When some use Samson and Jonah as examples to learn from their mistakes, why then does God use them as heroes of faith that we are to follow their example?  The answer is simple.  See, they have a quality that few in my day value, but a quality that God highly values, and values it so much that you cannot please God without it.  Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him."

                King David had a few sinful mistakes, but he is known by God as a man who believed God would forgive a sinner like him, for God promised He would, and David actually believed God would be faithful to His promise of forgiveness, Psalm 51.  God told David the messiah would be born from Him and David actually believed God.

          Many remember Sarah as the woman who doubted and laughed at God's words, but God remembers her as a hero of faith.  Hebrews 11:11, "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised."   See, with God our faith is not so much given a grade of A,B,C or F, but pass or fail, and Sarah passed the test; she believed God could cause a 99 year old woman to have a baby, just as He promised.  Consider not man's but Jesus' Godly perspective:

Matthew 21:28-31 "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'   "He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.   "Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.   "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.   "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

          See, harlots are not remembered for their sin but for their belief, for they judged God, who gave the promise of a messiah and redeemer, as faithful.  Indeed, for those covered in leprosy and who at first rejected salvation's call, there is still healing waiting in Jordan's bank--even for outsiders--to be remember no more for their leprosy or beginning doubt, but as whole and one who believed in God's mercy.  As Christians we are to view all other Christians in the same perspective as God does, not for their sins, but as heroes of faith who judged our Lord Jesus as faithful when He promised to die for the sins of many and to bring them to Himself in Heaven.

Samson:

          Samson, as all heroes of faith was a sinner who sinned.  He was as flawed as they come in regards to a heart what was easily seen as having been affected by sin.  Yet, Hebrews mentions him by name as a man whom the world was not worthy to know, and as a hero of gospel faith we are to emulate in our lives.

          Regarding his sins, he was a Nazirte (Judge 13:7), and so when he touched the dead lion carcass it was a sin for him to do so, for as a Nazirte he was not to touch a dead body (14:19).  Also, he was not a godly husband.  He married a non-Israelite, which was forbidden by God as a sin.  As a husband he was a coward and not a leader, for although his wife was a busybody pester, yet, he should have lead her in godliness, instead he gave into her demands (14:17).  Although these were sins for Samson, yet, for God He sovereignly caused Samson to do these things because God was orchestrating things to Judge the Philistines (14:4).  Then through Samson's lustful flirting with Delilah he gave away the source of his power.

          Yet, for many this is all they remember of Samson, his sins, but for God Samson is a hero of faith.  How?   See, the reason Jesus suffered so horrifically on the cross was due to saving us from the guilty consequences of our sinning and save us from being vile sinners by nature; therefore, it should not surprise us to see any Christian having failures in sin.  If Jesus had to be crucified, beating, spit on, abandoned, rejected, betrayed, stabbed and split open with whips so that any one Christian may be forgiven because they were so sinful, then there should nothing they do in life that should surprise us regarding their sinful failures.      

          Therefore, let us turn to see why Samson is a hero to emulate. 

Samson believed God!  The LORD had promised to judge the Philistines through Samson, and at the end of the day, despite all his sinning and failures Samson believed God would do exactly what He promised: to judge the Philistines through him.  Faith greatly pleases God!  And so God was greatly pleased with Samson despite his sinful failures, for Samson's faith was in the fact that God would show free mercy to a sinner like him apart from his works to earn it.

          In Judges Chapter 15 Samson is met by a group of 3 thousand Judah fighting men.  These were 3 thousand wicked, vile, unbelieving cowards.  These men told Samson to basically stop causing trouble with the Philistines and let them take Samson as a captive to them.  Remember in our passage of Hebrews 11 when it mentioned Gideon?  God used Gideon and only a few hundred men to judge in his time.  Yet!  Here before Samson is 3 thousand able fighting men of Judah, who if they had only a little faith in God could have once and for all destroyed every Philistine in the world.  Of this group of thousands of healthy fighting men, there was not ONE man who judged God as faithful to protect and deliver Israel as He promised!  Yet, Samson, who had his own sinful failures, dared to believe God as faithful to use him to judge the Philistines and in that same day killed a thousand of them with a bone and his brute strength.

        One would think that being surround by thousands of wicked unbelievers and doubters of God that this would have influenced Samson to be filled with his own doubt and unbelief of God, but in such a moment when faith was so difficult, Samson believed God!  When all his family and friends and country men did not trust God and His character, Samson glorified God by judging Him faithful!  Samson was a lone light in sea of darkness and wicked unbelief.  Of course Samson is a hero of Faith!

