Letter to the Hebrews Volume 153

 Overcoming Faith Part 11

Hebrews 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; KJV

In many of these Satanic acts of barbarian cruelty, we find some of the ordinary men and women who became the Prophets and Prophetesses of the Lord God/Elohim/Adonai/Jehovah/YAHWEH/Jesus Christ our Lord who were recipients of the demonic/devilish acts of violence against them because of their believing in, being one with, and belonging to Jehovah, as it is written, "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;" (Hebrews 11:37) (KJV). Another one of those Prophets was a man named Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the Priest who spoke these words to the king by the Spirit of the Lord, but the result of his speaking the truth was this, "And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the Priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, He hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD." (2 Chronicles 24:20-21) (KJV). Isaiah the Prophet the son of Amoz served the Lord God mostly during the time that Hezekiah reigned as king in Judah, however, when Manasseh his son reigned he did not hearken or listen to the Word of the Lord from the Prophet Isaiah, instead he did very much evil in the sight of the Lord God as it is written here, "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger." (2 Kings 21:2-6) (KJV). Although, Isaiah is not named as the Prophet that was 'sawn asunder' in Hebrews 11:37, it has been recorded according to Hebrew/Jewish tradition that the Prophet Isaiah was indeed executed in this very manner being tied standing between two trees and sawn in half at the order of the king of Judah at the time Manasseh and according to the documentation of Scripture above of all the evil things that were done under his reign, there is little doubt in the minds of many Hebrew and non-Hebrew Historians that this act of evil against the Prophet of Elohim Isaiah (who was honored by his father king Hezekiah) is indeed true.

During the reign of King Ahab over Jerusalem, his wicked wife (the witch Jezebel) had slain many of the Prophets of the Lord God, as it is written, "And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the Prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred Prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)" (1 Kings 18:3-4) (KJV). Also, another Prophet who prophesied in the name of the Lord God and was a contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah were both about to face death at the hand of Jehoiakim the king, as it is written, "And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah: And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt; And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt. And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people. Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death." (Jeremiah 26:20-24) (KJV). When the writer of Hebrews declares that 'they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins', he means that they had not resources enough to buy for themselves clothing in the towns or villages, so instead they used the skins of the animals perhaps offered to them from other faithful Hebrew families to use to cloth themselves. 'Being destitute, afflicted, tormented' as declared by the writer of Hebrews meant that they were men and women always on the move or run to protect themselves from being killed by the purveyors of evil doing the devil's bidding, for all of this was done to them and against them to get them to renounce their faith in YAHWEH and to stop them from speaking the truth of His Word. The Apostle Paul captured the reality of his state since his conversion and his words surely speak of many of the Prophets from the Old Testament, as it is written, "For I think that God hath set forth us the Apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." (1 Corinthians 4:9-13) (KJV). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of Hebrews 11:37, "They were stripped of the conveniences of life, and turned out of house and harbour. They had not raiment to put on, but were forced to cover themselves with the skins of slain beasts. They were driven out of all human society, and forced to converse with the beasts of the field, to hide themselves in dens and caves, and make their complaint to rocks and rivers, not more obdurate than their enemies. Such sufferings as these they endured then for their faith; and such they endured through the power of the grace of faith: and which shall we most admire, the wickedness of human nature, that is capable of perpetrating such cruelties on fellow creatures, or the excellency of divine grace, that is able to bear up the faithful under such cruelties, and to carry them safely through all?"

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 152

 Overcoming Faith Part 10

Hebrews 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version

The others referred to here by the writer of Hebrews doesn't only mean the Prophets (although there is one documented case in Scripture of Elisha being mocked as we will illuminate), but it means any other Hebrew people who followed the way of the Lord God/Elohim/Adonai/Christ Jesus our Lord because all of the non-Hebrew/Jewish people in the world during those days worshipped not Israel's God (the One True God), but instead they worshipped many gods who were not god or gods at all, but merely demons ruled and controlled by the devil. You see all worship of a so-called god that is outside of Christ Jesus our Lord is demonic worship no matter what it is called i.e. Buddhism, Hinduism, Wiccan, Spiritualism, or any other ism or non-ism, remember what Jesus Christ our Lord said, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6) (KJV). So, it is not hard to understand that during the times or days that the writer of Hebrews references here that other Hebrew followers of Adonai were indeed scourged, that is, beaten for belonging to the One True God whom the devil hates. This reality still is present during our times or days because the devil's hatred for our Lord Jesus Christ still burns hot as it always will even when he is thrown into the lake of fire it will continue (Revelation 20:10). The little English phrase 'of cruel mockings' is translated by the Greek word empaigmos (used this one time only in the New Testament) which means derision: - mocking. The word derision is defined by our English dictionary as the act of deriding or treating with contempt. The word scorn means the lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; to look down on with disdain; or to refuse with contempt. Those who belong to the devil (no matter their religious or spiritual label) have these feelings for all of us who have been redeemed by the 'Blood of the Lamb' (Revelations 7:14 & Revelations 12:11).

The devil hates Jesus Christ and all of his demons who live in and control many non-believers in Christ Jesus our Lord hate us who belong to Jesus, therefore, come mockings and scourgings as our Lord Jesus first warned the early Apostles with these words, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." (Matthew 10:16-22) (KJV). The Prophet Elisha (who replaced Elijah after the Lord God carried him up straight into heaven) was mocked and sadly it was done by children. Children often times are taught or led into by their parents the evil of sorcery or divination or wizardry or witchcraft or necromancy or familiar spirits, that is, demons or enchantment all things which Elohim/Jehovah hates as declared in Deuteronomy 18:9-14. The Prophet Elisha was mocked, but in his case the Spirit of God turned and confronted the demons of the devil, as it is written here, "And he (Elisha) went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the woods, and tear forty and two children of them. And he (Elisha) went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria." (2 Kings 2:23-25) (KJV). Sometimes the Lord Jesus Christ answers our prayers by dealing with the people who belong to the devil for us in very clear, crisp, and commanding ways to make it once again certain to the devil that he is to steer clear of His sons and daughters, Amen!!!

