Heroes of the Faith

I used to think, erroneously, that much of the Old Testament was not applicable to us who believe in Jesus, post-Calvary. I used to think that since the new covenant of Jesus' blood and sacrifice did away with the old covenant of the Law of Moses, it also did away with the Old Testament, and not much of what was written in there still applied to me today.

But, like I said, I was wrong. 

Lately I've been taking a lot of comfort in what I read in the OT. Not because the Levitical law is so comfortable... no... that part is done away with, covered by the Greatest Commandment and the one just like it - Love God with all you've got, and love each other selfishly. No... lately I'm taking comfort in the fact that Old Testament heroes of the faith - Abraham, Moses, Rahab, Ruth, Joseph, Joshua, Elijah, David, Daniel, etc. - were JUST LIKE ME. 

Human, in every way. Heroes just the same.  

Abraham. An old man. Complained to God about his lack of an heir. He was wealthy beyond belief in every way but the family way. God listened to Abraham, and promised him not only would he have a son, but he would have more descendants than he could possibly number. Abraham believed God... but it was still a LONG wait until God gave Abraham and his old-lady wife Sarah a son. 

I am in the long wait time. Not for a son, but for a God-promise to come true. Abraham... me... same boat, different day. 

Moses. Prepped for greatness. Forced into exile. Called out of hiding by God, in a freak of nature. Asked to do the impossible. Argued with God. Tried to beg out of it with lame excuses. In the end... led the deliverance of a great nation of people, with enemy spoils, and experienced the very presence of God so intensely his face shone with the light of it for days and had to be covered. A mere mortal - doing the impossible - not trained for this... me. 

Rahab. A prostitute. Not me. Haha... but still, me. How many times have I sold my soul for pleasure? But, like Rahab, I heard tell of the great acts of the God of the Israelites and believed. She and I have a lot in common. 

Ruth. I share her name. Friend. Alone and lonely. How much companionship is a bitter, conniving old woman? But Ruth was brave. Unconventional. Hard-working. Had daring faith.  And she was redeemed. 

Me. 

Joseph... my favorite. A young man, full of himself. So me. Sent somewhere against his will, to do work he didn't want to do, to be lied about, forgotten, mistreated... to end up in the right place at the right time, with the right wisdom from God to save the peoples of the land from perishing. Humbled... Used by God. Me. 

Joshua. What a brave heart! He saw giants, but he saw God was bigger still. He believed. He was courageous. He was given the promised land! I might not be in the promised land yet, but I'm peering over the walls next to my buddy Caleb and together we're so full of nervous excitement at the thought of the miracles God's gonna have to do that we're shaking head to toe. Me, me, me. 

Elijah... oh, Elijah. I can't wait to meet you one day. You, like me, have believed God and have seen great miracles... only to hide in dejected fear and loneliness the next day, sure that your enemies are going to kill you. Depressed and alone. Listening for the voice of God that doesn't come until the very end of the storm, and then, so quiet. I am in that cave, like you. Where is my whisper? Holy Spirit, come. 

David! My king before my King. Your heart is after His. My heart is after His. Together we make fools of ourselves in worship to Jehovah. Together we make huge mistakes and fall on our faces in grief and desperation. Together we are human. Together, we worship and serve Him whom we love. 

Daniel. So full of wisdom and self-control. Protected by the miraculous. Witness for the nations. Faithful and true. I want to be like you when I grow up. 

To those who have gone before me in this life of faith in the one true God - oh, how your lives encourage me and bring me comfort. If you could do it, I can too. If you fell, I will fall. If you doubted, I will doubt. If you made mistakes, I will make mistakes. 

But if you were faithful to the end, so will I be! If you believed God at his Word, then shall I! If God was faithful to you, he will ever be faithful to me, because he was, and is, and always will be, Faithful God. 

The scriptures... more than just a history book, or a book of moral code. It's God's living and active Word, and today, it's the grandest pep-talk before the game, battle cry before the fight, in-your-face explosion of you-can-do-this -I-AM-FOR-YOU!!! message from God I have ever received. 

Fight the good fight. He is FOR YOU.