In 2 Tim. 4:77I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (2 Timothy 4:7) I think we get a key to the understanding of the order of this chapter, not dispensationally, but considered as an illustration of the Christian life.
The apostle there speaks of his past career in three distinct aspects: as a Christian soldier he has “fought the good fight;” as a racer he has “finished his course;” and as a witness for God in this world he has “kept the faith.”
This threefold division marks often the apostle's writings. Thus, in 1 Tim. 6 he divides his exhortations into “following after,” fighting, and holding fast. In Philippians also, the epistle of his practical life, we find him enduring hardness as a good soldier, “set for the defense of the gospel.” In chapter i., and (omitting chapter 2, which speaks of Christ rather than Paul), in chapter iii., we find the ardent racer, his eye steadily set upon the glorious goal, running with patience the race set before him; while in chapter 4 the word is, “Stand fast in the Lord.”
The life of the Master, too, no less than that of His servant, clearly sets forth these three great aspects. “I have overcome the world” tells us of victory; “It is finished,” of the close of His perfect course; and “I have kept my Father's commandments,” of the fidelity of the “faithful Witness.”
Such, then, being the three great aspects of the life of faith, we are not surprised to find the chapter that illustrates it arranged in the same order, and exhibiting the wondrous design in every detail that marks the hand of God. Very beautiful to the spiritual eye is this divine picture-gallery of the life of faith, and very encouraging to the heart of the believer to find each step already trodden by one and another; but when, in the language of the apostle John, we would see in all its fullness “the eternal life which was with the Father” manifested unto us, we look off, even from these “just men” of old, to “Jesus, the author and finisher of faith” —the solitary One, who trod the path from the beginning to the end; and it is the luster of His life that illumines the footmarks that precede, and gives them a glory not their own.
From the whole range of Old Testament history, the apostle here selects twenty-four examples. If we set aside for a moment the first three, and begin at verse 8, we find the word by faith fourteen times repeated, followed, in verse 32, by seven more examples, of which the apostle has not time to speak in detail.
The first seven instances of faith (vers. 8-22) are from the lives of the patriarchs, and are all in the strange country [a term that applies to Canaan (before the exodus), as well as to Egypt—see Acts 7:66And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. (Acts 7:6); Gen. 15:1313And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; (Genesis 15:13)]. They are not descriptive of fighting, or of walking or running, but represent God's witness, embracing, holding fast, and confessing the word of the living God.
From verses 28-31 is the sevenfold illustration of the “course” of faith. Here the scene changes; we are no longer in the strange country with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but journeying through the wilderness to Canaan, brought out by Moses, and brought in by Joshua. Verse 32 completes the series by giving us the fight of faith in the land of Canaan.
Thus we see the witness, the walk, and the warfare of the child of God. The witness in this world a stranger in a strange country, the racer delivered from bondage, and steadily pursuing his course through the wilderness; and, lastly, the warrior fighting the Lord's battles in heavenly places. (Eph. 6) The sevenfold pictures in each case speak especially to the Hebrews, whom the apostle addressed, of divine perfection.
Returning to the three instances (at the beginning of the chapter) of Abel, Enoch, and Noah, we find in the first the grand foundation of the Christian's faith, in the sacrifice of Christ, “God testifying of his gifts.” In Enoch and Noah we respectively get the inward and outward side of the Christian life—the one “with God,” the other before a condemned world.
Observe, in our lives, the Enoch character is ever the basis of the Noah character; the man who “pleased God” precedes the “preacher of righteousness.”
The details of each series are full of the deepest interest. In the first verses 8-22—(clearly shown in the leading thought of each verse) we get seven characteristics of the witness of God: first, the obedience of faith; next, not only “taking the step,” but the patient continuance in the place of strangership (“he sojourned"); then (ver. 11) we get the strength of faith, and afterward (ver. 17) its trial.
The blessing of faith to others (ver. 20), and the worship of faith in the attitude of true dependence (ver. 21) follow, and the hope of faith (ver. 22) closes the series; the bright outlook of Joseph's dying bones being the one point selected from all his eventful history to encourage those who, two thousand years after, were “enduring a great fight of affliction.”
A general remark or, two may suffice on what remains, as enough has been said to induce the student of God's word to search out the details for himself; verses 23-31 being the path of faith, all wilderness experiences of unbelief are entirely omitted, and, what is still more remarkable, the passage of the Jordan. The Red Sea is given, as it was a part of God's purpose, but the Jordan was entirely a result of the people's unbelief. It may be also noticed that we do not get “they” till verse 29, as God toes not here speak of His people collectively until they have individually passed under the blood.
In conclusion, let us beware of the danger of merely intellectually admiring the beauties of a chapter like this. We must not be satisfied with admiration of that which is given us to feed upon, and, while intelligence is much to be desired in reading God's word, it met ever be accompanied with hearing and obeying its loving voice, if we would grow up into the likeness of Christ. “As new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” A. T. S.