Asa (the king of Judah) had started out doing the will of the Lord God, however, on one occassion he did what he wanted and not what the Lord God had commanded him to do and he was confronted by the Prophet of God Hanani, as it is written, "Asa ordered everyone in Judah to carry away the stones and wood Baasha had used to fortify Ramah. Then he fortified the towns of Geba and Mizpah with these same stones and wood. Soon after that happened, Hanani the prophet went to Asa and said: You depended on the king of Syria instead of depending on the LORD your God. And so, you will never defeat the Syrian army. Remember how powerful the Ethiopian and Libyan army was, with all their chariots and cavalry troops! You trusted the LORD to help you then, and you defeated them. The LORD is constantly watching everyone, and he gives strength to those who faithfully obey him. But you have done a foolish thing, and your kingdom will never be at peace again. When Asa heard this, he was so angry that he put Hanani in prison. Asa was also cruel to some of his people." (2 Chronicles 16:6-10) (CEV). The evil king Ahab (married the witch Jezebel) during his reign of terror over Israel and would not listen to the true Prophets of God, but instead he had yes men who would tell him always what he wanted to hear but he would never send for the true Prophet of God Micaiah who would only speak to the king the Word of the Lord and finally the Lord God had enough, as it is written and documented here, "Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah whispered, Micaiah, all the prophets have good news for Ahab. Now go and say the same thing. I'll say whatever the living LORD tells me to say, Micaiah replied. Then Micaiah went to Ahab, and Ahab asked, Micaiah, should I attack the Syrians at Ramoth? Yes! Micaiah answered. The LORD will help you defeat them. Micaiah, I've told you over and over to tell me the truth! Ahab shouted. What does the LORD really say? He answered, In a vision I saw Israelite soldiers walking around in the hills like sheep without a shepherd to guide them. The LORD said, This army has no leader. They should go home and not fight. Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, I told you he would bring bad news! Micaiah replied: Listen to this! I also saw the LORD seated on his throne with every creature in heaven gathered around him. The LORD asked, Who can trick Ahab and make him go to Ramoth where he will be killed? They talked about it for a while, then finally a spirit came forward and said to the LORD, I can trick Ahab. How? the LORD asked. I'll make Ahab's prophets lie to him. Good! the LORD replied. Now go and do it. This is exactly what has happened, Ahab. The LORD made all your prophets lie to you, and he knows you will soon be destroyed. Zedekiah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him on the face. Then he asked, Do you really think the LORD would speak to you and not to me? Micaiah answered, You'll find out on the day you have to hide in the back room of some house. Ahab shouted, Arrest Micaiah! Take him to Prince Joash and Governor Amon of Samaria. Tell them to put him in prison and to give him nothing but bread and water until I come back safely. Micaiah said, If you do come back, I was wrong about what the LORD wanted me to say." Then he told the crowd, Don't forget what I said!" (1 Kings 22:13-28) (CEV).

Guess what? Ahab did not return, for he was killed in that battle just as the true Prophet of God Micaiah told him would happen if he went out to this battle that was not commanded by the Lord God of Israel, as it is written here for all to see and read, "Ahab and Jehoshaphat led their armies to Ramoth in Gilead. Before they went into battle, Ahab said, Jehoshaphat, I'll disguise myself, but you wear your royal robe. Then Ahab disguised himself and went into battle. The king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders to attack only Ahab. So when they saw Jehoshaphat in his robe, they thought he was Ahab and started to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat shouted out to them, they realized he wasn't Ahab, and they left him alone. However, during the fighting a soldier shot an arrow without even aiming, and it hit Ahab where two pieces of his armor joined. He shouted to his chariot driver, I've been hit! Get me out of here! The fighting lasted all day, with Ahab propped up in his chariot so he could see the Syrian troops. He bled so much that the bottom of the chariot was covered with blood, and by evening he was dead." (1 Kings 22:29-35) (CEV).  Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of Hebrews 11:36, "They were persecuted in their reputation by mockings, which are cruel to an ingenuous mind; in their persons by scourging, the punishment of slaves; in their liberty by bonds and imprisonment. Observe how inveterate (habitual) is the malice that wicked men have towards the righteous, how far it will go, and what a variety of cruelties it will invent and exercise upon those against whom they have no cause of quarrel, except in the matters of their God."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 151

 Overcoming Faith Part 9

Hebrews 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: KJV Note: CEV = Contemporary English Version

One of the Prophets (no doubt) that the writer of Hebrews refers to is the man named Elijah. The Lord God/Adonai/Elohim/Jehovah/Jesus Christ our Lord developed this man (even during his times of doubt and despair) (1 Kings 19:4-8), displayed His Omniscients through the words with which he spoke (1 Kings 17:1-7), demonstrated His great Might and Power through him (1 Kings 18:20-40), yet however, the most magnificent, mighty, and miraculous demonstration of Elohim's love and power was the raising of the widow of Zarephath's son back from physical death to life. The faith shown by the widow in the words and request of the Prophet Elijah was tremendous, for she would not have been blamed by anyone during that extreme time of drought in the land if she refused his request and went her way. She had unknowingly received answers to perhaps many of her prayers to Jehovah by simply believing the Prophet Elijah, as it is written, "When Elijah came near the town gate of Zarephath, he saw a widow gathering sticks for a fire. 'Would you please bring me a cup of water?' he asked. As she left to get it, he asked, 'Would you also please bring me a piece of bread?' The widow answered, 'In the name of the living LORD your God, I swear that I don't have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour and a little olive oil. I'm on my way home now with these few sticks to cook what I have for my son and me. After that, we will starve to death.' Elijah said, 'Everything will be fine. Do what you said. Go home and fix something for you and your son. But first, please make a small piece of bread and bring it to me. The LORD God of Israel has promised that your jar of flour won't run out and your bottle of oil won't dry up before he sends rain for the crops.' The widow went home and did exactly what Elijah had told her. She and Elijah and her family had enough food for a long time. The LORD kept the promise that his Prophet Elijah had made, and she did not run out of flour or oil." (1 Kings 17:10-16) (CEV).  

