Hoekstra's Day by Day by Grace (November 10th)

More Consequences of Accessing Grace through Faith

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. (Hebrews 11:32-33a)

With time and pages running out in his epistle, our divinely inspired writer summarizes the testimonies of specific servants of the Lord (Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel), as well as one general category (the prophets). His summary presents more consequences of accessing grace through faith.

The first consequence of their faith is that they "subdued kingdoms." As with Joshua, David was exceptionally effective in defeating enemy nations. "David attacked the Philistines, subdued them… Then he defeated Moab…And David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the River Euphrates…Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus…He also put garrisons in Edom" (1 Chronicles 18:1-3, 6, 13).

The next consequence of their faith is that they "worked righteousness." These terms speak of walking in righteousness before the Lord and calling others to the righteous ways of the Lord. Samuel had a reputation of walking in righteousness before his God. "'There is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man'…Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate" (1 Samuel 9:6, 18). The prophets persistently called the people to forsake their ungodly ways and to turn to the Lord's righteous ways. Isaiah preached powerful warnings concerning unrighteousness. "Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward" (Isaiah 1:4). He also held forth the Lord as man's only hope of righteousness. "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).

The kingdoms we are to subdue today are the kingdoms of self and flesh, as well as the kingdom of this world (with its millions of bound and lost, who are perishing in darkness). The righteousness we need and that we proclaim is the righteousness of Christ, who lives in us! The means is ever the same-by faith.