HEBREWS 28


     We will begin this lesson in Hebrews 11:30 "By faith the walls of
Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days."

     We have been looking at the great men of the Bible, and what made
them great. It seems that in every situation it is their faith that
makes them great. They are not like most men, but they have more faith
than their fellows. We see in this verse above an act of faith that
seems so foolish to an outsider. The children of Israel were to march
around the city wall one time each day for 6 days. On the seventh day,
they were to walk around 7 times. They were promised if they did
exactly as God had told them the walls of the city would fall down.
Joshua 6:3 "And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and]
go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days."  Joshua
6:4 "And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of
rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven
times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets." Joshua 6:5 "And
it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the
ram's horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the
people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall
fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight
before him." Remember that this was close to 3 million people. What a
shout this would be. Seven means spiritually complete. It is very
important that they did not vary at all in the instructions that God
had given them and the walls did fall down. Joshua 6:20 "So the people
shouted when [the priests] blew with the trumpets: and it came to
pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people
shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the
people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they
took the city." The Ark of the Covenant with them represented the fact
that God was with them, even leading them. If God is for us we should
not fear. He is our Refuge. We need no worldly weapons to win the war.
II Corinthians 10:4 "(For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)" II
Corinthians 10:5 "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"
Our weapon is the twoedged Sword {the Bible} the Word of God.

     Hebrews 11:31 "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them
that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace."

     Rahab had taken her place on the side of God. God will not forget
those who fight for Him. We see the reward that Rahab and her family
received because she befriended God's spies. Joshua 6:23 "And the
young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her
father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and
they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of
Israel."

     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:"

     We find in this Scripture some men of great faith. Gideon was
called of God to raise an army to fight God's enemies. We find in
Gideon, a reluctant soldier. Gideon did not feel that he was of family
background capable of working for God. God chose him anyway. Gideon is
well known for the fleece he laid before God. Gideon was not sure that
God was talking to him and he laid this fleece to be sure. It was God,
and Gideon stopped doubting and agreed to fight the battle for God.
There were over 3 thousand Israelites who came to fight on the side of
the Lord. God had Gideon to send all of the fearful and unbelieving
home. At the end there were only 300 men to come against this huge
army of God's enemies. God proved to Gideon and to all the world that
just a few on the side of God are a multitude and can win any battle.
God has directed them to participate in. Judges 7:7 "And the LORD said
unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and
deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the [other] people
go every man unto his place."  This tells it all. I can do anything
that God has called me to do, regardless of the odds against it.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me."

     In the days of Barak, Deborah was a judge in the land. We will
see in the next verses that Deborah and Barak fought for God and won
the battle. Judges 4:8 "And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with
me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not
go." Judges 4:9 "And she said, I will surely go with thee:
notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine
honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And
Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh."  Judges 5:12 "Awake,
awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy
captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam."

     We find in the next name Samson. Samson, like many ministers, was
not perfect, but his last act was to kill the enemies of God. His
weakness was women. We all remember the story of how he was tricked
and lost his hair. The Philistines punched his eyes out and worked him
like a farm animal. He became strong again as his hair grew out and he
prayed to God to kill these enemies of God. We will see in the next
verses what happened.  Judges 16:28 "And Samson called unto the LORD,
and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I
pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the
Philistines for my two eyes." Judges 16:29 "And Samson took hold of
the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was
borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his
left." Judges 16:30 "And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines.
And he bowed himself with [all his] might; and the house fell upon the
lords, and upon all the people that [were] therein. So the dead which
he slew at his death were more than [they] which he slew in his life."

     Judges 11:1 "Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of
valour, and he [was] the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah."
Judges 11:32  "So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to
fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands."
Jephthah made a rash vow and his daughter was killed for it.
Judges 12:7 "And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah
the Gileadite, and was buried in [one of] the cities of Gilead."

     King David was the beloved of God. Next to Christ, it seems he
was the most loved of God. David reigned in Israel for 40 years after
the fall of Saul. One of the mighty things that David did was fighting
Goliath. David was just a lad when he slew the giant Goliath in the
name of the Lord. David was a valiant man of war. He fought against
God's enemies. God loved David and even said that the only thing He
had against David was killing Uriah for his wife Bathsheba. I Kings
15:5 "Because David did [that which was] right in the eyes of the
LORD, and turned not aside from any [thing] that he commanded him all
the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite."

