Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith of an Overcomer!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Jephthah, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Jephthah’s story is found in Judges 11-12. What is it about this story that put Jephthah in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

The first thing we learn about Jephthah is that he was a valiant warrior, but also that he was the son of his father Gilead’s visit with a prostitute (Judges 11:1). In fact, when I put into my internet search engine “son of harlot,” the first thing that comes up is “Jephthah the Gileadite.” People pay lots of money to be the top result in an internet search. Not Jephthah! He gets that honor free of charge. Jephthah’s name is synonymous with being the son of a prostitute.

How did Gilead’s wife and his legitimate children treat his illegitimate son? Hebrews 11:37-38 gives us the answer in its description of those people who experienced the triumph of faith, “ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy).” Judges 11:2-3 explains “ill-treated”:

Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

He was ostracized; treated like an outcast! How did Jephthah overcome such prejudice and stereotyping to become a judge of Israel? The answer to this question is part of the reason Jephthah is listed in Hebrews 11; his story is a triumph of faith, teaching us the faith of an overcomer. Circumstances beyond his control forced Jephthah to live the life of an outcast.

Have you seen people like outcasts? Have you ever been ostracized by a group? Have we as a church done this? Are we doing it currently? How much damage has our prejudice and stereotyping done to the witness of the church? How much potential has not been developed by congregations because of who someone’s parents were, or the challenges of a person’s childhood that caused them to walk a road that shaped them, inside and out? I invite you to look around you right now and see if there are potential Jephthahs being limited (or worse, being kept out) due to factors beyond their control?

I want to introduce you to my friend, Joshua. He was a member of my Thursday morning discipleship group at the New Castle Correctional Facility, where I took fifteen men through my first discipleship book, Live Like a Champion Today. Joshua was released last month, but he continues to in his discipleship with me, being a part of over forty men who have accepted the New Testament Reading Challenge, reading the New Testament in 90 days. This man is my brother in Christ, a fellow member of the Body of Christ, and God has a plan for life. I am excited that he is here today to share his transforming story of faith.

[Joshua to share testimony and special song.]

Neither Joshua, Jephthah, nor Jerry are the heroes of our own stories! There is only one hero of the faith, and His name is Jesus! If you want to have a story that demonstrates the triumph of faith, you must keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, learning how to walk with Him each day, in His easy yoke, not making promises for the future after your own victory has been won, but obeying Him today, trusting His victory for your situation! You can live with the faith of an overcomer by obeying today. Let’s take the next step to learn how to do this.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Jephthah had the reputation as a “valiant warrior,” and when the Ammonites oppressed the Israelites, the people needed a military leader, and none could be found, so the elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back home and lead them to victory. Judges 11:7-11 captures his response and what happens next:

Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?” The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up to me, will I become your head?” The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said.” Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.

Interestingly, in verse 11, we see that Jephthah sealed this with a covenant by bringing all his words before the Lord as Mizpah. This was no longer a contract between men, this was a covenant with God as a witness. Jephthah was all in, and in doing so, he led Israel to victory. We must remember though, it wasn’t Jephthah alone, it was God with him, as verse 29 emphasizes, just like we saw in the Samson story, “Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.” [Emphasis added]

Jephthah stepped into the opportunity that was presented to him. Despite his ostracism, living in Tob, an Aramean city, he responded to the invitation of God to use what he had been given by God for the good of God’s people. Unfortunately, as we learn from the rest of his story, he was not a good father (Judges 11:30-40[1]), nor a skillful diplomat (Judges 12:1-6). The one thing he could righteously offer to God, he used for His glory – he was a break-glass-only-in-the-event-of-war kind of guy. As I wrote in my Seize the Moment devotion on Judges 11:

Jephthah reminds me of Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway, Clint Eastwood’s character from Heartbreak Ridge, a grizzled old medal of honor recipient who, when finishing his last years in the Marine Corps, had to go to war one last time. His commander critiqued that people like him should be behind glass displays that say, “Break glass only in the event of war!”[2]

You may not understand why God made you the way you are, or why certain events have happened in your life, but you can bet that God has good works for you to do with your life (Ephesians 2:10). God is not interested in your promises for one day in the future; He desires obedience today! Are you willing to respond to the invitation of God, even if you have been misjudged previously, or treated unfairly because of people’s prejudices? Are you allowing your past to hold you back from being obedient to God today?

