Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Through faith people subdued kingdoms, did what is right, received what God had promised, and were delivered from lions, both beasts of prey and hostile human beings. It stands in the record of the faithful in Hebrews 11:32-40, alongside judges and prophets and those who endured torture and persecution in hope of a better resurrection, all receiving a good report through faith yet waiting together to be made perfect, calling believers to turn from seen discouragements to the unseen heavenly country and city God has prepared. That faith accomplishes what human strength cannot, overcoming kingdoms and dangers, living righteously, taking hold of God's word and persevering on the slightest token of His favor until strength is given for service and conflict with evil. Prayer offered in faith and in continual communion with God wins these victories, subduing kingdoms, bringing righteousness, securing promised blessings, stopping lions' mouths, quenching fire, and turning alien armies to flight. To work righteousness and obtain promises is to lay hold of God's promises by believing and relying on Him, and that believing reliance itself is righteousness. It does not promise escape from sorrow or suffering, for the faithful also endured burning, persecution and death without being abandoned, and as heroes and a cloud of witnesses they call believers today to go forward, watch, work and pray, trusting the same faith to make them channels of God's power to overcome evil and save souls.
Words and Context
Through faith people subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness by doing what is right, obtained what God had promised, and stopped the mouths of lions by deliverance and escape from them. These acts are examples of faith in the face of danger and persecution, not a promise that believers will be spared sorrow or suffering, for the faithful also endured torture and death while trusting God. Prayer offered in faith and through faith in God wins these victories and brings power for successful effort, including subduing kingdoms, bringing about righteousness, securing promised blessings, stopping lions' mouths, quenching fire, and turning alien armies to flight. The full account of these victories will be known in the future world when Christ opens the record before those who came through great tribulation.
The verse belongs to the chapter and record of the faithful, whose experience shows what faith can accomplish. Its citation of Hebrews 11:32-40 places these examples alongside the judges and prophets named in the surrounding verses and alongside people who endured torture and persecution in hope of a better resurrection. All received a good report through faith but did not receive the promise, because God provided something better so that all would be made perfect together. The chapter calls believers to turn their minds from discouraging things that are seen and dwell on the unseen, looking toward a better country and a heavenly city whose builder and maker is God.
The lions whose mouths were stopped include both beasts of prey and human beings. Working righteousness and obtaining promises means laying hold of God's promises by believing Him and relying on Him. That believing reliance itself is righteousness, and it is the way promises are received and the way God gives all believing people efficiency and power for His work and service, just as He gave power to Joseph, Samuel, Daniel, Timothy and many others.
Faith and Prayer Prevail
Faith enables what human strength cannot accomplish, overcoming kingdoms and dangers, living righteously, receiving what God has promised, and facing danger with courage. It makes the weak strong and makes believers strong and courageous in battle, bringing strength for service and for conflict with evil and the powers of darkness. Such faith looks beyond the difficulty to God's strength to fulfill His promise, takes hold of His word and grasps the promises of heaven, and refuses to let go until heaven hears. It ventures all on the slightest token of favor without waiting for full evidence, perseveres in prayer until the petition is answered, and so connects with heaven to gain victories over kingdoms and unrighteousness, lions, fire, sword, weakness, enemies in battle, and alien armies.
This persevering faith is seen when the unbelieving generation of Israel failed to enter Canaan because they believed the land could not be conquered, while the faithful spies entered it. It is seen when Caleb's trust in God enabled him to take the stronghold of the Anakim. It is seen when Elijah persevered in prayer for rain until his petition was answered.
Prayer offered in faith and through faith in God wins these victories and gives power for successful effort. By prayer, kingdoms are subdued, righteousness is brought about and practiced, promised blessings are secured and obtained, lions' mouths are stopped, the violence of fire is quenched, and alien armies are turned to flight. Faith expressed in prayer has thus brought victory over kingdoms, enabled doing what is right, secured promises, and delivered from lions.
Successful prayer of this kind requires much prayer, with sustained and continual communion with God. Prayer is the soul's breath and communion with God, and sustained communion strengthens service. Interrupted communion can lead to failing faith and damaged work.
These victories are not a promise that believers will be spared sorrow or suffering. The faithful also endured torture, burning, persecution, and death while trusting God, and the reports of martyrs who died for faith reveal what such faith means. This shows that God does not abandon His people when they suffer for faith. The full account of these victories will be known in the future world, when Christ opens the record before those who came through great tribulation.
