Heroes in The Bible
Summer Worship Series 2022
Why are we so fascinated with heroes? Our need for heroes seems obvious. They inspire us; nurture us when we are young; reveal missing qualities in our lives; give us hope; save us when we need it; help to expand our worldview; and guide us in providing justice. But it seems that our fascination goes beyond just our obvious need for heroes. At times we seem so dissatisfied with our own lives that we live vicariously through our heroes. This leads us to projecting false beliefs and expectations, which in turn leads us to worshipping our heroes. When we worship our heroes, we eventually are confronted with their failings. This leads us to either 1) deny that they are human (make mistakes or have a bad side to them) or 2) become disappointed and disillusioned. We very much seem to blame our heroes for somehow letting us down by being less then perfect. Since they are not living up to our expectations – we cast blame and feel a sense of betrayal.
The Bible paints a very different picture of Heroes. You see, there is really only one hero throughout the pages of scripture – God. God is the hero that we need. It is God who inspires us and guides us etc.… What is so unique about the Bible (especially considering when it was written) is that all the people who we think of as heroes are portrayed as flawed or even horrible people. Their sins are plainly evident, the destruction and hurt they cause is clearly on display. Yet God is still present in their lives and does God’s heroic work through them. On their own, these anointed human heroes can hardly be held up as virtuous examples. But with God in their lives, the incredible and heroic happens. Lives are saved!
Let’s take three quick examples. Abraham, David, and the apostle Paul. Three men who are often held up as Biblical heroes. We are taught to have faith like them, live like them, model our lives after them. Yet, these three men were murders, pimps, adulterers, and thieves. On the whole, they were horrible husbands and atrocious fathers who failed to provide justice for their children. Mind you, these actions did not all occur before “they met God” (a convenient excuse to ignore the reality of their lives). These horrible actions often occurred after they met God, while they were following God and being leaders of God’s people. Flawed human beings, destructive life choices, but still people of God. That’s the incredible nature and love of God. God the hero, comes into our messed-up lives and does heroic, lifesaving stuff.
Join us this summer as we dive deeper into the stories of how God is the real hero and how that can make all the difference in our faith.