Faith in God does not exclude someone from tragedy happening in their lives and so it was with this same widow of Zarephath when her son became very ill and finally died because of his illness. But, because of her same strong faith by showing kindness to the Prophet of Adonai (even when she had little to nothing for herself and her son) she received favor from Him through the same Prophet Elijah as Adonai raised her son back from physical death to life "Women received their dead raised to life again" (Hebrews 11:35), as it is written, "And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the Word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth." (1 Kings 17:17-24) (KJV).

The writer of Hebrews goes on to declare the overcoming faith of other believers during that time and era with these words, "others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection" (Hebrews 11:35). It is one thing to intellectually believe in the Lord God, but it is all together another thing to show by your willingness to be tortured and brutally murdered/martyred before you would ever denunciate, denounce, or deny your faith in the One True God. If you really believe God and believe in God, nothing done to your temporary house, tent, that is, your body would ever make you deny Him, as it is written by the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself when He said, "And I say unto you My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him." (Luke 12:4-5) (KJV). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of "women received their dead raised to life again", "In Christ there is neither male nor female; many of the weaker sex have been strong in faith. Though the covenant of grace takes in the children of believers, yet it leaves them subject to natural death. Poor mothers are loth to resign up their interest in their children, though death has taken them away. God has sometimes yielded so far to the tender affections of sorrowful women as to restore their dead children to life again. Thus Christ had compassion on the widow of Nain, Luke 7:12, etc. This should confirm our faith in the general resurrection." Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of "others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection", "When it was offered them; that is, on condition that they would renounce their opinions, or do what was required of them. This is the very nature of the spirit of martyrdom. That is, when they were subjected to this kind of torture they were looked upon as certainly dead. To have accepted deliverance then, would have been a kind of restoration to life, or a species of resurrection. But they refused this, and looked forward to a more honorable and glorious restoration to life; a resurrection, therefore, which would be better than this. It would be in itself more noble and honorable, and would be permanent, and therefore better. No particular instance of this kind is mentioned in the Old Testament; but amidst the multitude of cases of persecution to which good men were subjected, there is no improbability in supposing that this may have occurred. The case of Eleazer, recorded in 2 Macc. 6, so strongly resembles what the Apostle says here, that it is very possible he may have had it in his eye. The passage before us proves that the doctrine of the resurrection was understood and believed before the coming of the Saviour, and that it was one of the doctrines which sustained and animated those who were called to suffer on account of their religion. In the prospect of death under the infliction of torture on account of religion, or under the pain produced by disease, nothing will better enable us to bear up under the suffering than the expectation that the body will be restored to immortal vigour, and raised to a mode of life where it will be no longer susceptible of pain. To be raised up to that life is a 'better resurrection' than to be saved from death when persecuted, or to be raised up from a bed of pain."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 150

 Overcoming Faith Part 8 (Samuel)

Hebrews 11:32-34 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version

The writer of Hebrews next list six (6) men and also the Prophets whom the Lord God/Elohim/Jehovah/Adonai/Jesus Christ used in very miraculous ways to accomplish His will on the earth for the profit, protection, and preservation of children of Israel on the earth as per His promise to Abraham (then Abram) way back when He first called Him to leave his home country and sojourn to a land that He (God) would shew unto him (Genesis 12:1-3). Each of these men were born many years after Abraham's earthly life was over, however, each one of them were descendants of Abraham. Just as the writer of Hebrews declares, as it is written, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." (Hebrews 11:32-34) (KJV), it would take up very much time to document all that the Scriptures have so documented for us concerning the exercising of extremely great overcoming faith by all of them. However, I will shine some light on each of these six (6) men as well as some of the Prophets that the writer of Hebrews highlights for us here in this part of his list of the heroes of the faith.

The sixth (6) man listed for us here by the writer of Hebrews was a man named Samuel. The Lord God had given Judges to the Hebrew people such as Gideon, Barak, and Samson for around the space of time being 450 years, however, now He (Christ Jesus our Lord) began to send to the Hebrew people Prophets that were raised up by Him to speak to the people for Him the words that He would place upon their hearts, and Samuel would be His first of many, as it is written, "And after that He gave unto them Judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the Prophet." (Acts 13:20) (KJV). Samuel was not only the first (1) Prophet of Elohim that He would send to speak to the Hebrew people, but he was chosen by Him long before his birth. You see Samuel's Mother (Hannah) was barren, that is, she was unable to get pregnant or she was unable to carry a baby full term until birth. Jehovah looked upon this woman with kindness and with love and granted to her the petition of her prayer to Him, as it is written, "Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of Him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD." (1 Samuel 1:17-20) (KJV). The child Samuel was given back to the Lord God by his Mother Hannah to be a servant of the Lord's forever, as she had vowed to the Lord of Host in her prayer to Him before her womb was opened by Him, as it is written, "And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head." (1 Samuel 1:11) (KJV). Samuel grew and when the time was right for the Lord God, Samuel was called by Him to be His mouthpiece to the children of Israel, as it is written, "And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a Prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the LORD." (1 Samuel 3:19-21) (KJV).

