Let us look and see why the men of old did not believe in times past, so that we do not follow their evil example of disobedience. Let us see; let us see when Israel disbelieved the gospel which Moses preached to them: as it says, "they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.” (Exodus 6:9) For their heart was embittered and their eyes were dimmed because of hardship; they could not see the light of the gospel which Moses preached to them. For he was "like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes.” (Jeremiah 17:6) He was like Hagar in the desert: not able to see the well of water before her eyes (Genesis 21:19). Yes, we may not believe the good news in the bitterness of our soul; just as the Shunammite in Elisha's days did not believe the promise, which said, "At this season next year you will embrace a son." And she said, "No, my lord, O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant." (2 Kings 4:16) For to her, every good news seemed to be a lie, for to her, it was too good to be true. And when a similar promise was given to Abraham concerning Sarah, which said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." (Genesis 18:10) Sarah laughed; for she and her husband were old, so she considered it impossible within her heart. And you know the divine response: "Is anything too difficult for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14)
And let us remember Moses who doubted when the LORD promised to feed 600,000 men in the wilderness for a whole month; but the LORD responded, "Is the LORD'S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not." (Numbers 11:23) As the mouth of unbelief says, "Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" (2 Kings 7:2) And furthermore, do you remember when Israel disbelieved because of the inhabitants in the land of Canaan, for they were giants and they seemed like grasshoppers in comparison (Numbers 13:32-33)? They did not trust God as a result, although they seen His mighty works, but they looked to themselves, and their hearts turned back to Egypt. The judgement of God was pronounced against them; and they were set to wander 40 years in the desert; but when they repented and sought to take the land, thinking it was an easy thing to take the land, the LORD was not with them and they were smitten by their enemies; and they cried to the LORD, but He did not hear them (Deuteronomy 1:45) because they did not listen to Him. So we can disbelieve when we think the promise is too grand for the LORD to accomplish. But contrarily, Naaman, who was a leper, thought it was too trivial of a thing to dip in the Jordan seven times for healing; and he went away in a rage, disbelieving in his heart. But he was turned back at the wise council which said, "Had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" (2 Kings 5:13) So he disbelieved at first because of the littleness of what was required of him.
We could also say in our hearts, "I will not believe until I see it with my own eyes!" As the Queen of Sheba said to Solomon, king of Israel, “I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard.” (1 Kings 10:7) And as it was with Jacob, the son of Isaac, the patriarch, who did not believe the report about Joseph his son; "he was stunned, for he did not believe them.” (Genesis 45:26) However, when he heard more of their words and saw the wagons sent to carry him, his spirit revived within him. And as Thomas, the apostle of Christ, disbelieved and said, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (John 20:25) So we ought not to be like them, disbelieving until we see a sign. As Christ says, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” (Mat 16:4) And do you remember the king of Israel, Ahab, who did not believe Micaiah, the prophet of the LORD? When the prophet spoke favorably to him, but in mockery (1 Kings 22:15), the king did not believe, for he considered it too good to be true for him. And then when the prophet changed the report to an unfavorable one, but truthful (1 Kings 22:16), the king still didn't believe! For he was obstinate and hard hearted; he resembles the men of Israel when John appeared to them, when Jesus also was revealed to them; as it says, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.” (Luk 7:32) Yes, let us not be like them! For they did not believe no matter the type of message.
But let us believe the gospel of Jesus Christ: the truth of God and the grace of God. Let us not think what we have heard is too good to be true; for God is Good and He is the Truth. And the half of what is told us does not compare with the reality; for with every testimony, words only capture a part of the whole picture. Who knows the "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM" (1 Corinthians 2:9)? And let us not stop short of the conviction of faith because of our embittered soul; for the goodness and faithfulness of God is for the embittered and downcast; if our sins are too high in our sight, is not God higher still? As the LORD God says, "Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver?” (Isaiah 50:2) “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.” (Isaiah 59:1) Therefore, do not disbelieve if what you hear is too high; and do not shrink back if the promise is too grand. God’s works are great and His arm is powerful, even the testimony of His works are marvelous! Do you expect anything otherwise from God? So why disbelieve when you hear of the great things He has done for those who fear Him? As it says, "Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days—You would not believe if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5) Therefore, let us believe His Word without seeing a sign and become a sign to the nations, bearing the sign of a changed life among our companions. If salvation comes through the preaching of the gospel, a thing which is trivial and foolish in the eyes of the world, and if faith is too small of a thing in our eyes, and if we were commanded a large thing, would we not have done it? How much more when Jesus says, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (John 6:29)?
So let us look intently at the men of old who believed and were saved from destruction. Let us consider Lot; he believed the message given by the angels who visited him; they warned him of the wrath and fiery destruction determined by God; and since he believed, even before seeing a flicker of fire fall from heaven, Lot warned his sons-in-law, "But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.” (Genesis 19:14) And they perished in the overthrow, but nevertheless, Lot believed, even before seeing a fire take flight in the heavens; and because of the testimonies the angels gave and because he believed them, he and his family were saved from being consumed by fire along with the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. And alongside Lot, our forefather Abraham “believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) The LORD gave him the promise and he believed God, for he considered God is able to do what He says; and because of his faith, he rests, awaiting the promise of a new heaven and a new earth; although he went the way of all men on earth, he will live forever. And yet later, in the days of Moses, the leaders returned from spying out the land of Canaan; and returned and preached a false gospel which the people listened to; but Caleb and Joshua remained faithful to the LORD and gave a good report, for they remembered the mighty deeds of the LORD. And because of their faith, they were preserved by the LORD, but the rest of that generation perished in the wilderness as they wandered for 40 years in the desert, a year for every day they spied out the land. Caleb and Joshua were the only two of that generation to enter the land because they trusted the LORD. And what more shall we say? Rehab believed and was spared when Jericho was overthrown. Daniel was saved from the mouth of the lion "because he had trusted in his God.” (Daniel 6:23); and his three friends were saved from a firey furnace, for they "put their trust in Him.” (Daniel 3:28) And yet later, Jonah preached to Nineveh, and it was said, “The people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.” (Jonah 3:5) For they heard the report of Jonah and considered his testimony, coming from God, and since they changed their ways, the LORD God repented of the overthrow He planned; as it is written, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10) So all of these escaped with their lives, because they believed God and the testimony His servants gave.