     Samuel was a gift of God to his mother Hannah. She promised if
God would give her a man child, she would give him to God all the days
of his life. As soon as Samuel was weaned he was brought to Eli for
training in the Lord's ways. Samuel was one of the greatest judges.
God spoke to him personally and Samuel foretold of the fall of the
house of Eli. Samuel was bold in speaking out against the idolatry of
the people turning them back to Jehovah.

     The prophets of old spoken of here are possibly Isaiah, Jermiah.
Elijah, Elisha, Daniel and others of this stature. The strength of
these men in the face of death is one of the things that set them
aside. They never faltered in their belief, even if it cost them their
life. Many of them were called in their youth, and many were martyred
for Their belief in God.

     Now we see the things that set these men aside from the others.
their valiant stand against evil, is what set them aside from ordinary
people. They believed God, and it was counted unto them for
righteousness, like Abraham. Hebrews 11:33 "Who through faith subdued
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths
of lions," Hebrews 11:34 "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."  These were really
just ordinary people like you and me who had an extraordinary amount
of faith in God. They believed, if God asked them to do something,
they could do it. Where are our believers like this today?

     Hebrews 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and
others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might
obtain a better resurrection:

     Even these women who received their dead raised to life, were
operating in an overwhelming amount of faith. Romans 8:17 "And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Christ; if so
be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together."
Many men and women who would not deny Christ, died for their belief.
The wonderful promise to all who suffer for Christ, is that we will
reign with Him. I Corinthians 4:12 "And labour, working with our own
hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:"
Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and
persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely,
for my sake." Matthew 5:44 "But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Luke 6:28 "Bless
them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you."
If we are to be like our leader, Jesus Christ, then we will be all of
the above. We are not better than our master.

     Hebrews 11:36 "And others had trial of [cruel] mockings and
scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:"

     Paul himself,  was the very best example of suffering all these
particular persecutions except for Jesus. All of these are nothing
compared to the wonderful things God has planned for us in heaven.

     Hebrews 11:37 "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;"

     We know, that history tells us, that Isaiah was sawed in two for
belief in God. We also know that John the Baptist was beheaded for his
belief. If you look at the true followers of God in the Bible, nearly
all of them were under terrible persecution for their belief in the
Father God or Jesus Christ.

     Hebrews 11:38 "(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered
in deserts, and [in] mountains, and [in] dens and caves of the earth."

     Moses was a wanderer in the desert. David hid in a cave to keep
from killing Saul. This is just an example of the troubles of many
followers of God.

     Hebrews 11:39 "And these all, having obtained a good report
through faith, received not the promise:"

     These all believed in Messiah. They were looking for a city whose
maker was God. As we said, they all believed and it was counted unto
them as righteousness.

     Hebrews 11:40 "God having provided some better thing for us, that
they without us should not be made perfect."

     To be perfect, we must be in Christ. Jesus Christ came after
their time on earth. We have the opportunity to be perfect in the
sight of God through the shed blood of His son Jesus Christ. We are
not perfect in ourselves, we are perfect, washed in the blood of Jesus
Christ. We have taken on His righteousness so that we might be
acceptable in the sight of the Father. Philippians 3:9 "And be found
in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is
of God by faith:"

                             Questions 28

1.  By _____ the walls of Jericho fell down.
2.  How many days did they walk around the walls of Jericho?
3.  What was unusual about the last day?
4.  What were they to do after the priest blew the trumpet?
5.  How many people walked around the walls of Jericho?
6.  What did the Ark of the Covenant represent?
7.  The weapons of our warfare are not ______.
8.  What is the Christian's weapon?
9.  What was the harlot's name that was saved?
10. Why was she saved?
11. Who was saved with her?
12. What unusual thing did Gideon do?
13. How many soldiers did God let him keep out of the more than 3
    thousand that came to fight?
14. Who was a judge in the land in the days of Barak?
15. What did Barak tell her about the war?
16. How can we relate Samson to many ministers today?
17. What was Samson's weakness?
18. What had the Philistines done to Samson?
19. What was Samson's last act of valor?
20. Who was Jephthah?
21. What was caused by a rash vow he took?
22. King David was the _______ of God.
23. What was the only thing that God had against David?
24. Who was Samuel's mother?
25. What did she promise God about Samuel?
26. Who trained Samuel in the ways of God?
27. Name some of the prophets of old.
28. Name some of the things these men of old did.
29. What did these women who received their dead back to life have?
30. What promise do we find in Matthew chapter 5 verse 11?
31. If we are to be like Jesus, what are some of the things we will
    endure?
32. Who was one of the best examples of suffering besides Christ?
33. How did all of these obtain a good report?
34. How is the only way anyone can be perfect?