Samuel was sent by Adonai to the Hebrew people when they would turn from Him and begin to worship other false gods, for Samuel "wrought righteousness" (Hebrews 11:33). Samuel would warn the people of Israel as the Word of the Lord would come to him, as it is written here when they were being defeated by the Philistines because of their worshipping Baal and Astarte. Baal which is any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples; the Hebrews considered Baal a false god. Astarte which is an ancient Phoenician goddess of love and fertility; the Phoenician counterpart to Ishtar. Both of these so-called deities are actually merely demonic messengers of the devil sent to people to get them into worship of him. When Samuel went to the Hebrew people to get them to turn from their worship of these demons from the devil, he said these words, "One day, Samuel told all the people of Israel, 'If you really want to turn back to the LORD, then prove it. Get rid of your foreign idols, including the ones of the goddess Astarte. Turn to the LORD with all your heart and worship only Him. Then He will rescue you from the Philistines.' The people got rid of their idols of Baal and Astarte and began worshiping only the LORD. Then Samuel said, 'Tell everyone in Israel to meet together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.'" (1 Samuel 7:3-5) (CEV). Of course when the devil saw the Hebrew people turning away from their false worship and back to the Lord of Host, he was furious and then stirred up his people (the Philistines) to attack the children of Israel, however, the Lord Jesus Christ heard the prayer of Samuel the Prophet and this was the result for the devil worshipping Philistines, "Samuel begged the LORD to rescue Israel, then he sacrificed a young lamb to the LORD. Samuel had not even finished offering the sacrifice when the Philistines started to attack. But the LORD answered his prayer and made thunder crash all around them. The Philistines panicked and ran away. The men of Israel left Mizpah and went after them as far as the hillside below Beth-Car, killing every enemy soldier they caught. The Philistines were so badly beaten that it was quite a while before they attacked Israel again. After the battle, Samuel set up a monument between Mizpah and the rocky cliffs. He named it 'Help Monument' to remind Israel how much the LORD had helped them. For as long as Samuel lived, the LORD helped Israel fight the Philistines." (1 Samuel 7:9-12) (CEV). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of the Prophet Samuel, "Samuel, raised up to be a most eminent Prophet of the Lord to Israel, as well as a ruler over them. God revealed Himself to Samuel when he was but a child, and continued to do so till his death. In his story observe, (1.) Those are likely to grow up to some eminency in faith who begin betimes in the exercise of it. (2.) Those whose business it is to reveal the mind and will of God to others had need to be well established in the belief of it themselves."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 149

 Overcoming Faith Part 7 (David)

Hebrews 11:32-34 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version

The writer of Hebrews next list six (6) men and also the Prophets whom the Lord God/Elohim/Jehovah/Adonai/Jesus Christ used in very miraculous ways to accomplish His will on the earth for the profit, protection, and preservation of children of Israel on the earth as per His promise to Abraham (then Abram) way back when He first called Him to leave his home country and sojourn to a land that He (God) would shew unto him (Genesis 12:1-3). Each of these men were born many years after Abraham's earthly life was over, however, each one of them were descendants of Abraham. Just as the writer of Hebrews declares, as it is written, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." (Hebrews 11:32-34) (KJV), it would take up very much time to document all that the Scriptures have so documented for us concerning the exercising of extremely great overcoming faith by all of them. However, I will shine some light on each of these six (6) men as well as some of the Prophets that the writer of Hebrews highlights for us here in this part of his list of the heroes of the faith.

The fifth (5) man listed for us here by the writer of Hebrews was a man named David. David was perhaps only still a teenager when he is first mentioned in the Scripture. Even David's father and older brothers were not aware of how the Lord God/Elohim/Adonai/the Lord Jesus Christ would use David in His service for many years to come. After the first King of Israel (Saul) had been rejected by Adonai, He sent His Prophet Samuel to anoint the one that He (Adonai) had already decided would be the next King of Israel, as it is written here, "And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee." (1 Samuel 16:1-3) (KJV). When Samuel (the Prophet of God) saw the elder sons of Jesse, he was certain that one of them was the one chosen by God to be Israel's next king, however, it was none of them at all, as it is written by these words from  the Lord God, "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) (KJV). Now, Jessie brought seven (7) of his sons before the Prophet of God Samuel (1 Samuel 16:10) and none of them were the Lord God's choice to be the future king of Israel. Jessie had not even thought to bring in his youngest son (David) from the fields where he was shepherding the families sheep, however, Samuel insisted and as soon as David passed before him this happened, "Jesse sent for David. He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes. As soon as David came, the LORD told Samuel, 'He's the one! Get up and pour the olive oil on his head.' Samuel poured the oil on David's head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the LORD took control of David and stayed with him from then on. Samuel returned home to Ramah." (1 Samuel 16:12-13) (CEV).