You are being invited today to trust God with every part of your story. Let’s turn to the last action step – God desires for you to reap a harvest of praise to His glory.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Jephthah led Israel to victory – He was an overcomer! We learn at the end of his story, recorded in Judges 12:7a, “Jephthah judged Israel six years.” He fulfilled the purpose for which God created him and called him. He had the faith of an overcomer!

Are you an overcomer? Are you walking in the victory of Jesus Christ? Paul taught in Romans 8:37-39:

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The life of an overcomer is a life that reaps a harvest of praise to the glory of God. It’s not a perfect life though; it’s a life filled with grace. The grace of God, which empowers us to keep going and not bail before the blessing. Jephthah did not do it perfectly, nor will I, or you, or Joshua, or any of us. We will make mistakes and those mistakes will have real consequences, but we should not allow those to stop us from reaping a harvest of praise in our lives, and through the lives of others. Jephthah went from outcast to overcomer, and from his story we have learned how to walk in the faith of an overcomer.

Do you really think you are going to get back at the world for being unfair, or get satisfaction out of a life filled with the pursuit of vengeance. Both are waste of your energy and will not lead to a life that reaps a harvest of praise to God’s glory! Jephthah did not seek vengeance against his people; rather, he obeyed God and was filled with the Spirit to answer God’s call through them. That’s the faith of an overcomer! In Romans 12:17-21, Paul commands us to do the same:

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] I’m not going to go into in this manuscript, but Jephthah’s rash vow, described in Judges 11:30-40, is NOT why he was listed in Hebrews 11. It breaks my heart to think that has been and continues to be taught by teachers. Men like Gideon, Samson, and Jephthah, each of which are found in Hebrews 11, offer students a challenge. We must discern what it is we are to emulate as a triumph of faith, and what is just of man, excess not to be emulated.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith That Calls You to Be Weak!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Samson, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Samson’s story is found in Judges 13-16. What is it about this story that put Samson in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

God providentially works in and through our lives for His purposes. The first thing we learn from Samson’s life is that he was chosen by God from before he was born. In fact, according to Judges 13:3-5, Samson was chosen with a purpose in mind:

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. “Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. “For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” [emphasis added]

This is a profound truth of God’s Word, as reinforced in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (cf. Psalm 139:13-17). Samson was not the only one who was listed in Hebrews 11 who had supernatural intervention in their birth narrative, so did Isaac, Moses, and Samuel. The reality is that God has a plan, and He chooses people who He will bring about His purposes for His glory! Don’t be deceived, faith is not a way to get God to make your life work for you; faith is about God choosing you to bring about His plans for His glory! In Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” You were chosen and redeemed for a purpose – this is why God gives you His Spirit – to empower you to walk in what God has given you to do.

Samson’s purpose was to begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines, so God stirred up Samson, directed him into the way of the Philistines, and then empowered him with His Spirit to accomplish what God chose him to do. Watch God at work in and through Samson’s life:

Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed of faith, which can be planted into others through our faithfulness to act according to our own faith and convictions, growing into a faith that takes God at His Word.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

We must persevere in our calling, realizing that God has chosen us for a purpose. Our tenacity of purpose, our focus on the mission of God, will form us into what God intended us to be, even if we don’t see it or understand it. The Lexham Bible Dictionary makes a very interesting parallel that draws us the heart of Samson’s story, and why I believe he made it into Hebrews 11:32:

Samson’s actions parallel the actions of Israel in the book of Judges. Samson’s primary weakness was his proclivity to pursue Philistine women; one of Israel’s major faults was their inclination to worship foreign gods. Smith argues that “Samson is an example of Israel’s ‘playing the harlot after other gods’ (Judg 2:17; 8:27, 32)” (Smith, “The Failure of the Family in Judges, Part 2: Samson,” 431).^[1]

To further emphasize this point, I am going to highlight two sections of Romans 11, emphasizing to you this biblical principle found in verse 29, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” This is a truth that I hold near and dear to my heart because there is redemption available through the power of the Spirit – this is the miracle of resurrection! Can God use a divorced person in the church of Jesus Christ or are they forever stigmatized by the most painful experience of his or her life? Can God use a person who served time in prison to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church of Jesus Christ or are they forever marginalized by the most painful experiences of his or her life? The examples can be as mundane or as heartbreaking as needed to make the point, but the heart of the issue remains: in the New Covenant, does God remove His gifts and callings from a person? Does God remove His Spirit from those He has chosen? I stand before you today and say, No! Absolutely not! Listen now to Paul’s argument about how the church is grafted into Israel, not a replacement of, in Romans 11:1-6, 25-35:

