Editorial July 7, 1986 Issue

A shepherd's faith—today!

BARBARA-JEAN STINSON

There's a scene in a movie that always touches my heart. The film is Land of the Bible, and it's shown at the Bible Exhibit at the Christian Science Center in Boston. The scene shows a shepherd seated on the ground. He has a lamb in his arms and is trustingly looking upward in prayer. The narration that accompanies the film says: "The people of these lands were sure of their God. They praised Him and they thanked Him."

Whenever I see that film and that particular scene with its rich spiritual message, I think of the simple men and women of Bible days and the deep reverence they had toward the one God. These people had such trust in God's goodness and His ability to meet their needs. They had faith, an innate spiritual conviction that God exists; that He is good and that He takes care of His people, those who love Him.

Something of this faith is illustrated in chapter eleven of Hebrews. Verse by verse the faith in God that sustained those early Bible people is recounted. The chapter speaks of Enoch, that ancient figure who so pleased God that he never died but walked with God. It mentions Abraham, who was willing to leave his own country to look for a city established by God. And of Moses it says (verses 24 and 25), "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." After mentioning other instances of faith among the early Israelites, the writer continues, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, 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...."^{Heb. 11:32, 33.}

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Does God love all of His ideas?