David has now been anoited king of Israel by God, but Saul is still the reigning king over the armies of Israel (not by the will of God) which will lead to his defeat, destruction and death in a latter war. Although, David has not yet been acknowledged to be king by the people of Israel he quickly proves the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ being with him when Israel was in battle with the Philistines and were challenged by one of their super soldiers Goliath, as it is written, "The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was over nine feet tall. He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed more than fifteen pounds. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield. Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel: Why are you lining up for battle? I'm the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul's army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me! If he can kill me, our people will be your slaves. But if I kill him, your people will be our slaves. Here and now I challenge Israel's whole army! Choose someone to fight me! Saul and his men heard what Goliath said, but they were so frightened of Goliath that they couldn't do a thing." (1 Samuel 17:4-11) (CEV). When David arrived to the battle lines with food for his brothers in Israel's army he saw and heard the giant Goliath insulting the people of Israel, as it is written, "While David was talking with them, Goliath came out from the line of Philistines and started boasting as usual. David heard him. When the Israelite soldiers saw Goliath, they were scared and ran off. They said to each other, 'Look how he keeps coming out to insult us. The king is offering a big reward to the man who kills Goliath. That man will even get to marry the king's daughter, and no one in his family will ever have to pay taxes again.' David asked some soldiers standing nearby, 'What will a man get for killing this Philistine and stopping him from insulting our people? Who does that worthless Philistine think he is? He's making fun of the army of the living God!' The soldiers told David what the king would give the man who killed Goliath." (1 Samuel 17:23-27) (CEV). David could the see the 9 foot tall Goliath through the eyes of the Spirit of the Lord and to David (the future king of Israel) this giant and the entire Philistine army were already dead and defeated because the battle was not Israel's but the Lord God's battle against the devil.

David was then led to king Saul and said these words to him, as it is written here, "Some soldiers overheard David talking, so they told Saul what David had said. Saul sent for David, and David came. 'Your Majesty,' he said, 'this Philistine shouldn't turn us into cowards. I'll go out and fight him myself!' 'You don't have a chance against him,' Saul replied. 'You're only a boy, and he's been a soldier all his life.' But David told him: Your Majesty, I take care of my father's sheep. And when one of them is dragged off by a lion or a bear, I go after it and beat the wild animal until it lets the sheep go. If the wild animal turns and attacks me, I grab it by the throat and kill it. Sir, I have killed lions and bears that way, and I can kill this worthless Philistine. He shouldn't have made fun of the army of the living God! The LORD has rescued me from the claws of lions and bears, and he will keep me safe from the hands of this Philistine. 'All right,' Saul answered, 'go ahead and fight him. And I hope the LORD will help you.'" (1 Samuel 17:31-37) (CEV). David's confidence was not in himself, but in our Lord Jesus Christ, for surely he knew that the Lord Jesus (having saved him from bears and lions) would give him the strength to kill this human devil worshipper. And so David went out to fight against Goliath, as it is written, "And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent." (1 Samuel 17:42-54) (KJV).

David by the Power of God the Holy Spirit "Who through faith subdued kingdoms" (Hebrews 11:33) and the Philistine people were the first of many other kingdoms subdued by God through His servant David. Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of David, "David, that great man after God's own heart. Few ever met with greater trials, and few ever discovered a more lively faith. His first appearance on the stage of the world was a great evidence of his faith. Having, when young, slain the lion and the bear, his faith in God encouraged him to encounter the great Goliath, and helped him to triumph over him. The same faith enabled him to bear patiently the ungrateful malice of Saul and his favourites, and to wait till God should put him into possession of the promised power and dignity. The same faith made him a very successful and victorious prince, and, after a long life of virtue and honour (though not without some foul stains of sin), he died in faith, relying upon the everlasting covenant that God had made with him and his, ordered in all things and sure; and he has left behind him such excellent memoirs of the trials and acts of faith in the book of Psalms as will ever be of great esteem and use, among the people of God."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 148

 Overcoming Faith Part 6 (Jephthah)

Hebrews 11:32-34 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. KJV Note: MKJV=Modern King James Version

The writer of Hebrews next list six (6) men and also the Prophets whom the Lord God/Elohim/Jehovah/Adonai/Jesus Christ used in very miraculous ways to accomplish His will on the earth for the profit, protection, and preservation of children of Israel on the earth as per His promise to Abraham (then Abram) way back when He first called Him to leave his home country and sojourn to a land that He (God) would shew unto him (Genesis 12:1-3). Each of these men were born many years after Abraham's earthly life was over, however, each one of them were descendants of Abraham. Just as the writer of Hebrews declares, as it is written, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." (Hebrews 11:32-34) (KJV), it would take up very much time to document all that the Scriptures have so documented for us concerning the exercising of extremely great overcoming faith by all of them. However, I will shine some light on each of these six (6) men as well as some of the Prophets that the writer of Hebrews highlights for us here in this part of his list of the heroes of the faith.