I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. … For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! [emphasis added]

Samson’s transforming story of faith foreshadows the irrevocable grace of God upon a person’s life. As we have already learned, Samson was chosen, stirred, directed, and empowered by God to fulfill the very purpose for which God chose him – “he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” Here’s the man point of this entire sermon: Samson is not an example of how to act but an example of God’s scandalous grace! He is not a hero to emulate, but a real person in real history with real faith that God used to bring about His plans. His life is in the hall of faith because Samson shows us the power of God’s faith, bestowed on His children so that we would walk in His ways, bringing about His purposes for His glory. Therefore, let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

There is an interesting literary difference in Samson’s story as compared to other stories in the book of Judges. In Judges 15:20, we read what is usually the concluding statement of one of the judge’s lives, “So he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.” What you would expect to be the end of Samson’s story is not; in fact, what comes next is another chapter with big finish of Samson’s story in which we see Samson at his downright worst behavior – an absolute scoundrel, but also, by God’s grace alone, the greatest victory of Samson’s life. Judges 16:28-31 narrates the captivating conclusion of Samson’s life:

Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down, took him, brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he had judged Israel twenty years.

Interestingly, it was God’s providence that placed Samson in a position to have such a great victory while in such a weakened state. Pointedly, for a man committed to be a Nazarite, this is only the second time we see Samson praying to God; the first was when he was about to die from thirst and the second is when his eyes were gouged out, head shaved with a little peach fuzz growing back, in captivity to the Philistines. Yet, in the most desperate moment of Samson’s life, he pulls of an amazing display of strength and courage. Yet in doing so, the normal equation of Samson’s feats of strength is blatantly missing from this pericope: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily.” It’s so obviously omitted that there must be a reason!

In Hebrew 11:34, there are some descriptive statements made that can be applied to Samson’s transforming story of faith: “escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” There is one that I want to highlight to you today – “from weakness were made strong.” I believe this captures the heart of why Samson is listed in Hebrews 11, a chapter that should never again be called the heroes of the faith, but rather the triumphs of faith in God’s people, just like the book of Acts should not be called the Acts of the Apostles, but rather the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The emphasis should never be on a person, but on God! It’s God’s power; He is the operative agent of our faith – it’s all grace, the gift of God! And, as we’ve learned, God doesn’t revoke His gifts or callings. God’s grace perseveres in a person, transforming them into the very person God chose them to be, just as Jesus promised His disciples in Mark 1:17, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Paul, believing this, prayed from a place of weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

As described of Samson in Hebrews 11, Paul described of himself when struggling with the realities of living in his flesh while answering God’s call of faith – “for when I am weak, then I am strong.” One of the greatest threats to the gospel of Jesus Christ is when people strive to be strong in their own flesh, based on their own merits, convinced of their own righteousness. This only leads to legalism and moralism, distortions of the gospel. There is only one kind of life that will bring down the house for the glory of God, producing a harvest of praise; that is the life of faith that calls you to be weak. I join you to embrace the example of Jesus Christ, by joining with Paul in saying Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” This is the way of the cross!

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

~ Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 20:25-28

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Invites Partnership!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Barak, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Barak’s story is found in Judges 4-5. What is it about this story that put Barak in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Barak was a general and not the judge of Israel; Deborah was the judge, and she summoned Barak to the place she ruled over Israel. Listen to how Barak is introduced and his first recorded exchange with Deborah in Judges 4:6-10:

Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’ ” Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.

This story has been used in many controversial ways over the years, but the emphasis of the story is simple – the Judge of Israel, Deborah a prophetess, commanded her general to go into battle based on the word of the Lord given to her. Barak wanted the prophetess of God to be with him as he led the army. This possibly could have been to ensure that the one receiving the word of the Lord was there to give timely words (as she does!), and maybe even to ensure that she was not giving a false prophecy. Because while you may or may not remember that the penalty for giving a false word was death, according to Deuteronomy 18:20, the reality of leading a military operation with bad intel is also death. In this case, if she was giving a false word, it would mean the death of Barak and his army. I don’t see any evidence that Barak was abdicating his responsibilities to Deborah. The text makes it clear that he still did everything that was expected of him as the general, Deborah just traveled with them. Her going showed her confidence in God and that she had received a word from Him. In my book, gold stars to both of them!

