Ramah.

The second wife of Elkanah had many sons and Hannah wanted one too. Year after year she remained barren and she got very depressed, and fasted, and wept.

This is what scripture says:

1st Samuel 1:9-18 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

After Samuel was weaned Hannah brought him to Shiloh and consecrated him to the Lord as the second perpetual Nazarite in scripture along with Samson and John the Baptist.

He was taken care of by a woman in the tabernacle but trained by Eli in the faith.

1st Samual 2:26 says “The child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the Lord, and also with men.”

Interestingly we read the same thing of Jesus in Luke.

According to Judges 21:19 and 1st Samuel 2:12 Israel was in a state of great degeneracy and the Philistines were pretty much in control and power of them and it was around this time that God began to talk with the child.

Now I don’t know about you but I have met people who communicated with God as children. We sometimes here people say they were born again when they were three years old and the like.

I used to question such claims but no longer. Who better to have God reach in and touch by His Spirit than a child?

The story of God calling to Samuel goes like this:

1st Samuel 3:1-20 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.
16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.
17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

At this point a new period in the history of the kingdom of God now commenced.

As stated, the Philistine yoke upon the nation was heavy, and the people suddenly rose in revolt and “went out against the Philistines to battle.”

The result was a fierce and disastrous battle which was fought at a place called Aphek, near Ebenezer (according to 1st Samuel 4:1-2).

At Aphek the Israelites were defeated and 4,000 were left dead “in the field.”

In response to this defeat the chiefs of the people thought that they ought to get the Ark of the Covenant and so without consulting Samuel, who was seen as the prophet among them, they removed it from Shiloh and took it with them near the site of the most recent routing in Aphek.

At the sight of the ark the people “shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again,” scripture says.

They then entered into a second battle but this time the Philistines not only defeated them but killed 30,000 men, took their camp and possession of the sacred ark.

News of this soon reached Eli, the aging High Priest and when he heard it he fell backward from his seat at the entrance of the sanctuary, broke his neck and died.

Shiloh and the tabernacle furniture was moved to Nob before the Philistines marched upon it and plundered and destroyed it.

This was a low point in the history of Israel as it remained for another twenty years under Philistines oppression. It was during all these years of woe that Samuel was a spiritual power in the land who lived in Ramah.

At this low point in the history of Israel Samuel went into action and it was probably the zeal he exerted for the Lord at this point that he is mentioned here in Hebrews 11.

Like the Lord who came to save the lost, and Moses who came and set the captives free in Egypt, Samuel tirelessly roamed up and out place to place, reproving, rebuking, and exhorting the people to rise up, examine their sinful ways, and repent.

He was so successful that scripture says “all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.”

This lead to a change in their willingness to fight the Philistines properly. For example, in Mizpeh, a lofty hill in Central Palestine, the people fasted and prayed, and prepared themselves, under his direction, to meet the Philistines head on, who were marching toward them to wipe out Israel once and for all.

With Samuel making intercession for them this time God interposed Himself and the Philistines were utterly routed.

This was the only time Samuel got involved in an actual war but it was a war that put an end to forty years of Philistine oppression.

According to 1st Samuel 7:13-14 this victory over the Philistines was followed by a long period of peace for Israel and at this time Samuel added the duties of judge among the nation and would travel (sort of a circuit) and hold court among them.

Additionally he also built an altar at Shiloh, established regular services there and then at Ramah, where he was born he started a “school of the prophets.”

This school expanded and opened campus’s (for lack of a better term) in different locations including Gibeah, Bethel, Gilgal, and Jericho.

Their presence played an important role in the national character and in maintaining faith and virtue amidst wide-spread corruption.

Apparently they continued until the captivity and then we hear no more about them.

As the years passed Samuel became a friend and counsellor of the people in areas of private and public interest. He was a great statesman as well as a reformer, and all regarded him with veneration as the “seer,” the prophet of the Lord.

If you have ever been LDS you might recognized a number of things Jospeh Smith borrowed from Samuel and his tenure among Israel.

Samuel made an error, however, in that he put his sons in judicial charge of areas around Israel and they turned out to not be anything like their father.

This caused the elders of Israel to come to Samuel at Ramah (when he was an old man) in they were fearful and therefore in desperation..

See, they feared that the nation, due to the failings of Samuel’s son, was exposed and could be invaded by any number of looming enemies – including the Philistines and the Ammonites.

And the elders had a solution – a request of Samuel to thwart these threats and quell their fears . . . a King.

Chapter 8 of 1st Samuel tells the tale:

1st Samuel 8:1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

Of course we know that in time Saul was made King . . . and then David and then and then . . .

I don’t know why the heart of believers today don’t always reflect this attitude toward Kings, and presidents, and governors over us.

Jesus is our King. Period. Whomever else is elected, fine. Let them reign – God is the one who allows them the office or not. But from the heart I have no king, no president, no authority – NO ARCHE – but Christ.

What He says, goes. Not men, women, or any other principality or power.

Yes, we obey those put in authority over us – unless they differ with the true King, and then we don’t resist their authority, we merely suffer for following Him.