          Now Samson's faith is see even more when he though lustful sinning gave up the secret to his strength to Delilah.  As a result of this Samson was captured by the Philistines.   They bound him and even took away his eyes, blinding him; they kept him alive to mock and laugh at him as a pet.  Yet, this was all God's doing, orchestrating things so that He might laugh and mock the Philistines. 

          Now, imagine Samson in a lonely prison.  Imagine that you knew God called you to do great exploits for His glory and now because of your sinful stupidity your lone companions are prison rats and your last vision was of your enemies mocking you as your eyes were destroyed.  Image the temptation to interrupt this as an eternal judgment over you; how easy would it have been to sink in despise realizing it was your own sin that put you here and God your Father is now God your judge forever.  How easy it would have been for Samson to subsume to legalism trying to work his way back to God and conclude his life as over?

           Yet, in this moment and dreadful pain, although Samson tripped into the temptation of lust, yet, he did not fall into the temptation of doubting God; rather, because this moment was such a difficult moment, a moment that was as a 10.000 pound weight pushing against faith in God, Samson still judged God as Faithful in His promise to use him to judge the Philistines.

          Judges 16:28, "Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Sovereign GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!"

          I do not wish to break down every phrase of this prayer but will point out two things.  One, is that Samson was a true example of a gospel believer.  See, Samson's prayer is not of a legalist or Pharisee, who asks God to bless them on their performance; rather, Samson's prayer, similar to the criminal on the cross (remember me)[2], was a petition for mercy because his performance did not meet God's standards.  

        How many fall into the system of legalism, if not daily, when their lives are so easy and the gospel so abundantly preached to them; being surrounded by gospel sermons, gospel care groups, gospel facebook messages.  Yet, here is Samson, who is in the hardest of moments, who is surround by enemies, who even his own countrymen and family do not trust God's mercy, yet, in this lonely abandoned moment he did not subsume to legalism but stood upon God's mercy for him apart from works.  How easy Samson could have taken his situation that God was finished with Him.  Instead, Samson trusted what he was taught regarding what Moses wrote: "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness."[3]  Samson judge God's Divine Nature as faithful to what He promises and revealed regarding mercy.

      Because Samson trusted God regarding mercy to sinners, Samson was therefore, freed to judge God as faithful to still use a blinded sinful man as him to judge the Philistines.  And in this great display of faith, God used Samson, a lone man in a sea of cowards, doubters and unbelievers, to Judge Thousands of Philistines by breaking a building's supporting pillars as a child breaks a toothpick.

       To this day I have never seen such faith in any Christian.  Despite the gospel being so much more clearly revealed to us in Christ, yet, how filled with unbelief and doubt are many Christians.  If only but one man in my generation would rise up and trust in Christ crucified as Samson trusted God then there is no telling the great exploits that would be accomplished.  Samson is an extreme example of faith beyond measure in such a hard situation, that we may be encouraged to follow his example.  If 90 year old men would trust in Jesus Christ crucified to the level of Samson's trusted of God they could accomplish more in a moment for the gospel of the Kingdom of God than what 3 thousand doubting Christians could accomplish in a life time!

        Stop your doubting of Jesus' death that conquered your dead and sin and believe!  Judge Christ as faithful!

Jonah:

        Jonah for many might be used as an example of how not to act toward God, but few consider his incredible faith and how it towers over most who read of his account as a prophet of God.  Indeed, Jonah had some sinful issues we discover, as we do with all men of God in the Bible when it reveals their lives, but we also discover Jonah's great faith that stands as an Everest among the hills of our gospel faith in Christ.   

        To say Jonah was angry with God is an understatement: "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry." And guess who this exceeding anger was directed towards?  God! 

      Some might be prone to think with such belligerent public anger directed to God that God would have punished Jonah, for God had killed people for lesser things.  And although, all God's dealings with us is mercy purchased by Christ, for even our best is as filth rages, yet, faith in God pleases Him, which Hebrews 11 makes so clear.  Jonah was pleasing to God, because of his great gospel faith in God's salvation both for himself and his enemy, Nineveh.  Jonah might not have liked the idea that God was saving Israel's enemy, for Nineveh was an enemy to Israel, but Jonah believed God so faithful to His promises of mercy that Jonah ran from God knowing God would indeed forgive even such vile pagans as Nineveh if they turned to God.

      We know story.  God one day came to Jonah and told him to preach the gospel to Nineveh because their sinning was reaching a point where if they did not stop they were going to be another Sodom of destruction.  Nineveh, being Israel's enemy, was to Jonah the lowest of garbage, which is why he was so angry with God for saving them in the 4 chapter; Jonah apparently hated Nineveh with a vehement passion.  This is why only in the 3^rd verse of Chapter 1 Jonah is seen fleeing from God like a prey runs from its killer.  It comes so quickly it seems as if Jonah did not even shut the front door, or did not even pack a lunch, but dropped whatever he was doing and ran as fast as he could.  What this shows is the degree of hatred Jonah had for Nineveh; he did not want them to be saved.