The fact that Deborah was a woman leading Israel has caused some stir in how this story has been used, but let’s not use this story for our own agendas, let’s just tell it as it is – Barak wanted his leader to go with him, especially since she was a prophetess. Interestingly, for people who have not yet read the rest of this story, it is commonly misunderstood that Deborah was saying that she would get the honor instead of Barak, but that is not what she was saying at all. Since she has been shown by God what would happen, she let Barak know that he would not get the honor. I don’t think this was a struggle between a man and a woman for power or authority. This was a general pulling together all his resources to ensure the victory, and what I find most appealing about Barak was that he cared more about the well-being of his army and its victory in battle, than about who got the honor.

Barak was a man of God who submitted to the authority over him, cared about the people entrusted to him, and didn’t care who receive the credit for accomplishing the mission. Imagine what God would do through His people if none of us cared about who got the credit, as long as God received all the glory! Let’s take the next step to learn how we can become this type of people!

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Through Barak’s partnership with Deborah, God won the victory, and Israel experienced forty years of rest. But, as the continuation of the story teaches us, it was neither Barak, nor Deborah, who received the honor for this great victory, but, rather, the woman Jael. They each had a part to play, and we see this clearly in Judges 4:

I’m not sure if you caught some of the nuances of this story, but the summary statement says it all, from Judges 4:23-24, “So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan.” To mature into a fruit-bearing plant that reaps a harvest of praise to the glory of God, you must learn that it is God who gives the victory and it is God who brings together His people to do what must be done – whether we see this through the lens of military language, athletic imagery, farming, or family, God has established us as one body for His glory! Let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

God intends for us to work together as many members of one body. This is emphasized by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14, Ephesians 4:11-16; and in Roman 12:4-8. The latter passage captures some of the heart of Barak and Deborah’s partnership:

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

I read Judges 4-5 as a faith story, describing a man and woman of God learning how to work together within God’s call to serve Israel with their gifts and talents. As they grew in the faith that invites partnership, they sang a beautiful duet together. Do you have a favorite duet? Maybe when Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond came together to sing, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” or Faith Hill and Tony Bennett when they sang, “The Way You Look Tonight.” There is something magical about a beautiful duet – when it is done properly the gifts of both complement one another and they are better together.[1]

The story of Deborah and Barak is told twice – Judges 4 tells the story in prose and Judges 5 shares it as poetry, in the form of a duet. Judges 5:1-3 introduces, then begins, their beautiful song, “Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, ‘That the leaders led in Israel, that the people volunteered, bless the LORD! Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I – to the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.’” [emphasis added] This is a rare discovery, because the next closest thing to a duet in the Bible was the Song of Miriam (Exodus 15:20-21), which immediately followed the Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-19). Even more than Moses and Miriam, who songs are recorded separately, Deborah and Barak sang, as one, of their victory, and they gave God all the glory! Just as foretold, the song gave honor to a woman for the victory, as Judges 5:24 declared of the heroine, “Most blessed of women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; most blessed is she of women in the tent.” Not Deborah or Barak! But, as you listen to their song, they are giving honor to many; they not only honor the champion, but the many from the tribes who fought, whether volunteer or commander.

That leads us to the closing point of today’s teaching on the transforming story of Barak’s faith. When we live by faith, realizing that we are in this together, then it doesn’t matter who gets the credit or is honored, but that God gets all the glory! As the church of Jesus Christ, we are the body of Christ, and we must bring all that we have together to fulfill the mission and bring glory to God. Paul taught this in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27:

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Takes God at His Word!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Gideon, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Gideon’s story is found in Judges 6-8. What is it about this story that put Gideon in the hall of faith? In my Seize the Moment devotional on Judges 8, I posed this question, “Gideon will always be remembered as one of the heroes of faith for his military victories, as seen in Hebrews 11:32, but what should we emulate from his life?”[1] Let us pray for God to cultivate the soil of our hearts and minds, and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Gideon’s story proclaims the gospel of grace in a beautiful way, and pointedly not because of Gideon himself – his is a God-story, and maybe that’s the point! It is almost as if Paul was thinking of the book of Judges when he explained how God called people according to the power of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 1:21-31:

