Hebrew Heroes

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Since we are winding down our “FaithWorks” sermon series on the book of James, this will be the last week of daily devotions for a while. As we evaluate this tool, please leave a comment below with your name so that we can discern who has been reading the blog postings and plan for the future. Thanks!

“Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” –James 5:10-11

No two situations are exactly alike. Every time we suffer, it is a little different than what we have experienced before, and it is different from how others have suffered. Yet we can still find a common bond of identity in the experience. James gives two examples of Hebrew heroes that would have hit home with his audience: the prophets and Job.

The prophets were generally regarded as outcasts. They were people that were willing to be unpopular, even if that was hard on them. They considered the message that they had to share more important than their popularity. Often they suffered from ridicule and scorn. It seems that certain prophets even struggled with depression. Yet look at the mark that they left behind. They stuck it out and persevered without compromising who they were in the Lord. We too will face seasons of ridicule and scorn. May we find comfort from identifying with them.

Job’s situation was completely different. Here was a guy who was highly regarded in his days. He was rich. He was healthy. He was successful. He had a great family. And then Satan took it all away (of course, he only took what God let him take). He went from being visibly blessed to apparently cursed. His friends told him to curse God and die. They tried to talk him into a lot of bad theology. Yet he (for the most part) stuck it out. Ultimately, he saw God in the end. God finally brought about a great blessing for him. We also will face seasons where we lose our health, our wealth, loved ones, etc. May we find comfort from identifying with Job.

May we realize that perseverance is not just an extreme form of stubbornness, but rather is something we learn when we come near to Christ. May we not only identify in the great examples of the prophets and of Job, but most importantly, may we find our greatest example in the perseverance of Christ.