Example for Believers Today
Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises and stopped lions' mouths are heroes of faith held up as examples for Christians to follow. Their distinguishing mark is fidelity to God, and their obedience made them conspicuous so that their light shone forth to those in darkness and led others to glorify God. Their example stirs the soul and helps make the heart purer and the mind more elevated. They met evils and difficulties in their way and in the name of the Lord braced themselves successfully against opposing forces of evil, sustained and strengthened and held by His hand, and they stand as part of the great cloud of witnesses surrounding believers and calling them to lay aside weights of evil habits and practices formed by following natural dispositions. The same faithfulness is shown in present men and women who live nobly and selflessly, submit their will to God, and make doing good and saving souls their highest aim.
The same faith through which God's servants of old acted can work in believers now. Faith in God enables people to endure trials, overcome evil, face mysterious providences, and be strengthened for service, and God will work through hearts of faith as channels of His power. Through faith God gives all His believing people efficiency and power for His work and service, just as He gave power to Joseph, Samuel, Daniel, Timothy and many others. This was seen when the humble apostles, without wealth and without earthly honor or recognition, with no weapon but the word of God, went forth to tell the story of the manger and the cross, and from their lips came words of divine eloquence that shook the world. It was seen again when Joseph Bates displayed the same firm principles of the ancient worthies who acted with courage and righteousness and received what God had promised, while facing the evils of seafaring life.
Their experience teaches workers for God to go forward in faith, do their best, and watch, work, and pray, with God hearing and answering petitions and giving valuable experience for what follows. Subduing kingdoms and working righteousness applies to workers who subdue their own hearts while laboring to save souls. The Lord honors their toil; they learn the sacredness of their work and the joy of self-denial and self-sacrifice, and this brings an eternal reward. Moving by faith means pressing through the cloud of objections and snares Satan brings to hinder progress, and when believers trust God as Helper and source of strength they pass safely through the great darkness caused by lack of consecration. The one who obeys God and refuses to be satisfied without the divine presence with him becomes a power for good in the world, kept from constant danger of falling into the snares Satan has prepared.
Through faith people subdued kingdoms, did what is right, received what God had promised, and were delivered from lions, both beasts of prey and hostile human beings.
It stands in the record of the faithful in Hebrews 11:32-40, alongside judges and prophets and those who endured torture and persecution in hope of a better resurrection, all receiving a good report through faith yet waiting together to be made perfect, calling believers to turn from seen discouragements to the unseen heavenly country and city God has prepared.
That faith accomplishes what human strength cannot, overcoming kingdoms and dangers, living righteously, taking hold of God's word and persevering on the slightest token of His favor until strength is given for service and conflict with evil.
Prayer offered in faith and in continual communion with God wins these victories, subduing kingdoms, bringing righteousness, securing promised blessings, stopping lions' mouths, quenching fire, and turning alien armies to flight.
To work righteousness and obtain promises is to lay hold of God's promises by believing and relying on Him, and that believing reliance itself is righteousness.
It does not promise escape from sorrow or suffering, for the faithful also endured burning, persecution and death without being abandoned, and as heroes and a cloud of witnesses they call believers today to go forward, watch, work and pray, trusting the same faith to make them channels of God's power to overcome evil and save souls.
Words and Context
Through faith people subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness by doing what is right, obtained what God had promised, and stopped the mouths of lions by deliverance and escape from them. These acts are examples of faith in the face of danger and persecution, not a promise that believers will be spared sorrow or suffering, for the faithful also endured torture and death while trusting God. Prayer offered in faith and through faith in God wins these victories and brings power for successful effort, including subduing kingdoms, bringing about righteousness, securing promised blessings, stopping lions' mouths, quenching fire, and turning alien armies to flight. The full account of these victories will be known in the future world when Christ opens the record before those who came through great tribulation.
The verse belongs to the chapter and record of the faithful, whose experience shows what faith can accomplish. Its citation of Hebrews 11:32-40 places these examples alongside the judges and prophets named in the surrounding verses and alongside people who endured torture and persecution in hope of a better resurrection. All received a good report through faith but did not receive the promise, because God provided something better so that all would be made perfect together. The chapter calls believers to turn their minds from discouraging things that are seen and dwell on the unseen, looking toward a better country and a heavenly city whose builder and maker is God.