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Today’s story of Gideon’s transforming faith builds off what we learned from Rahab last week: God chooses people on purpose! It doesn’t matter your past or present, or what other people think about you, or even what you think about yourself; when God calls, He has plans to do good works through you, just as Ephesians 2:8-10 makes clear, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Let’s look at the story of Gideon’s call to illustrate this and then we’ll move on to see how God used Him for His glory. Gideon is introduced to us and called by God in Judges 6:11-16:

Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” But the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”

Obviously, God had more faith in Gideon than Gideon had in either God or himself! Today’s lesson is about learning to trust God’s Word. Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed can grow into a faith that takes God at His Word. With Gideon, as we will see, it’s a process!

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Gideon in not my hero even though he was included in the Hebrews 11 hall of faith. There are a couple men listed that I will be teaching you about who I consider counterexamples, rather than models of the faith. But I would not be considered a very good example either if all my personal times with God were recorded on paper and my doubts, fears, and bad decisions were highlighted for all to see. So, like we just learned, I choose to take God at His Word, submitting to Him and His choosing of us – aren’t we a happy family of ragamuffins… God is far more gracious and forgiving than I am, as I wouldn’t choose me, just like Gideon tried to opt out of God’s calling. I can tell you many ways that I consider myself disqualified, and that led to me delaying in answering God’s call on my life to be a pastor for five years.  

But God! Watch Gideon continue to carry on with God in Judges 6:17, “So Gideon said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.’” God responded to his request, Gideon worshipped Him, and then obeyed the Word of the Lord and faithfully accomplished God’s will (18-25). Gideon was faithful, and you think he would have learned his lesson to take God at His Word with this amazing victory. Unfortunately, he had more to learn, as we all do; it’s a process! Gideon carried on with God again, in what has probably become one of the most misapplied stories in the Bible, from Judges 6:36-40:

Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.” And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.

First off, can I just say thank you God for persevering with us in our moments of unbelief! How many times does God have to demonstrate His faithfulness to us until we get it and just trust Him enough to take Him at His Word? Secondly, can I ask that we stop normalizing Gideon’s testing of God by joining him in our metaphorical putting out of fleeces. Just because Gideon did it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. I don’t see us casting lots to choose our next pastor (ref. Acts 1:26). There are some things we find in the Bible that are descriptive of what happened, not prescriptive for what should happen. We need to learn the difference.

We are to grow in the kind of faith that takes God at His Word, which obeys Him so that we can say with Jesus, who testified of His own life in John 17:4, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” Let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Ultimately, because God is faithful, Gideon’s life reaped a harvest of praise to the glory of God for two primary reasons, and this is what I want us to learn from him and emulate:

The peace that Gideon won both militarily and politically, as God’s chosen judge, lasted until his death, but then the people turned back to idol worship, as Judges 8:33-35 describes:

Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel.

The cycle of the period of Judges continued, as the people of God entered a period of disobedience, rebellion, and oppression. It doesn’t need to be this way for the church of Jesus Christ. Every judge of Israel followed God in imperfect ways, but how is that different from us? Gideon was slow to trust God, but ultimately, every victory that He had was because He took God at His Word. Every pastor, just like every leader you look to, or try to be yourself, will be imperfect. We must learn from Gideon’s story and realize he is not in the hall of faith because he was perfect, but for his faith that led him to act upon the Word of the Lord.

We have a king, the rightful King of kings, who has established us as rightful citizens of His Kingdom. He has won us the victory over sin and death, giving us everything we need to experience His victory if only we have a faith that takes Him at His Word; we, too, must act upon the Word of the Lord. Jesus Christ speaks to you today from John 14:11-15, 21, and 23:

Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. … He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. … If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Saves the Day!

