It’s All About The People

      God has given us great illustrations of faithfulness, couched in the character and personalities of men. For instance, have you ever considered:

The faithfulness of Abraham? Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees of his own free will, choosing deliberately to go out, “not knowing whither he went.” Think about that. You want to talk about faith? “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country,” (Heb. 11:9), “for he looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God” (11:10). He saw, by the eye of faith, something better. Do you reckon we would have the courage to do as he did? Abraham’s faith is a model for us today. God treats our willingness to obey in the same way He did that of Abraham.

The virtue of Joseph? Joseph had all kinds of difficulties handed to him–difficulties he had done nothing to deserve. He was sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was thrown into prison for no crime, for an accusation by Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39). One thing impresses me about his virtue. When he was with Potiphar’s wife, he hadn’t taken off his cloak; he never intended to stay. And when she sought to seduce him, his question was, “how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (39:9). He was rejected and forgotten by those whom he befriended, yet he never lost that virtue, nor did he ever become bitter at the allotments of life. In fact, when he could have gotten revenge against his brothers for selling him into slavery, he said, “Now be not grieved nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5). His faithfulness remained intact, no matter the circumstances. Joseph–an excellent example of moral excellence.

The meekness of Moses? Moses was reared in Pharaoh’s house. He had everything, what was described as “great riches,” and “treasures in Egypt” (Heb. 11:25-26). But in the midst of all this power and wealth, he choose–deliberately chose–“…to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than the pleasures of sin for a season.” Why? Because, “he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (11:26). He saw, by faith, something better. He took control of his faith and, in doing so, made himself the object of scorn and disdain in a true statement of meekness. He put his strength under control. He managed himself in accordance with what he understood to be the greater. To subordinate one’s will to the will of God is the essence of meekness. Moses demonstrated that meekness in a most marvelous manner.

The devotion of Paul? Saul was an enemy of the church in his early years. He calls himself a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5). He was likely destined for greatness in the religion of the Jews. This same Saul was to become the Apostle Paul, the most intense defender of the faith of his or any other time. He “suffered the loss of all things” that he might win Christ. Or all the others? On and on we could go. What about the heart of David, or the humility of John the Baptist, or the courage of Peter, or the love of the Apostle John, or the encouraging words of Barnabas? They were all people, people just like you and me. God has given us information about them so that we might learn how to please Him and what to do to avoid His displeasure. What a wonderful book, this Bible! What a people book!     ~Dee Bowman