The fourth (4) man listed for us here by the writer of Hebrews was a man named Jephthah. This man Jephthah was brought into the earth realm by a mother who was a harlot and a father named Gilead, as it is written here, "Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman." (Judges 11:1-2) (KJV). Surprisingly to Jephthah the very people (his blood brothers and all the people of the land Gilead) that had exiled him from there, now came to him in the land of Tob where he had settled with a very interesting proposition, as it is written here, "And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh." (Judges 11:4-11) (KJV). So, Jephthah prepared the people of Israel in Gilead to fight against the enemies of the Lord God. Jephthah being filled with the Holy Spirit then spoke these words to the Lord God as he prepared Israel for war, "Then the Spirit of Jehovah came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead passed over to the sons of Ammon. And Jephthah vowed a vow to Jehovah, and said, If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be that whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, surely it shall belong to Jehovah, or I will offer it up instead of a burnt offering." (Judges 11:29-31) (MKJV). Jephthah had just made a vow unto Adonai/the Lord God that he believed was right to do. Jephthah had also made a vow to the Lord God that he was not fearful of doing, probably because he had returned home many times from being away for long or short periods of time and most likely was first greeted by one of his many animals, so it was fitting to Jephthah to make such a vow. Most likely his daughter (his only child, along with his wife) when they would here him arrive remained inside the house until he came in to greet her, therefore, Jephthah could never imagine such a scenario where his wife or daughter would come outside to greet him. The Lord Jesus Christ granted victory to Jephthah as he "escaped the edge of the sword" (Hebrews 11:34) and the Hebrew people of Gilead over Ammon, however, Jephthah was then confronted with a great dilemma when he arrived home, as it is written here, "And Jephthah passed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them. And Jehovah delivered them into his hand. And he struck them from Aroer even until you come to Minnith, twenty cities, and to the meadow of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. So were the sons of Ammon subdued before the sons of Israel. And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances. And she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And it happened when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me. For I have opened my mouth to Jehovah, and I cannot go back. And she said to him, My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to that which has come out of your mouth, because Jehovah has taken vengeance for you upon your enemies, even of the sons of Ammon. And she said to her father, Let this thing be done for me. Let me alone two months, so that I may go up and down upon the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions. And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months. And she went with her companions and wept for her virginity upon the mountains. And it happened at the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her his vow which he had vowed. And she knew no man. And it is a custom in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to tell again of the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year." (Judges 11:32-40) (MKJV). Whether or not Jephthah actually carried out his vow to God and sacrificed the physical life of his daughter remains a debate among many Christian Scholars. The one argument is made to what Jehovah did when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac and was stopped by the Angel of the Lord, however, the comparison is not adequate because the multiplying of the entire Hebrew people hinged on Isaac being born, even though Elohim could have allowed Isaac's sacrifice and given Abraham another son to multiply the Hebrew people. Jephthah was completely different from Abraham in that he was a descendant of Abraham many generations into God's promise and also his only seed was a daughter. I truly believe that our Lord Jesus Christ made a way for Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter (his only daughter) to Him by her remaining a virgin for her entire life serving Him as her vocation (A Nun perhaps) only and never being given to any man by her father Jephthah to marry.

Here is what Alber Barnes had to say of Jephthah, "The story of Jephtha is recorded in Judges 11. The mention of his name among those who were distinguished for faith, has given occasion to much perplexity among expositors. That a man of so harsh and severe a character, a man who sacrificed his own daughter, in consequence of a rash vow, should be numbered among those who were eminent for piety, as if he were one distinguished for piety also, has seemed to be wholly inconsistent and improper. The same remark, however, may be made respecting Jephtha which has been made of Samson and others. The Apostle does not commend all which they did. He does not deny that they were very imperfect men, nor that they did many things which cannot be approved or vindicated. He commends only one thing - their faith; and in these instances he particularly alludes, doubtless, to their remarkable valour and success in delivering their country from their foes and from the foes of God. In this it is implied that they regarded themselves as called to this work by the Lord, and as engaged in his service; and that they went forth to battle, depending on his protection and nerved by confidence in him as the God of their country. Their views of God himself might be very erroneous; their notions of religion - as was the case with Jephtha - very imperfect and obscure; many things in their lives might be wholly inconsistent with what we should now regard as demanded by religion, and still it might be true that in their efforts to deliver their country, they relied on the aid of God, and were animated to put forth extraordinary efforts, and were favoured with extraordinary success from their confidence in him. In the case of Jephtha, all that it is necessary to suppose, in order to see the force of the illustration of the apostle is, that he had strong confidence in God - the God of his nation, and that, under the influence of this, he made extraordinary efforts in repelling his foes. And this is not unnatural or improbable, even on the supposition that he was not a pious man. How many a Greek, and Roman, and Goth, and Muslim, has been animated’ to extraordinary courage in battle, by confidence in the gods which they worshipped! That Jephtha had this, no one can doubt; see Judges 11:29-32. (It is not likely that Jephtha’s faith would have found a record here, had it been of no higher kind than this. Peirce admits his unnatural crime, but supposes him to have repented. 'It must be owned,' says he, 'that if Jephtha had not repented of this very heinous wickedness, he could not have been entitled to salvation. The Apostle, therefore, who has assured us of his salvation, must undoubtedly have gone upon the supposition that Jephtha actually repented of it before he died. That he had time to repent is beyond dispute, because he lived near six years after this. For it is expressly said he judged Israel six years, Judges 12:7, and it is as certain he made this vow in the beginning of his government. What evidence the apostle had of Jephtha’s repentance I cannot say. He might know it by the help of old Jewish histories, or by inspiration.')Even in the great and improper sacrifice of his only daughter which the obvious interpretation of the record respecting him in Judges 11:39, leads us to suppose he made, he did it as an offering to the Lord, and under these mistaken views of duty, he showed by the greatest sacrifice which a man could make - that of an only child that he was disposed to do what he believed was required by religion. A full examination of the case of Jephtha, and of the question whether he really sacrificed his daughter, may be found in Warburton’s Divine Legation of Moses, book 9, notes, in Bush’s Notes on Judges 11; and in the Biblical Repository for January 1843. It is not necessary to go into the much litigated inquiry here whether he really put his daughter to death, for whether he did or not, it is equally true that he evinced strong confidence in God. If he did do it, in obedience as he supposed to duty and to the divine command, no higher instance of faith in God as having a right to dispose of all that he had, could be furnished; if he did not, his eminent valour and success in battle show that he relied for strength and victory on the arm of Yahweh. The single reason why the piety of Jephtha has ever been called in question has been the fact that he sacrificed his own daughter. If he did not do that, no one will doubt his claims to an honored rank among those who have evinced faith in God."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 147

 Overcoming Faith Part 5 (Samson)

Hebrews 11:32-34 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporay English Version

The writer of Hebrews next list six (6) men and also the Prophets whom the Lord God/Elohim/Jehovah/Adonai/Jesus Christ used in very miraculous ways to accomplish His will on the earth for the profit, protection, and preservation of children of Israel on the earth as per His promise to Abraham (then Abram) way back when He first called Him to leave his home country and sojourn to a land that He (God) would shew unto him (Genesis 12:1-3). Each of these men were born many years after Abraham's earthly life was over, however, each one of them were descendants of Abraham. Just as the writer of Hebrews declares, as it is written, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." (Hebrews 11:32-34) (KJV), it would take up very much time to document all that the Scriptures have so documented for us concerning the exercising of extremely great overcoming faith by all of them. However, I will shine some light on each of these six (6) men as well as some of the Prophets that the writer of Hebrews highlights for us here in this part of his list of the heroes of the faith.

