This is what I shared today, 9/25/08, @ EL-TS's chapel hour:
Nine years ago, my family found itself in what I call our valley of deep darkness or begei tsal-malweth, as I’ve learned in Hebrew from Psalm 23:4. Everything that we believed in or thought was true was put to a great test. There were so many dark days and months when it took sheer willpower just to get out of bed in the morning and go through the motions of a “normal” life. It felt like we were walking with our arms stretched out in front of us, like a blind person, because we couldn’t see what was up ahead.
It was during those dark days that I came across a new devotional that Justin had and I read these words:
The guidance of God can be likened to a flashlight on a foggy night that shines only one step ahead. If we were to see several steps more, we would have no reason to trust God—or if we saw that the steps were leading to conflict, we might back away from lack of faith. Although it's natural to want to see ahead, it's also natural for God to create circumstances that lead us to trust Him—one step at a time. Trusting God for every step of the way is how Jesus lived. We, too, can trust God for our next unseen step.
I’m sure you can imagine how these words would bring comfort to my heart and my soul. They reminded me that I wasn’t alone in this deep darkness. God was walking through that darkness with me. He knew the way out and I just had to trust Him to guide me safely through. And with the Lord’s loving care, guidance and protection, we HAVE made it through to the other side of that valley of deep darkness. It took several years and it really was one step of faith at a time but I can see now that with each step that we took, the Lord strengthened our faith and trust in Him and we are stronger in our faith because of that experience. We saw firsthand God’s faithfulness to us and we, in turn, have learned to fully trust His leading for our lives because He did it in the past and we know He will do it in the days and years to come.
Looking back, I can see that that was probably my biggest test of faith to date. But, while editing my dad’s sermons on Hebrews 11, I realize that that time of testing for me is small, even tiny, compared to what believers in the Old and New Testament times went through. Their test of faith required dying for what they believed. They refused to compromise their faith in God because they trusted Him to perform that which He had promised. They exemplified the words of the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” In verses 36-38 of Hebrews 11, we see the different ways many of them suffered and this is where I would like to share some of my dad’s notes from one of his sermons in this series:
A. They were mocked—v. 36
1. The Greek word translated “mocking” is empaigmos. This means “to insult."
2. Because this is in the plural, this, therefore, refers to many people who heaped insults, with the use of foul language to put to shame a person. This was part of torture, as was done by the soldiers who arrested the Lord—Luke 22:63.
B. Scourgings—v. 36
1. This is taken from the Greek word mastix.
2. As prescribed punishment among the Hebrews, the scourging was done with the use of three tongs of leather. The offender will receive thirteen strikes on the bare breast and then thirteen stripes on each shoulder, thus 39 stripes. This was experienced five times by Paul—see II Corinthians 11:24.
C. Bonds—v. 36
1. The Greek word is desmos.
2. This refers to the actual bond which binds a prisoner, just like a hand-cuff. The cruelty of this is that during time of imprisonment, they were always bound. See Acts 16:26 (Paul & Silas)
D. Imprisonment—v. 36
1. The Greek word is phulake.
2. This is not the same as our prisons today where inmates are free to roam around within the prison premises. During those times, to be imprisoned meant to be put in a cage, just like the birds in Revelation 18:2—the cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
E. Stoned—v. 37
1. The Greek verbal root is lithazo.
2. One of the painful examples of this kind of punishment was that of Stephen in Acts 7:58. One very important exegetical observation here is that in the case of Stephen, the verb "stone" elithoboloun is in the imperfect tense, which means that for a long time, many of the members of the Sanhedrin kept on stoning Stephen until he died. The stones used were not just small ones, but big ones. This is how painful many of the early Christians suffered for their faith. This was the same experience for many believers who would rather suffer than be given temporal deliverance, if that temporal deliverance means a compromise of their faith.
F. Sawn asunder—v. 37
1. The Greek word is pridso.
2. This means “to divide into two.” Tradition has recorded that the prophet Isaiah was cut into two. Think about the extreme pain and agony which one undergoes when he is being cut into two, his body being divided.
G. Murdered by a sword—v. 37
1. The Greek word for “murder” is phonos. This means “an illegal act.”
2. The instrument used was a sword; long sharp instruments for warfare, a saber. This was another form of violent and painful death inflicted on those who dare to believe in God.
All these forms of suffering were violent and most of them ended in death. But, this shows us the sufferings which these Old Testament believers went through for the sake of their faith in the true and eternal God. We should be thankful that we do not have to go through these same kinds of humiliations and physical sufferings at this time. These heroes of faith should really be admired for their faithfulness to the true God in whom they continued to believe, despite their sufferings. Some of us, however, may have to endure various kinds of pain—physical, psychological and emotional—because of our faith in God. But, we know that God will give us the strength to persevere and never to compromise our faith.
The words of the Apostle Peter in I Peter I:7 should be our constant reminder: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”
Let me share with you these words from Catherine Booth who, along with her husband William Booth, founded the Salvation Army. She wrote: “Whatever the particular call is, the particular sacrifice God asks you to make, the particular cross He wishes you to embrace, whatever the particular path He wants you to tread, will you rise up, and say in your heart, "Yes, Lord, I accept it; I submit, I yield, I pledge myself to walk in that path and to follow that Voice and to trust Thee with the consequences?" Oh! but you say, "I don't know what He will want next." No, we none of us know that, but we know we shall be safe in His hands.”
So, as my dad concluded in his sermons on Hebrews 11, what kind of faith do we have? Are we willing to suffer for our faith in God or do we easily capitulate to compromise? If we have truly surrendered our lives to God, then God will give us the grace to remain faithful even unto death. Listen to these are words of encouragement from the Lord found in Revelation 2:10: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
