God, through the Law of Moses, assured the Israelites of His faithfulness, saying: When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee. (Deuteronomy 20:1) That this promise is still relevant was made clear by Christ when He said: there shall not an hair of your head perish. (Luke 21:18)
Old Testament saints such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets are referred to as a: cloud of witnesses. (Hebrews 11:1 - 12:1) This means that the example of God's faithfulness to them is relevant to us today, even though they lived under the Old Covenant. But this is only true if we have faith. It is written: without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
If we fail to exercise faith, the judgements of God in the Old Testament become relevant to us. Paul, speaking of the Israelites who failed to reach the promised land because of such sins as murmuring, idolatry and disobedience, says that God's judgements upon them: were our examples. (1 Corinthians 10:6) The promised land is a new planet, and includes some afternoons in the New Jerusalem each week for all overcoming Christians. (Only the rulers live there permanently.) Christians who fail to overcome inherit an inferior planet, with no time in a New Jerusalem.
So we must read the Old Testament to be warned not to follow the example of the evil, but instead to: lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and . . . run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1), and so follow the example of the faithful.
The Old Testament saints were not perfect initially, but were good men, whom God perfected by taking them through various trials. We may receive comfort by understanding that God can transform those who are weak and foolish as the apostle Peter, who denied the Lord at first, but not later. God will also perfect us if we live good lives and trust God as they did.
F.B. Meyer has written some good books about such saints as Abraham and Jeremiah. It is good to give time to reading such books. The writer of Hebrews says: time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire. (Hebrews 11:32-34). Reading their stories strengthens our faith: faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Although under the New Covenant our calling may not be to subdue kingdoms by the sword as did Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah and David, the power of the Lord to save, to execute vengeance upon our enemies, and to win the victory is still relevant. God punished many of the Caesars, who persecuted Christians, until eventually God turned the heart of a ruler (Constantine) to support Christianity. Today we must pray that the door would be opened to the gospel in Muslim nations.
The story of Daniel who: stopped the mouths of lions and of his three friends who: quenched the violence of fire are fully relevant today. They were not fighting to establish God's kingdom, but were seeking to honour and obey God in the heathen kingdom of Babylon, after the nation of Israel had been taken captive. I will now discuss their stories.
Daniel refused to cease praying to his God after the following decree, devised by his enemies, was enacted: whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king (Darius), he shall be cast into the den of lions. (Daniel 6:7) Daniel simply: went into his house; And his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel 6:10)
Although Jesus taught us to close the door when we devote significant time to individual prayer, so as not to advertise our good works, there are also times when we must pray openly, to honour God. When Paul was to sail to Jerusalem the church: kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. (Acts 21:5)
After Daniel was seen praying: they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. (Daniel 6:16) But God: sent his angel and . . . shut the lions’ mouths. (Daniel 6:22)
Why was Daniel delivered? Because : Before him (God) innocency was found. Also he said: before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. (Daniel 6:22) Daniel had not invited trouble by acting foolishly. He had simply trusted and obeyed his God. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. (Daniel 6:23) It should not be forgotten that the Jews, who believed that God would deliver them, sometimes were not delivered, because, unlike Daniel, they were not righteous before God and man. They needed to repent. But the righteous need faith to prove their God, with God saying: If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. (Isaiah 7:9)
Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were tested with respect to idolatry when Nebuchadnezzar decreed: at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up: and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:5,6)
When they refused they were reported accordingly: There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:12)
Then Nebuchadnezzar: commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:20)
But God delivered them. It is written: Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Daniel 3:24,25)
What was their faith? This they explained to Nebuchadnezzar, saying: our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:17,18) They believed God could deliver them, but did not know whether He would. And they were prepared to die if this was God's will.
God will always deliver those who put their trust in Him. He may deliver us by preserving us in this life, or He may deliver us by translating us to heaven to: be with Christ; which is far better. (Philippians 1:23) Why not accept His will, which is perfect?
God says: them that honour me I will honour. (1 Samuel 2:30) Upon seeing their deliverance, even king Nebuchadnezzar honoured Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego saying: Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. (Daniel 3:28)
Although in the Old Testament there are many such stories of faith, examples in the New Testament are more limited as God has only given one book of church history, the Acts of the Apostles. But we do have some examples, such as Peter being delivered from Herod.
It is written: Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also . . . Peter therefore was kept in prison. (Acts 12:1-5) This was a different Herod to him who killed the babies after the birth of Jesus.
But before Herod could execute Peter: the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands . . . And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought that he saw a vision. (Acts 12:7,9) It was only after he was out of jail and had walked down a street that he realised that he had really been freed: And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod. ( Acts 12:11) So faith we see, does not always mean being convinced of instant victory, but rather it means being prepared to do the will of God, whatever the cost.
The Lord Jesus had previously told Peter that he would die as a martyr, saying to him: when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thine hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he signifying by what death he should glorify God. (John 21:18,19) When in prison he might have thought that this time had come for him to be crucified.
Later in life the Lord showed Peter when he must die, as he writes: knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. (2 Peter 1:14) So Peter’s understanding of the will of God for his life and its timing, increased with time, and so should ours if we follow on. Initially Peter only knew the cost of discipleship, but was prepared to obey the Lord’s command: Follow me. (John 21:19)
But what happened to Peter’s enemy Herod is recorded in Acts 12:23: And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
There were attempts upon the life of Christ, before his time to die had come, but His Father saved Him. Jesus’ first public message in the synagogue was that Elijah was sent to heal Naaman the Syrian of leprosy, but not any Israelites. Hearing this, the Israelites, who thought they were God’s only chosen people: were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. (Luke 4:28,29) But God immobilised the Israelites, and Christ: passing through the midst of them, went his way. (Luke 4:30) At another time: they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand. (John 10:39)