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Exodus 14:13-14
Moses answered the people. He said,“ Don’t be afraid. Stand firm. You will see how the Lord will save you today. Do you see those Egyptians? You will never see them again.The Lord will fight for you. Just be still.”
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Psalms 44:1-7
God, we have heard what you did. Those who came before us have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.By your power you drove out the nations. You gave our people homes in the land. You crushed the people who were there. And you made our people do well.They didn’t win the land with their swords. They didn’t gain success by their own power. Your powerful right hand and your mighty arm gave them victory. You gave them success because you loved them.You are my King and my God. You give victories to the people of Jacob.With your help we push back our enemies. By your power we walk all over them.I put no trust in my bow. My sword doesn’t bring me victory.But you give us victory over our enemies. You put them to shame.
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Romans 4:18-22
When there was no reason for hope, Abraham believed because he had hope. He became the father of many nations, exactly as God had promised. God said,“ That is how many children you will have.”( Genesis 15:5)Abraham did not become weak in his faith. He accepted the fact that he was past the time when he could have children. At that time Abraham was about 100 years old. He also realized that Sarah was too old to have children.But Abraham kept believing in God’s promise. He became strong in his faith. He gave glory to God.He was absolutely sure that God had the power to do what he had promised.That’s why“ God accepted Abraham because he believed. So his faith made him right with God.”( Genesis 15:6)
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Exodus 14:31
The Israelites saw the amazing power the Lord showed against the Egyptians. So the Israelites had great respect for the Lord and put their trust in him. They also put their trust in his servant Moses.
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Hebrews 11:8-32
Abraham had faith. So he obeyed God. God called him to go to a place he would later receive as his own. So he went. He did it even though he didn’t know where he was going.Because of his faith he made his home in the land God had promised him. Abraham was like an outsider in a strange country. He lived there in tents. So did Isaac and Jacob. They received the same promise he did.Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations. He was waiting for the city that God planned and built.And Sarah had faith. So God made it possible for her to become a mother. She became a mother even though she was too old to have children. But Sarah believed that the God who made the promise was faithful.Abraham was past the time when he could have children. But many children came from that one man. They were as many as the stars in the sky. They were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. No one could count them.All these people were still living by faith when they died. They didn’t receive the things God had promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a long way off. They openly said that they were outsiders and strangers on earth.People who say things like that show that they are looking for a country of their own.What if they had been thinking of the country they had left? Then they could have returned to it.Instead, they longed for a better country. They wanted a heavenly one. So God is pleased when they call him their God. In fact, he has prepared a city for them.Abraham had faith. So when God tested him, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham had held on tightly to the promises. But he was about to offer his one and only son.God had said to him,“ Your family line will continue through Isaac.”( Genesis 21:12) Even so, Abraham was going to offer him up.Abraham did this, because he believed that God could even raise the dead. In a way, he did receive Isaac back from death.Isaac had faith. So he blessed Jacob and Esau. He told them what was ahead for them.Jacob had faith. So he blessed each of Joseph’s sons. He blessed them when he was dying. Because of his faith he worshiped God. Jacob worshiped as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.Joseph had faith. So he spoke to the people of Israel about how they would leave Egypt someday. When his death was near, he spoke about where to bury his bones.Moses’ parents had faith. So they hid him for three months after he was born. They saw he was a special child. They were not afraid of the king’s command.Moses had faith. So he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. That happened after he had grown up.He chose to be treated badly together with the people of God. He chose not to enjoy sin’s pleasures. They only last for a short time.He suffered shame because of Christ. He thought it had great value. Moses considered it better than the riches of Egypt. He was looking ahead to his reward.Because of his faith, Moses left Egypt. It wasn’t because he was afraid of the king’s anger. He didn’t let anything stop him. That’s because he saw the God who can’t be seen.Because of his faith, Moses was the first to keep the Passover Feast. He commanded the people of Israel to sprinkle blood on their doorways. He did it so that the destroying angel would not touch their oldest sons.The people of Israel had faith. So they passed through the Red Sea. They went through it as if it were dry land. The Egyptians tried to do it also. But they drowned.Israel’s army had faith. So the walls of Jericho fell down. It happened after they had marched around the city for seven days.Rahab, the prostitute, had faith. So she welcomed the spies. That’s why she wasn’t killed with those who didn’t obey God.What more can I say? I don’t have time to tell about all the others. I don’t have time to talk about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah. I don’t have time to tell about David and Samuel and the prophets.
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Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the Lord. The Lord was pleased with Abram because he believed. So Abram’s faith made him right with the Lord.
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1 Samuel 7 9-1 Samuel 7 12
Then Samuel got a very young lamb. He sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord to help Israel. And the Lord answered his prayer.The Philistines came near to attack Israel. At that time Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering. But that day the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines. He threw them into such a panic that the Israelites were able to chase them away.The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah. They chased the Philistines all the way to a point below Beth Kar. They killed them all along the way.Then Samuel got a big stone. He set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer. He said,“ The Lord has helped us every step of the way.”
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Genesis 32:28
Then the man said,“ Your name will not be Jacob anymore. Instead, it will be Israel. You have wrestled with God and with people. And you have won.”
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Genesis 32:9-12
Then Jacob prayed,“ You are the God of my grandfather Abraham. You are the God of my father Isaac. Lord, you are the one who said to me,‘ Go back to your country and your relatives. Then I will give you success.’You have been very kind and faithful to me. But I’m not worthy of any of this. When I crossed this Jordan River, all I had was my walking stick. But now I’ve become two camps.Please save me from the hand of my brother Esau. I’m afraid he’ll come and attack me and the mothers with their children.But you have said,‘ I will surely give you success. I will make your children as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. People will not be able to count them.’ ”