The lions whose mouths were stopped include both beasts of prey and human beings. Working righteousness and obtaining promises means laying hold of God's promises by believing Him and relying on Him. That believing reliance itself is righteousness, and it is the way promises are received and the way God gives all believing people efficiency and power for His work and service, just as He gave power to Joseph, Samuel, Daniel, Timothy and many others.
Faith and Prayer Prevail
Faith enables what human strength cannot accomplish, overcoming kingdoms and dangers, living righteously, receiving what God has promised, and facing danger with courage. It makes the weak strong and makes believers strong and courageous in battle, bringing strength for service and for conflict with evil and the powers of darkness. Such faith looks beyond the difficulty to God's strength to fulfill His promise, takes hold of His word and grasps the promises of heaven, and refuses to let go until heaven hears. It ventures all on the slightest token of favor without waiting for full evidence, perseveres in prayer until the petition is answered, and so connects with heaven to gain victories over kingdoms and unrighteousness, lions, fire, sword, weakness, enemies in battle, and alien armies.
This persevering faith is seen when the unbelieving generation of Israel failed to enter Canaan because they believed the land could not be conquered, while the faithful spies entered it. It is seen when Caleb's trust in God enabled him to take the stronghold of the Anakim. It is seen when Elijah persevered in prayer for rain until his petition was answered.
Prayer offered in faith and through faith in God wins these victories and gives power for successful effort. By prayer, kingdoms are subdued, righteousness is brought about and practiced, promised blessings are secured and obtained, lions' mouths are stopped, the violence of fire is quenched, and alien armies are turned to flight. Faith expressed in prayer has thus brought victory over kingdoms, enabled doing what is right, secured promises, and delivered from lions.
Successful prayer of this kind requires much prayer, with sustained and continual communion with God. Prayer is the soul's breath and communion with God, and sustained communion strengthens service. Interrupted communion can lead to failing faith and damaged work.
These victories are not a promise that believers will be spared sorrow or suffering. The faithful also endured torture, burning, persecution, and death while trusting God, and the reports of martyrs who died for faith reveal what such faith means. This shows that God does not abandon His people when they suffer for faith. The full account of these victories will be known in the future world, when Christ opens the record before those who came through great tribulation.
Example for Believers Today
Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises and stopped lions' mouths are heroes of faith held up as examples for Christians to follow. Their distinguishing mark is fidelity to God, and their obedience made them conspicuous so that their light shone forth to those in darkness and led others to glorify God. Their example stirs the soul and helps make the heart purer and the mind more elevated. They met evils and difficulties in their way and in the name of the Lord braced themselves successfully against opposing forces of evil, sustained and strengthened and held by His hand, and they stand as part of the great cloud of witnesses surrounding believers and calling them to lay aside weights of evil habits and practices formed by following natural dispositions. The same faithfulness is shown in present men and women who live nobly and selflessly, submit their will to God, and make doing good and saving souls their highest aim.
The same faith through which God's servants of old acted can work in believers now. Faith in God enables people to endure trials, overcome evil, face mysterious providences, and be strengthened for service, and God will work through hearts of faith as channels of His power. Through faith God gives all His believing people efficiency and power for His work and service, just as He gave power to Joseph, Samuel, Daniel, Timothy and many others. This was seen when the humble apostles, without wealth and without earthly honor or recognition, with no weapon but the word of God, went forth to tell the story of the manger and the cross, and from their lips came words of divine eloquence that shook the world. It was seen again when Joseph Bates displayed the same firm principles of the ancient worthies who acted with courage and righteousness and received what God had promised, while facing the evils of seafaring life.
Their experience teaches workers for God to go forward in faith, do their best, and watch, work, and pray, with God hearing and answering petitions and giving valuable experience for what follows. Subduing kingdoms and working righteousness applies to workers who subdue their own hearts while laboring to save souls. The Lord honors their toil; they learn the sacredness of their work and the joy of self-denial and self-sacrifice, and this brings an eternal reward. Moving by faith means pressing through the cloud of objections and snares Satan brings to hinder progress, and when believers trust God as Helper and source of strength they pass safely through the great darkness caused by lack of consecration. The one who obeys God and refuses to be satisfied without the divine presence with him becomes a power for good in the world, kept from constant danger of falling into the snares Satan has prepared.