“I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.”
Psalm 16:2-4 NLT
David’s thoughts seem to be leaping about in these verses. After acknowledging that God is the Source of all his good things, David moves on to consider the Godly people around him, defining them as his “true heroes”. The dictionary defines a hero as “a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities“, but does that definition apply in David’s thoughts? Certainly, to be a God-follower in an environment where other gods proliferate, takes courage, and “noble qualities” are required. But the outstanding achievements are more associated with successful exploits in battle, such as when David defeated Goliath, or when Samson “ … found the jawbone of a recently killed donkey. He picked it up and killed 1,000 Philistines with it” (Judges 15:15).
So, how can a Godly person become a hero? In the various Bible translations, the words “Godly people” and “hero” are only used by the NLT. Other translations refer to “holy ones” or “saints” being “noble” or “excellent”, but we get this picture of David’s admiration of people, God-believers, who stand firm in the face of a wicked and sinful environment, with idolatrous practices rife, and societal behaviour distinctly anti-God in their content. David took “pleasure in them”, he wrote.
In Biblical times, many examples of people acting as “true heroes” are recorded. Just turn to Hebrews 11 to find a few examples. But the essence of being a hero is having faith in God, because that will lead to a life spent at variance with increasingly secular points of view. We read in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation“. Look at the abuse Noah must have experienced when he spent 100 years building his ark, in faith that this was God’s will for him and his family, and there are other examples of the “true heroes” in the rest of the chapter.
In David’s view, perhaps we pilgrims are heroes in today’s world, but are we anything special? Today’s society is very tolerant of people who are considered to be on the fringe in terms of beliefs and behaviours, as long as it does not impact the way that they go about their lives. But when the behaviour of those with particular ideologies clashes with mainstream views then there can be a process involving the law courts to resolve the issues. In my view the heroes of the faith in today’s society can be found protesting outside abortion clinics, even if it means arrest and fines, or in turning their backs on denominations that violate Biblical principles, even if they have been members for a considerable time. Today’s heroes of the faith stand up for righteous practices in the workplace even if it means dismissal from their jobs. Recent legislation has seen justice being pursued in law courts over the right to wear a cross necklace at work, or a baker refusing to bake a cake with homosexual overtones, for a gay couple. These are the “true heroes” today.
So, fellow pilgrims, we are men and women of faith, standing up for what we believe in an often hostile and sinful world. We live lives of faith, believing that ” … it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). In the face of evolutionary science now taught as fact in our schools, “ … we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen” (Hebrews 11:3), believing this because of our faith.
David had a lot of admiration for the “Godly people” around him, and he called them “true heroes”. I know people, Godly people, who I would count as being heroes. I’m so grateful for their courage and inspiration. Some have passed and I remember one man who is now part of that Hebrews 12 great cloud of witnesses. He was a hero to me and I know to others, and I thank God for him, and his unstinting and unwavering witness here on Planet Earth.
Dear Father God. You know the man I am referring to, and I pray that his witness will carry on, even though he is no longer with us. And I pray for the Godly people who I know, that You will uphold them in their lives of faith. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 