Hebrews 11:31 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Rahab, found in Hebrews 11:31, “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.” This ancient story of Jericho is found in Joshua 2-6. Rahab’s specific part to play, when “she had welcomed the spies in peace” is found in Joshua 2, and when she “did not perish along with those who were disobedient” is found in Joshua 6. While we will walk through her faithfulness, as described in Joshua 2 later, allow me to read to you the reward of her faithfulness from Joshua 6:22-25:

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her.” So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel. They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

What is it about this story that put “Rahab the harlot” in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Joshua 2 explains the answer to that big question. Joshua sent two men to spy on Jericho in preparation for the military conquest of the Promised Land. They ended up in Rahab’s house, verse 1 explicitly states, “So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.” [emphasis added] There is a lot of discussion around this point, whether it was a brothel or a hostel.^[1] Regardless, the king of Jericho, having found out where they were and why they were in Jericho, sent men to capture the spies of Israel (2-3). Rahab deceived to the king’s servants, protecting the spies from capture and certain death (4-7), giving the spies her reasoning in verses 9-13:

I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.

The spies promised to do as she said in return for her help, escaping safely back to Joshua (14-22). The rest is history as we already read in Joshua 6:22-25, and as proclaimed in today’s story from Hebrews 11:31. I want to emphasize how Rahab’s proclamation of faith and actions brought faith and hope to the people of God, from Joshua 2:23-24:

Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, “Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.”

Rahab took a great personal risk to protect the spies because she feared the Lord. As we see repeatedly in the wisdom literature of the Bible, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). God prolonged the days of Rahab’s life, and that of her family and friends, because of her confession of faith. Her actions were motivated by faith, justifying her inclusion into the people of God. Rahab is in the hall of faith because she was the first gentile convert – a type (or foreshadowing) of that which was to come, which is us – the church of Jesus Christ from all nations! Rahab’s family was the first to experience the promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you … and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed of faith, which can be planted into others through our faithfulness to act according to our own faith and convictions, growing into a faith that saves the day.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Rahab’s salvation from the destruction of Jericho caused by the wrath of God illuminates for us today the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul taught us in the Romans Road to Salvation, four key passages that teach us the simple gospel message:

You, too, can have a faith that saves the day by seizing the moment and living out the redemption story of faith passed to you. I conclude with this invitation from Richard Hess, “The story of Rahab confirms God’s welcome to all people, whatever their condition. Christ died for all the world and the opportunity is available for all to come to him through faith, even the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).”^[4] What is in your past that you feel disqualifies you from being a member of the body of Christ, the household of God? What is in your present that you feel disqualifies you from coming forward today to receive mercy and grace? Today is the day of salvation! Respond to the words of Paul from 1 Timothy 1:15-17:

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] “In his retelling of the biblical story, Josephus portrays Rahab as an innkeeper. He might have chosen an alternate interpretation of the Hebrew term זנה (znh), which is most frequently translated as “prostitute” or “harlot.” On the other hand, he may have deliberately glossed over the issue of her profession (Antiquities 5.6–30). In either case, her “house” may indeed have functioned as an inn (Hess, Joshua, [92]). In comparison, the Septuagint and the authors of Hebrews and James all use the Greek word πόρνη (pornē, “prostitute”)” (Scott R. Moore, “Rahab the Prostitute,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary [Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016]).

[2] Richard S. Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 88.

[3] Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 148.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Toots God’s Horn!

Hebrews 11:30 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Joshua, found in Hebrews 11:30, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” This ancient story of Jericho is found in Joshua 6. Here are highlights from verses 1-5, 16, 19, 27:

Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.” … At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city.” … So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city. … So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

What is it about this story that put Joshua in the hall of faith? To answer that question, we need to look at the next action step.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Joshua’s life was formed during Moses’ formidable years. In other words, Joshua’s transforming story started because he experienced the fruit of Moses’ formidable faith, and the good seed was put into his heart and mind because of Moses’ faithfulness to God. We see here the importance of multiplying yourself, as 2 Timothy 2:2 teaches, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Then, after Moses died, we watch Joshua called forth to succeed the man of God in Joshua 1:1-9:

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

People presume that God commanded Joshua to “be strong and courageous” because of the long military campaign ahead, starting with Jericho, and while that is true, the only real danger Joshua faced was the people’s rebellion against God and their not following the Law as given to them by Moses in the Pentateuch. Joshua’s primary duty and greatest challenge was leading the people spiritually. Without obedience to God, there could be no military victory, nor rest in the land, as God made clear in Joshua 1:13-18:

“Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’ Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them, until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.” They answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.”