Anyway . . .

Before retiring from public life Samuel convened an assembly of the people at Gilgal and there he solemnly spoke to them with reference to his being their prophet.

Samuel spent most of the remainder of his life at Ramah, appearing only in special circumstances (especially when God had something to say to Saul).

Unfortunately, Samuel had to witness the nation falling into sin again under the leadership of Saul Samuel was summoned by God to go to Bethlehem and anoint David, the son of Jesse, as king over Israel instead of Saul.

We talked about David last week due to the order of his being mentioned in Hebrews 11.

After this little is known of Samuel until the time of his death, which took place at Ramah when he was probably about eighty years of age.

1st Samuel 25:1 says of him at this time:

“And all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah” but we learn from other passages in 1st and 2nd Kings and Chronicles that he was not buried in his house but in the court or garden of his house.

Perhaps what Psalm 99:6 says summarizes best while Samuel was listed in the Hall of Fame of Faith:

“Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.”

Okay, one last time, the writer of Hebrews (verse 32) says:

“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:”

“And of the prophets.”

And apparently it looks as if the writer continues to speak of these “unnamed prophets” in the rest of the chapter on faith, saying:

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.

Okay, continuing with the subject of men and women of great faith and speaking, apparently of “the (unnamed) prophets” the writer says at verse 33 and 34:

33 Who . . . through faith . . . (remember this line because this is the writers point – all of the following were accomplished through faith) “Who through faith . . .” and he lists nine victories. Ready

1. subdued kingdoms,
2. wrought righteousness,
3. obtained promises,
4. stopped the mouths of lions, (34)
5. Quenched the violence of fire,
6. escaped the edge of the sword,
7. out of weakness were made strong,
8. waxed valiant in fight, (and)
9. turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

First, they subdued Kingdoms – this would include

Joshua who “subdued the nations of Canaan;”
Gideon the Midianites;
Jephtha the Ammonites;
David the Philistines, Amalekites, Jebusites, Edomites, etc.

Again, the ultimate subdue(r) of kingdoms being Christ Jesus who subdued them all . . .

“Wrought righteousness.”

Again Christ ultimately, but we just read specifically of Samuel and truly all the other prophets who came before and after.

“Obtained promises.”
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and all the minor prophets – received and believed in the promises that were either obtained in their lives or later in direct result of their faithfulness.

“Stopped the mouths of lions.” Again, Satan is called a roaring lion and so this reference is truly another picture of Christ and one where we would automatically think of Daniel when he was thrown in the lions den.

But interestingly enough, Daniel is not alone in stopping the mouth of the lion. Samson did it (Judges 14:6) and so did David.

The lion is used as an image of the most dreaded beast. For a man to stop their mouth is a miracle.

“Quenched the violence of fire.”
According to Daniel 3:15-16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did this, and I’m sure there are other parallels in scripture to others.

“Escaped the edge of the sword.”
Elijah (when he fled from Ahab, 1st Kings 19:3)
Elisha when he was delivered from the king of Syria (2nd King 6:16) and as David did when he fled from Saul.

To me it is of interest that Jesus did too – throughout His life, but in surrendering his life was pierced, once dead, by the sword – for us.

“Out of weakness were made strong.”
Is it possible the writer was speaking of Peter, of Paul, but certainly of Hezekiah?

And then there are all sorts of pictures that out of “Weak things” (Samson’s ass jawbone slaying a 1000 men and Gideons 300 men overcoming more than a 100 thousand).

Of course the ultimate would be the Lord, who, like a reed out of dried ground saved the world.

“Waxed valiant in fight.”
The meaning of waxed might best be read as “became valiant.”

So many to consider. Moses, Joshua, Barak, David. The books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings supply many instances and then we can look out to the apostles and the Lord if we are willing.

And then, “Turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”
Every story where invading foreign warriors are turned back – the Philistines, Ammonites, Moabites, Assyrians, etc.

Then the writer continues with examples, (verse 35)

35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

Both Elisha and Elijah restored the dead of women who by faith believed they could A “woman of Zarephath” had her child restored to life by Elijah (as mentioned in 1st Kings 17:19-22) and the son of a Shunammite woman was restored by Elisha (according to 2nd Kings 4:18-37).

Of course the Lord? Right?

“And others were tortured,” the writer says.

This is an interesting phrase because it may refer to all sorts of things related to torture.

The Greek word is the word for which we get tambourine. Think about the way we play a tambourine. That’s one application – be–ng repeatedly beaten over and over again.

Then there are those who think the word is used to describe the stretching of the animal skin out and over the wooden frame of the tambourine or drum – which is then beaten.

Some relate this to the cross Christ bore. We know Paul was beaten and we also know from the Apocraphal books like Maccabees that there are stories of entire families being beaten to death. But overcoming (or enduring the torture) by faith. Adding to those who have been tortured the writer add that such did

“Not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection.”

It seems this speaks of people taking the easy way out and denouncing their faith or God or beliefs and these mentioned refused – which is the essence of true martyrdom. Why?

The writer adds:

“That they might obtain a better resurrection.”