      Still, on the flip side it shows Jonah's incredible faith in God's promised gospel salvation.  

      The equivalent would be like God coming to a person and asking them to preach the gospel to the person who raped them, who murdered their spouse and abused their kids.  The hatred of Jonah for Nineveh was of the highest that human emotions affords and so not everyone has experienced this level of hate, but many do.  For many God asking such a thing would simply be too much.  For others they would simply disbelieve God would want to be kind to the person who raped them, who killed their spouse, to the person who is their most hated enemy; a person that the mere thought of their name causes disgust and anger to swell up.  Yet, this was not Jonah's problem.  Do not be mistaken, Nineveh was so evil and violent that God was on the verge of wiping this city from the face of the planet; they were very evil. 

      Still, despite them being so evil, so great in vile, Jonah judge the character of God as superiorly faithful in His promise of mercy to any who but only repented and turned to Him that Jonah ran from God not wanting Nineveh to receive this salvation of God.  And Jonah was no hypocrite in this for the same mercy and salvation he knew Nineveh would receive if they turned to God Jonah believed it for himself when after 3 days in the belly of the fish he cried out to God for mercy (Jonah 2:1-9)

      Regarding Nineveh's salvation Jonah quotes the most quoted passage in the Bible when he says to the lord GOD, Jonah 4:2, "So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."  Jonah quotes from the passage in Exodus 34:6-8 where God shows His glory to Moses and proclaims it verbally as well to him.

       Jonah quotes this passage because the context makes God's revelation of Himself so clear that even a child can understand it.  Moses asks to see God's actually glory!  Yet, in the same process of showing Moses His glory God takes the time to verbally communicate what He is showing Moses, what His glory is.  This was not in hidden parables but spoken clearly for all believes to understand, believe and rejoice in.  Jonah knew God was The Sovereign Infinite Existence and what He revealed is thus, timeless truth.  Thus, Jonah knew God, although He loves justice and is an inhabitation of justice, knew God is very compassionate and merciful just as He has revealed Himself to be.

       Without the gospel of Jesus Christ and His resurrection being accomplished in such a great display, Jonah believed in God's free mercy more than entire churches combined believe in God's mercy through Christ's accomplished gospel.  One quick passage of His mercy and Jonah believed it so greatly that He ran from God knowing that even vile wicked Nineveh had a chance to be saved!

        If only but one man of God would raise up today and trust in Jesus Christ's accomplished gospel of mercy for sinners then we would see entire Ninevehs saved today, being delivered from destruction.  Oh, how I wish this type of faith for myself and for my generation.

        See, Jonah had two things fighting against his faith in God's character and promise. As discussed, Jonah's extreme loathing of Nineveh is an occasion for many to allow this to be a prejudice.  Jonah's loathing of Nineveh could have easily been a temptation to dismiss Nineveh as unsavable; rather, Jonah's faith in God's character and promise of mercy was so great that not even the most extreme hatred could stop him from trusting God's gospel.  Next, Nineveh was like Sodom and Gomorra, in that this city was so sinful God was ready to permanently destroy them.  Jonah, with the knowledge that Sodom was judge still trusted God's promised gospel in repentance despite Nineveh's great evil.  This is incredible faith.

         How many give into disbelief, how many doubt God when only the smallest cloud appears in the sky, how many choose to doubt Jesus' gospel over the temptation of legalism, how many trade trusting in Jesus' death for inner feelings of hate and depression, how many see Jesus' death as too small and man's sin too great?   How many doubt Jesus' accomplished propitiation for their peace; how many doubt Jesus' accomplished expiation for their cleansing and cleansing for sins committed against them; how many doubt Christ's accomplished imputed righteousness for them that makes them children of God and shine as suns in His kingdom; how many upon every occasion of sin doubt Jesus' accomplishment of the permanent uniting of all elect to Himself by the Holy Spirit?  How many are ready to doubt God's faithfulness in sanctifying them when Jesus has already accomplished perfecting them once and for all in His death, at a definite place and time!  With the smallest of sins many are ready to doubt Christ's accomplished grace and become a legalist at the drop of a hat.  Too often do many doubt the effects of the gospel when Christ has already accomplished all promises of God in His death and resurrection!  How many are ready to doubt what God has just not promised but has already accomplished!!

