2. Faith

With all those who arose from Sheol’s depths
Were those who by their acts of faith would be
Blessed by reward from Yahweh’s right hand for
Endurance, patience, steadfastness and love.
By faith Abel offered a sacrifice
Better than that of Cain, and accepted
Because the sacrifice was accorded
As righteousness, even unto the point
Of his blood spilled by Cain’s dire jealousy.
Enoch, who by his faith was Yahweh pleased
Was spared the throes of death, taken by Him
In special love to honour Enoch’s life
Spent pleasing Yahweh all his given days.
By faith Noah built an ark by which he saved
His family, in obedience to,
And in anticipation of warnings
From Yahweh of things neither seen nor known.
As due reward for his obedience
To Yahweh’s will, from Abraham’s line came
Countless descendants, as numerous as
The grains of sand upon the earth’s wild shores,
As he had dared to believe and obey
All that Yahweh had promised him, by faith
Thus setting out to distant unknown lands.
Those who lived after him looked forward to
A better life not looking back to past
Times and lands with a longing to return,
Therefore did Yahweh bless them for their faith,
A city which would be fulfilment of
What they had only witnessed from afar
And which was not attained in human life.
By faith did Abraham offer Yahweh
His only son Isaac in response to
The severe test of faith where loyalty
And faith would be adjudged as true or false.
Received he back Isaac as from the dead
Through the mouth of angelic voice to stop
The sacrifice: Abraham’s willingness
Accorded to him as of righteousness.
Isaac and Jacob, by their faith did bless
Their own respective offspring, worshipping
The one true God, Yahweh, as by His hand
True blessings come, the reward of the just.
Joseph, by faith, spoke of the exodus
Of Israel from Egyptian tyranny
Not knowing what the mind of Yahweh was.
The parents of the future lawgiver,
Moses, hid him for three months, fearing not
The edict murderous from Pharoah’s hand.
Moses, by faith, did turn his back on all
The sinful pleasures Egypt could afford,
Choosing instead a life of drudgery,
Ill treatment, scorn, contempt, brutality.
He did not fear the anger of Pharoah
By leaving Egypt, for he reckoned on
The One who veiled was, hidden from his sight.
By faith was kept the Passover to keep
The Hebrew firstborn spared from death’s domain
And parted was the Sea of Reeds to let
The Hebrew nation cross a bed so dry
Not fearing raging waters left and right
Which finally came crashing down upon
Egyptian soldiers weighed down fast and drowned.
The walls of Jericho, on the command
Of Joshua were felled from seven days
Of marching, trumpet blast and shouting loud.
Rahab, by faith, gave shelter to the spies
Sent out by Joshua to Jericho.
Her life was spared by her obedience
To Yahweh through His servants, despite her
Profession carnal, now forgiven her.
Yet more did fear Yahweh in faithful lives
Fearing no torment, mockery or shame.
Dead offspring of women raised back to life
Others were tortured, jeered, flogged, imprisoned,
These were accorded as of righteous life,
Not sparing their lives when faced with death’s stare:
Run through with sword, or stoned, or sawn in two,
Outcast, rejected, dressed in skins of beasts
Living in caves and holes in deepest earth.
They were above the world in all its sin
Yet at their time of death did not receive
What was promised, until the time had come
For all of humankind to be redeemed
And at the last perfection would be seen
In all these lives of faith, fulfilled at last.