The third (3) man listed for us here by the writer of Hebrews was a man named Samson. Many young children in the Church have been told the story of Samson from the Scripture and in the young imaginative hearts and minds of children Samson was perhaps this giant of a man who was strong and could do absolutely incredible things that no other men were capable of doing. In reality, I believe that Samson was simply an ordinary man of his day who was chosen by the Lord God/Elohim/Jehovah/Adonai/Jesus Christ to serve Him even before he came out of his Mother's womb, as it is written and documented for us with these words, "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." (Judges 13:1-5) (KJV). God chose a woman of Israel that had been unable to conceive any children with her husband to bring forth the next Judge and deliverer of Israel from their captivity once again (this time to the Philistines for 40 years) because of their own sin, disobedience, and rebellion toward the Lord God, and Samson was born, as it is written here, "And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol." (Judges 13:24-25) (KJV).

Of all the men used by Adonai/Elohim/My Lord Jesus Christ during the days of the Old Testament that I can relate to the most, Samson would be the one. Like Samson, I was hearing about God even while I was in my Mother's womb. I was dedicated to God as a baby and I grew up in the Church of God going to Sunday School and Church every Sunday that our Church would come together. It was never a doubt to me that God existed and I believed in Him from a very early age and throughout my teenage years, young adulthood, and all the way now into my Senior citizen years. Samson's birth was miraculous and Samson's life was miraculous because of what God the Holy Spirit worked through him to defeat and destroy the Philistines. Samson saw a woman of the Philistines (the people he was doing battle with) and wanted her for his wife and not any woman from amongst his own people the Israelites (Judges 14:1-3). This was one of the first of many mistakes Samson would make with women, for they were surely his weakness, his biggest weakness. Like Samson, my weakness too is with women brown, yellow, Puerto Rican, Haitian, Polish, English, African, South American, Asian, and every nationality and shade that there is upon the earth. Like Samson, I too made many bad decision with picking the wrong women to let into my life, my world. During the time of Samson's journey down to Timnah to take this woman of the Philistines to be his wife, he was confronted by a lion and Samson killed the lion with his bear hands, as it is written here, "As Samson and his parents reached the vineyards near Timnah, a fierce young lion suddenly roared and attacked Samson. But the LORD's Spirit took control of Samson, and with his bare hands he tore the lion apart, as though it had been a young goat. His parents didn't know what he had done, and he didn't tell them. When they got to Timnah, Samson talked to the woman, and he was sure that she was the one for him." (Judges 14:5-7) (CEV).

This is just one of the many incredible things that Samson did when God the Holy Spirit came upon him. God the Holy Spirit through Samson killed many men of the Philistines, including perhaps his greatest battle when he slew/killed 1,000 Philistine men, as it is written, "And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi." (Judges 15:14-17) (KJV). Despite all of these great conquest that Samson did by the Spirit of God, he was still a man of flesh and blood who did not submit himself at all times to the Lord God and allowed his desire for women to ultimately defeat and destroy him when he began sleeping with a woman named Delilah whom he told to her the secret of his incredible strength after she kept on asking him and when he did she bound him up with ropes and called the Philistines and they came to Samson and he got up as he had done before to kill the Philistines, but he did not know that the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him, so they chained him up and put out both his eyes (Judges 16:1-21).

Samson had become the slave of the Philistines and they paraded him about mocking him because he was no longer the strong fierce fighter he once was when the Spirit of the Lord would come upon, therefore, Samson did pray to the Lord for one last chance to avenge himself before the Philistine people, as it is written, "Samson prayed, 'Please remember me, LORD God. The Philistines poked out my eyes, but make me strong one last time, so I can take revenge for at least one of my eyes!' Samson was standing between the two middle columns that held up the roof. He felt around and found one column with his right hand, and the other with his left hand. Then he shouted, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' He pushed against the columns as hard as he could, and the temple collapsed with the Philistine rulers and everyone else still inside. Samson killed more Philistines when he died than he had killed during his entire life. His brothers and the rest of his family went to Gaza and took his body back home. They buried him in his father's tomb, which was located between Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson was a leader of Israel for twenty years." (Judges 16:28-31) (CEV). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of Samson, "Samson, another instrument that God raised up to deliver Israel from the Philistines: His story we have in Judges 13, 14, 15, and 16, and from it we learn that the grace of faith is the strength of the soul for great service. If Samson had not had a strong faith as well as a strong arm, he had never performed such exploits. Observe, (1.) By faith the servants of God shall overcome even the roaring lion. (2.) True faith is acknowledged and accepted, even when mingled with many failings. (3.) The believer's faith endures to the end, and, in dying, gives him victory over death and all his deadly enemies; his greatest conquest he gains by dying."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 146

 Overcoming Faith Part 4 (Barak)

Hebrews 11:32-34 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporay English Version

The writer of Hebrews next list six (6) men and also the Prophets whom the Lord God/Elohim/Jehovah/Adonai/Jesus Christ used in very miraculous ways to accomplish His will on the earth for the profit, protection, and preservation of children of Israel on the earth as per His promise to Abraham (then Abram) way back when He first called Him to leave his home country and sojourn to a land that He (God) would shew unto him (Genesis 12:1-3). Each of these men were born many years after Abraham's earthly life was over, however, each one of them were descendants of Abraham. Just as the writer of Hebrews declares, as it is written, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, 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, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." (Hebrews 11:32-34) (KJV), it would take up very much time to document all that the Scriptures have so documented for us concerning the exercising of extremely great overcoming faith by all of them. However, I will shine some light on each of these six (6) men as well as some of the Prophets that the writer of Hebrews highlights for us here in this part of his list of the heroes of the faith.