        We have the finished gospel of Jesus Christ who-at a definite place and at a definite time-actually fulfilled God's promised mercy for sinners as a propitiation, expiation and imputed righteousness!  Yet the men of faith before us only had the smallest passages of scripture as unfulfilled promise and they believed in the most trying situations.  What reason do we have to doubt?  If we doubt Jesus' death we are to be ashamed above all others; we ought to abhor our own selves, for what more could God have done to prove His character as faithful than sending His only begotten Son, born in such a lowly debased state, rejected by His own, rejected by His eternally beloved Father, abounded by all, hated by all, nailed by lawless hands, suffering hell itself and as a helpless lamb willingly placed himself in the jaws of that demonic Lion for the sake of His beloved church?

        I conclude this by reminding my readers that Jonah's faith and Samson's was indeed a gospel faith, for Hebrews chapter 4 tells us the O.T. saints had the gospel preached to them in the form of a promise of mercy in God's chosen, whereas to us it is preached as an accomplished act of Jesus.  Indeed, all the saints in the Scripture and their struggles are to be seen with the overreaching view of striving to for God's gospel in faith, whether by promise or as an accomplished act. 

         I remember reading a sermon by Jonathan Edwards on the passage of Jacob wrestling the Angel of the Lord and how it affect me so.  During my childhood, in my charismatic church I heard this passage hijacked to be used to seek God for "blessings" such as for a calling or new house or car, but this is not proper in light of the text or scripture; rather, J.E. reminds us that Jacob is wrestling God for salvation.  Jacob's sinning against his brother put him in a bad position and so in light of Jacob's life it was mercy and salvation Jacob was seeking so hard from God.

          Jacob, Samson and Jonah-their hard striving and faith was directed for mercy and salvation from God.  If you do not seek salvation in Jesus' death and resurrection as hard as Jacob did with the Angel of the Lord then you should feel the weight of falling everlasting into hell.  If your Christian life is not categorized as seeking Jesus crucified like Jacob's long hard wrestling until he received God's blessing of salvation, then be deeply afraid and abhor yourself for the place where flame burns without mercy and where the worm does not die will be your home; the place where the body lies and the eagles gather is the place your body lay as well; the place of midnight darkness without one sunshine of God's cooling beautiful countenance and burning corpses will be your inheritance.

          See, the scriptures are one long hard story, difficult life and terrible pain of many saints suffering and striving with all faith in God's promised and fullfilled mercy.  It is not for a new car we are to seek and wrestle God day and night for; rather, it is seeking God, even if our hips are forever disjointed, and even if you must wait 14 long years for your Rachel, until we know all our faith and trust rest fully in Jesus Christ crucified for sinners like us, Judging God as supremely Faithfull in Christ!

        Dear readers!  What are you seeking so hard today?  Would your life be worthy to be numbered among the great cloud of witness mentioned in Hebrews 11?  

        How does your striving reflect how you judge God?  Does your life testify that you Judge Jesus as faithful?  Or does your life judge that sin is a faithful friend?

        Be encouraged for you who trust Christ!  For those who truly judge Christ as the faithful accomplishment of Yahweh's promised mercy for sinners, then I say look up!  Look up and see that there are Philistines ready to be Judged and Ninevehs ready to hear the gospel and be saved with all their livestock.  

        Pray that the God of all grace would give you faith in Christ crucified as profoundly as Samson and Jonah and there would be no telling what great exploits for the sake of the gospel you would achieve for His glory and the benefit of many!  Ninevehs are waiting for such gospel trusting saints. 

        Stop your doubting and believe Jesus' accomplished salvation for you!  This life will soon be over and heaven will be your inheritance, sitting at the feet of the Lamb who was Slain for you, but for now it is a season of fighting and a proper time for great faith: Press hard into the Kingdom of God!

        Let nothing hinder you from believing in free mercy and Christ's imputed righteousness apart from your works!  Overcome all hindrances and besetting doubt, wrestle all angles and demons, endure all hardships and suffering, forsake all family and friends if you must, but let nothing stop you from laying your head down to sleep every night knowing you have abandoned all self-reliance, and abounded all self-righteousness, and all worldly hope and fully judged Jesus Christ as having done everything to save you and bring you to Himself in His suffering!  Judge Him Faithfull who was faithful even unto the death of a cross for sinners like you and I. 

    [*]  We are never to emulate sin in any form.  And so some might infer that I need to call them heroes of "Gospel faith" only and never obedience; however, this is somewhat deceptive for faith in God's mercy is obedience to God, in fact it is the greatest obedience that God demands from us. This is why Hebrews--when mentioning men of whom the world is not worthy of--does not mention godly works; rather, it mentions the quality of "faith in God's mercy." Faith in God's mercy is the greatest obedience and greatest quality to emulate of Godly men.  This is not to diminish the importance other things such as godly character: example, the "First Commandment", being first, does not make the Second unimportant, but we are to recognize the scriptural order of these things.

[1] Hebrews 11:32-12:1

[2] This is a plea for undeserved mercy and not reward.

[3] Exodus 34:6