Now, it’s a curious line. Some believe, in accordance with 1st Corinthians 15 that there are some resurrections that are “better than others.”

I’m not so sure this is what it means and say so because I fear that people might believe being martyred produces a better resurrection than, say, just living a Christian life of love.

What the writer PROBABLY meant by this is the persons in question were “as good as dead,” maybe even on the rack, and when given the chance to recant or renounce their faith, and be restored to life again (resurrected) they chose a better resurrection – one they knew would come as a follower of God.

And of course they did this by faith.

We might consider Isaiah in this as an example. And there is a “case of Eleazer, recorded in 2 Mac. Vi. that strongly resembles what the writer says here.
He continues (verse 36)

36 And others had . . .

trial of cruel mockings
and scourgings,
yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

“Trial of cruel mockings.”

Referring to any instance when the prophet and his or her words are mocked by the masses, Isaiah, Daniel, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jesus, Peter, Paul . . . on and on.

“And scourging.”

Whipping. Usually inflicted before a martyr was put to death.

We see a scant reference to this happening to Jeremiah in 20:2 where it says:

“Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.”

Of course in the days and time preceding, during, and after the Lord scouragings always occurred as a form of punishment and always before crucifixion.

Of bonds.
Chains and fetters mentioned all throught the Old and New testament.

And imprisonment.
Gotta imprison in one way or another before you scourge or put to death. (verse 37)

37 They were

stoned,
sawn asunder,
tempted,
slain with the sword:
wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

I’m not going to cover them all – we get the picture and there are examples of each if we take the time.

But let’s continue (verse 38)

38 (Of whom the world was not worthy): they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

In 2 Mac. v. 27 we read some accounts from which the writer may be pulling.

One says, “But Judas Maccabeus, with nine others, or thereabout, withdrew himself into the wilderness, and lived in the mountains after the manner of beasts, with his company, who fed on herbs continually, lest they should be partakers of the pollution.”

We read of John the Baptist choosing the same. All of whom “this world is not worthy,” in its live for today, serve the self philosophies, the writer seems to be saying. Then the summary:

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

They all walked by faith, overcame by faith, lived and suffered by and through faith – and they all obtained a good report due to their faith.

This line hearkens all the way back to the beginning of the chapter where the writer started us off with

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.”

So good report obtained Abel, and Enoch, And Abraham and Sara and and and and . . .

BUT NONE OF THEM “received the promise,” the writer says.

That is, did not receive the fulfilment of all that had been promised – and neither do we.

They all still looked forward to some future blessings.

And here’s the deal – so do we.

The Old Testament was used as a model for the New Covenant Saints – as evidenced by the writer of Hebrews and his appealing to OT examples.

But we are not one bit different. First of all, like the New Testament Saints we have to look back and accept and believe these biblical traditions and stories that come from our past.

Not only do we have to accept the O.T. narratives but also the New and then we have to look ahead and believe that our trusting in them, and the promises given by and through them, will carry weight in the great beyond.

God loves and requires faith of ALL who are His – from the first man Adam to the last to take breath. Human beings pleased Him by and through faith in the days of Noah and we please Him today in the same way.

The writer of Hebrews, having cited these examples and then saying that none of them received the promise (meaning completely) and adds a cumbersome line (in the King James and frankly in most of the other translations as well) to wrap up the chapter) and says:

40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

To make it easy to understand, let me restate it in another way – challenge how I restate but I think it is true to the verses meaning.

Having said that all of these mentioned died without seeing the fulfillment of the promises and then adds

“God has provided some better thing for us,”(which I would suggest is the second half of the promises of a Messiah made to the Old Testament fathers and mothers) that they (the part they were given and the part they places their faith in) without us (without the fulfillment of the promises coming to us) should not be made perfect (which is a terrible word in one sense and should be read complete).

So, “God provided us the fulfillment of the promises of Messiah that the promises they were given, without ours, would not be complete.”

Does that help? That being said, the word perfect, used here in the King James, to represent complete is truly the perfect word because it is only by the fulfillment of God’s promises that people could be made perfect in Him.

So say la vie, right?

In other words the whole system of revelation was not complete at a single moment in history or in one generation.

It required successive ages to make the system complete, so that it might be said that it was finished, or perfect or complete.

Our existence, therefore, and the developments in our times, were as necessary to the perfection of the system as the promise made to the patriarchs.

The whole shebang are like the two parts of a painting. The fathers had one part in the promises, and we the other in the fulfilment, and neither would have been complete without the other.

The thing to consider today and we wrap up chapter 11 is to ask:

Is God’s plan complete? Did the second part fulfilled complete the picture God was providing the nation of Israel.

I would have to say yes . . . and no.

If the Old Testament men and women named here in Hebrews 11 supplied the first half of the picture, and the arrival of Christ to earth to live, suffer, die, resurrect and return completes the second half, then in that sense the picture is complete.

But true perfection, even in the sense of completion, is not seen or observed, or realized until we inhabit the heavenly economy.

So in this sense, each and every one of us, while complete in Christ, are not done baking. And will experience coming out of the oven at our last breath.

Questions/Comments