The second (2) man listed for us here by the writer of Hebrews was a man named Barak. Barak was a military commander who had in his past won many battles for the people of Israel (this is why Deborah called for him) and like Gideon he was a man who believed in God and believed God. Whenever, the children of Israel would do evil in the sight of the Lord, He would then turn them over to their enemies. They had just been delivered from the oppression of Eglon the king of Moab whom the children of Israel served for 18 years, but they were delivered from the Moabites and there was peace in their midst for fourscore years, that is, 80 years. However, just as in times past the children of Israel did again turn away from the Lord God/Elohim/Adonai/Jehovah and as it is written here this is the result, "And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel." (Judges 4:1-3) (KJV). The Judge of the children of Israel at that time was a woman named Deborah, as it is written, "And Deborah, a Prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment." (Judges 4:4-5) (KJV). It was not during that time that women went to war on the battle fields and therefore, the response of Deborah to the request by Barak that she go up with him was a testament to this very fact and also at the same time a kick in the ass for Barak to heed the Word of the Lord and not tarry or waste time in obeying, as it is written here, "One day, Barak the son of Abinoam was in Kedesh in Naphtali, and Deborah sent word for him to come and talk with her. When he arrived, she said: I have a message for you from the LORD God of Israel! You are to get together an army of ten thousand men from the Naphtali and Zebulun tribes and lead them to Mount Tabor. The LORD will trick Sisera into coming out to fight you at the Kishon River. Sisera will be leading King Jabin's army as usual, and they will have their chariots, but the LORD has promised to help you defeat them. 'I'm not going unless you go!' Barak told her. 'All right, I'll go!' she replied. 'But I'm warning you that the LORD is going to let a woman defeat Sisera, and no one will honor you for winning the battle.' Deborah and Barak left for Kedesh, where Barak called together the troops from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand soldiers gathered there, and Barak led them out from Kedesh. Deborah went too." (Judges 4:6-10) (CEV).

The battle was the Lord's and so did He defeat the armies of Sisera, as it is written here, "Deborah shouted, 'Barak, it's time to attack Sisera! Because today the LORD is going to help you defeat him. In fact, the LORD has already gone on ahead to fight for you.' Barak led his ten thousand troops down from Mount Tabor. And during the battle, the LORD confused Sisera, his chariot drivers, and his whole army. Everyone was so afraid of Barak and his army, that even Sisera jumped down from his chariot and tried to escape. Barak's forces went after Sisera's chariots and army as far as Harosheth-Ha-Goiim. Sisera's entire army was wiped out. Only Sisera escaped. He ran to Heber's camp, because Heber and his family had a peace treaty with the king of Hazor. Sisera went to the tent that belonged to Jael, Heber's wife." (Judges 4:14-17) (CEV). Sisera's escape was very temporary, for when the Lord God/Jesus Christ our Lord, when His patience and longsuffering against evil and those who are instruments of the devil has run out there is no where to run and no where to hide from His judgement, just as Sisera's end was certain, for the Lord God/Jesus Christ our Lord turned the woman who had a treaty with Sisera into his enemy and as it is written this became his end, "She came out to greet him and said, 'Come in, sir! Please come on in. Don't be afraid.' After they had gone inside, Sisera lay down, and Jael covered him with a blanket. 'Could I have a little water?' he asked. 'I'm thirsty.' Jael opened a leather bottle and poured him some milk, then she covered him back up. 'Stand at the entrance to the tent,' Sisera told her. 'If someone comes by and asks if anyone is inside, tell them 'No.' Sisera was exhausted and soon fell fast asleep. Jael took a hammer and drove a tent-peg through his head into the ground, and he died. Meanwhile, Barak had been following Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. 'The man you're looking for is inside,' she said. 'Come in and I'll show him to you.' They went inside, and there was Sisera—dead and stretched out with a tent-peg through his skull." (Judges 4:18-22) (CEV). Barak and his army were strengthened by our Lord Jesus Christ and they went up against king Jabin of the Canaanites and as it is written they were defeated, "That same day the Israelites defeated the Canaanite King Jabin, and his army was no longer powerful enough to attack the Israelites. Jabin grew weaker while the Israelites kept growing stronger, and at last the Israelites destroyed him." (Judges 4:23-24) (CEV). The result of these defeats rendered peace unto the children of Israel as declared at the end of the song of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ by Deborah and Barak with these words, "Our LORD, we pray that all your enemies will die like Sisera. But let everyone who loves you shine brightly like the sun at dawn. There was peace in Israel for about forty years." (Judges 5:31) (CEV). It was Barak who 'waxed valiant in fight' (Hebrews 11:34). Here is what Matthew Henry said of Barak, "Barak, another instrument raised up to deliver Israel out of the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, Judges 4, where we read, (1.) Though he was a soldier, yet he received his commission and instructions from Deborah, a Prophetess of the Lord; and he insisted upon having this divine oracle with him in his expedition. (2.) He obtained a great victory by his faith over all the host of Sisera. (3.) His faith taught him to return all the praise and glory to God: this is the nature of faith; it has recourse unto God in all dangers and difficulties, and then makes grateful returns to God for all mercies and deliverances."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…