The reality we are going to learn today is that God’s people don’t need a hero, they need a spiritual leader. That truth will be borne out time and time again in the history of Israel, especially once the people get judges then kings. God is the only hero the people of God will ever need, but we have this sinful, incessant desire to make heroes out of people who then afflict us. To learn this, Joshua had to mature as a man of God in his leadership calling.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Whereas heroes toot their own horns, and we happily grant them celebrity notoriety so that we can worship them like the idol worshippers we are, spiritual leaders toot God’s horn and point the people to their fundamental need to worship the only One worthy of our worship – God!

In today’s story about the famous battle of Jericho, Joshua exemplified the call of a true spiritual leader, who proved that his highest calling was to be strong and courageous, meditating upon God’s Word so that he would obey and be successful. Joshua received the battle plan from the “captain of the host of the Lord” in Joshua 5:13-15:

Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua, like the Centurion and how he submitted to Jesus in Matthew 8:5-13, executed the plan given to Him with great faith, even though it was an unusual plan. As a former military officer, sI want you to realize what a big moment this was for Joshua – God’s plan would have been unlike anything Joshua had ever seen or heard. God directed him in Joshua 6:3-5 to lead the army to walk around the city wall of Jericho for seven days, once per day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. Upon completion of which the priests were to blow seven trumpets and the people were to shout out with a great shout. Then the wall of the city would fall flat.

I can only imagine how Joshua, an experienced military leader, could think of all the reasons this plan would not work. If this was Joshua’s burning bush moment, wouldn’t he second guess and argue against every point of God’s plan, just like Moses had done in Exodus 3:10-4:13? But he doesn’t – he had learned through his experiences as Moses’ second-in-command and as his time as a spy of the Land of Canaan to trust God to do the impossible! Joshua 6:6-7 describes how Joshua executed the Word of God without question:

So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” Then he said to the people, “Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the Lord.”

The battle for Jericho was a decisive victory that brought great glory to God. All because Joshua believed God and acted with absolute trust in God’s Word. This is the only way a leader will mature; not by seeking to be a hero for the people, but by pointing the people to the only hero they will ever need – God! Oh, how far the nation of Israel would fall, and how far we fall today when we refuse to trust God by obeying His Word in our own lives. That bring us to the last action point.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Joshua’ life reaped a harvest of praise – he successfully tooted God’s horn! But God’s people did not walk in the way of Joshua, he had no successor, and after the elders of Joshua, the people entered into tumultuous years of the Judges. There is a warning with a call to action built into Joshua’s life, and we only need to look at the Battle of Ai, found in Joshua 7 to realize what it is.

Joshua 7 is a sad story that starts with the startling defeat of the army of Israel at Ai. There was no military reason for their defeat, especially after the amazing victory at Jericho. The defeat was a spiritual one. In response to this unexpected defeat, Joshua’s charge from God was to lead the people in repentance so that he would once again lead them in God’s victory. Joshua led the people back to God in verse 13:

Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, ‘There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.’”

As we learn from reading Joshua 7, the defeat was caused by the sin of Achan, who coveted after the spoils of war and greedily hid in his tent that which God forbade (16-26). What Achan thought would go unnoticed and had justified in his mind and heart to help his family survive, led to great devastation to the community of God, causing a major defeat in the Battle of Ai. That is the startling revelation that each of must ponder about Joshua’s life and his call to leadership of God’s people. The victory comes as each of us learn to submit to God’s Word, just as Joshua was commanded in Joshua 1:8. The calling of Joshua, and every spiritual leader to this day, is to toot God’s horn, emphasizing the importance of meditating upon God’s Word, day and night, teaching God’s people to listen and obey so that they may enter God’s rest. This is as emphasized in the New Testament, in Hebrews 4:8-12:

For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

We must not follow the example of disobedience. Instead, we must surrender ourselves holy and wholeheartedly to God’s commands as given to us through the Word of God. Consecrate yourself to God and dedicate your heart and mind to Him. At the end of his life, Joshua called the people to decide who they will serve; I join my voice to Joshua 24:14-15:

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Brothers and sisters, you don’t need me or any person to be a hero to save the day for you! Jesus Christ has already done that for you – we have a Savior! Today, and every day until He returns, you need to respond to the invitation of Jesus Christ from Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” This is what we learn from Joshua’s life – a life of absolute surrender to God! A life that abides in the vine bears good fruit – a harvest of praise to God!

You can watch the video of this message by clicking HERE.