Faith: Trusting God, Having Faults

May 5th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 11:32-35a And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection…

In vv. 32-34, the author covers Israel’s era under the Judges their second king, David who reigned from 1010 to 970 BC, and the prophets. The Judges mentioned, as is true with all the faithful, had their faults in addition to their faith. They ruled over Israel during a time when “there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). Their example of faithfulness in the midst of evil was a model for the audience the author of Hebrews addressed, a Christian audience in the midst of prodigious persecution.

In Judges 6-8 we meet Gideon, a man of timid faith whom God chose to lead an army against Israel’s oppressors, the Midianites. To mold his faith, God told him to trim his army from 32,000 men to 300! God did this to make it obvious that when Israel emerged victorious, Gideon would know that it was God alone working through his faith.

In Judges 4 we meet Barak, a military leader under the judgeship of Deborah. He recognized that God was with her and would not go into battle without her to fight the Canaanite King Jabin with his mighty commander Sisera who had 900 iron chariots. Since Barak believed God’s promise of victory, he had no concern that a woman would receive glory for his actions (4:9). Barak went out with a small army, trusting that God would work victory through him. God did.

In Judges 13-16 we meet Samson, a strange addition to the Hall of Faith! Even so, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he knew it. He confidently went into battle against enormous odds and claimed victory each time, that is until he became proud. But even after his pride brought him down, he faithfully called upon God to deliver him and his people. God did.
In Judges 11-12 we meet Jephthah, a faithful man of God with a clear grasp of God’s past work in and through His people Israel (Judges 11:15-28). He thus feared God and delivered Israel from the Ammonites. Like all, he had his faults. But he was a man of sound faith.

David was a man who trusted in the Lord throughout his life, in spite of his sin with Bathsheba. From the time he was a shepherd boy fending off wild animals (1 Sam. 17:34-36) to victory over Goliath, he trusted God. Though sinful, David was thus a mighty man of faith.
Samuel was a prophet and a judge in the midst of Israel’s crookedness. He, like David, was faithful from a very young age, a true model of faith. The idolatry and immorality among his people Israel was his struggle, not invading armies per se. His faith was tested in that he was forced to confront sinful people, even King Saul whom he had anointed king over Israel.

The mention of the prophets is notable, for they not only received God’s word, they boldly preached it. Together, these people “conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection.” These monumental feats depict those great men and women of faith in the OT, their works attesting to their trust in God.

Verse 35 speaks of women whose children were dead but who through faith received them back. The widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24) and the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8-36) are in view, but there was also the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-14) whom Jesus restored to life—miracles achieved through faith. Thus, even the dead can rise through faith!

Food For Thought
All of those who have gone before us with great faith shared two common traits: they trusted God, and they had faults. John Calvin said of these, “There was none of them whose faith did not falter… in every saint there is always to be found something reprehensible. Yet although faith may be imperfect and incomplete, it does not cease to be approved by God. There is no reason therefore why the fault from which we labor should break us or discourage us provided we go on by faith in the race of our calling.”