(32) And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: (33) Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, (34) 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. (35) Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (36) And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: (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; (38) (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (39) And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (40) God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
It were to hold the small taper of the night to the sun, to offer any observations upon what is included within these verses. Indeed, any comment would do injury to the beautiful simplicity which runs through the whole of what the Holy Ghost hath said. Every verse, yea, every line, manifests what an energy the whole must have acted under, when their faith induced such wonders, and by which such an holy perseverance was kept alive, under Christ, the great Author and Finisher of faith, in such soul-living expectations. They received not the promises, No! They needed them not in hand. They lived on them by faith. They had the same thing, namely, the assurance of them. And, Reader this is the most blessed, and distinguishing feature of faith, when, in the absence of the promise, the faithful can, and do live upon the promising God. Oh! it is blessed, when at any time matters are dark, and discouraging, still to hang upon God the Almighty Promiser when it is too dark even to see the promise itself, or to see how the Lord will accomplish it. The faithful follower of the Lord hath nothing to do with either. It is enough that the Lord hath said it. And the child of God will say, it is the Lord's concern, and not mine, how he will bring it to pass. In short, the blessedness of the promise itself, and the assured faithfulness of the Promiser; these are all in which the faithful are concerned. And, in every trying moment of the faithful, he hears, the same Almighty Speaker calling upon him, to the same effect as the Lord did to the Patriarch of old: Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thine exceeding great reward, Genesis 15:1. Reader! can you set your Amen to these truths?