Of whom the world was not worthy

And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. – Hebrews 11.32-40

I didn’t go through the whole list of ‘by faiths’ in Hebrews 11. Instead I thought it good to come down to the summary of what God’s people have done through the ages have done ‘through faith.’

Lists always help me see the individual parts.

Through faith men and women

Subdued kingdoms

Worked righteousness

Obtained promises

Stopped the mouths of lions

Quenched the violence of fires

Escaped the edge of the sword

Made strong in weakness

Became valiant in battle

Women received their men raised from the dead

Were tortured

Endured trials through mockings and scourgings

Endured chains

Tortured

Sawn in two

Slain with the sword

Wandered in the wilderness

Destitute, afflicted, tormented

They went through all of that, because the world was not worthy of them. There were better than the world around them.

What is really amazing is that these folks did all they did – and they did it without the knowledge of Christ.

This kind of scares me. I don’t like pain. I don’t even like discomfort. I don’t even like inconvenience. I watched a video yesterday about a Laotian believer who was  a lot like these great heroes of the faith in Hebrews. He was imprisoned for years just for being a Christian and time after time he found a way to get a Bible or portions of the scriptures. This is happening all over the world today. The last research I read reported that 2013 was the worst year ever for the number of Christians killed for their faith.

The world is not worthy of these folks. Their faithfulness should stir all of us  to take a bold stand for Christ. We must pray for them as though we were in jail with them. This world may not be worthy of them, but they are worthy of our prayers and support.