This morning's text is Hebrews chapter 11 verses 17 through 22, where we will observe once again the faith of Abraham and his descendants.
!
Do you ever feel that way?
Do you ever think, why are we spending so much time in one book and therefore on one theme?
This feeling was punctuated by my nine-year-old Cade, who asked me last night,
Dad, are you preaching from Hebrews tomorrow?
And when I responded, yeah, he said, oh, in a slightly disappointed voice.
So I wanted to understand that, and I probed further, and I pressed a bit,
and he told me that it feels like he can only remember us ever studying the book of Hebrews.
I asked him what he thought the book of Hebrews is supposed to teach us,
and his stumbling with an answer, although he didn't totally miss the point,
but he stumbled around to answer me, reminded me why long expositions can be of some value to the church.
Now, most of us are not nine, but then I thought about my week, and I thought about likely your week,
and considered how many opportunities were presented to us to not persevere by faith,
to grow cold and listless, to forget the glorious truth of the supremacy of Jesus Christ,
to forget that we who are in Christ were once desperately lost, but now have been found,
to forget and to think, right, all the pleasures the world has to offer us are temporal and fleeting,
but we have an eternal reward in Jesus.
We should not grow tired of learning the lesson of Hebrews, because we are always in need of it.
The ESV Study Bible Introduction to Hebrews defines the book's theme this way,
Christ is greater than any angel, priest, or old covenant institution.
Thus, each reader, rather than leaving such a great salvation,
is summoned to hold on by faith to the true rest found in Christ,
and to encourage others in the church to persevere.
And I will give you a bit shorter version, and then we will get to work.
Followers of Jesus Christ need to persevere by faith in the absolute supremacy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So Hebrews chapter 11, beginning in verse 17,
Beloved, this is God's word to us, written for his glory and our good.
We would all do well to listen to it, in order to believe its promises, and to obey its commands.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.
And he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son,
of whom it was said, through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead,
from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.
By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph,
bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites,
and gave directions concerning his bones.
So this morning, a very simple outline for our text.
Number one, Abraham's legendary faith.
And number two, Abraham's legacy of faith.
And then finally, I'll ask us some questions concerning our faith.
So Abraham's legendary faith, Abraham's legacy of faith.
And then I'll ask some questions concerning our faith.
So number one, Abraham's legendary faith.
We're going to break this down into some pieces as we kind of walk through a bit of this story.
And I want to read much of it to you from Genesis chapter 22.
The author of Hebrews is not trying to make a very complex point.
It's a simple point that he's making.
It's just a point that must be worked out in our lives.
And he's using the life of Abraham, particularly this episode,
to show us this very thing.
So we can see first, at the beginning of verse 17, the calling of faith to Abraham.
God asked something of him.
Asked him to do a very difficult something.
Beginning of verse 17 says,
By faith Abraham, when he was tested.
So if you will, keep your finger marking Hebrews chapter 11,
but turn with me to Genesis chapter 22.
And we'll pick up and read a bit of it and jump back into Hebrews and back and forth just a tad this morning.
So we see first the testing of Abraham's faith.
God is saying,
Do you really believe?
I've made a promise.
Do you really believe that I will bring the promise to pass?
Genesis chapter 22, beginning in verse 1.
God tested Abraham and said to him,
Abraham, and he said,
Here I am.
He said,
Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.
So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey,
and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac.
And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
Now, I think that we too quickly read these stories.
I don't know that we often really take the time to have some imagination for what it must have been like.
The overarching point of what the author of Hebrews is talking about here is the promise being fulfilled in Isaac.
It was said of him,
Through Isaac, your offspring will be named.
This is the large idea that he's speaking about here.
But just imagine for a moment,
God asking you to take your son, your only son,
the son that you love,
and offer him as a sacrifice.
I have sons.
And it is difficult to imagine what it must have been like for Abraham.
He's very eager, we see.
Genesis chapter 22 and verse 1, right?
God says to him,
Abraham, and he says,
Here I am.
And we don't get any clue as to the emotions that he's feeling following that,
but I have to imagine he's not nearly as eager as he's told what he is to do.
Travel to a place and offer your son as a sacrifice.
But we see that he goes, right?
He rises in the morning, saddles his donkey,
takes young men and his son.
He even does the proper preparation to go and to be obedient for this great sacrifice.
As we read on, we can see the journeying faith of Abraham.
This isn't a short trip that he takes.
We read on in verse 4,
On the third day,
Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.
Then Abraham said to his young men,
Stay here with the donkey.
I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son.
And he took in his hand the fire and the knife.
And so they went both of them together.
And Isaac said to his father, Abraham,
My father.
And he said,
Here I am, my son.
He said,
Behold the fire and the wood,
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Abraham said,
God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.
So they went both of them together.
So again, imagine for a moment what the Lord was asking of Abraham.
They traveled.
They went on a journey.
And they did this with time.
And he has not yet informed his son of what's going to happen at this.
Can you just imagine?
What are they going to do to make a sacrifice?
He's aware of this, Isaac is,
because he asked the question.
I see the supplies except for the lamb.
And the type of faith it must have taken.
The type of perseverance in the promise of God
to travel this distance,
knowing what was coming at the end of that journey.
And then we see the sacrificing faith of Abraham.
We begin in verse 9.
When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order
and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
Now we don't know exactly the age of Isaac.
There's much guess to this.
I'm going to tend toward him being younger
because of kind of the naivety of his questions in the previous verses.
But surely he was faster than his dad.
His dad was getting extremely old at this point.
So Isaac seems to be a willing participant,
trusting in his father,
even as he's laying him on an altar to be burned.
Verse 10.
Then Abraham reached out his hand
and took the knife to slaughter his son.
And I have a hard time reading that
and not shuddering at the thought,
the measure of faith,
to say, right,
this is the Lord's will,
that I would sacrifice my son
and I'm believing in the promise.
So when you look in Hebrews 11, 17 and 18,
it says,
There was a specific promise
that it was through this son,
this son that he is now raising the dagger
in order to slaughter,
that all these promises of God
would come to pass.
It defies logic,
natural reasoning.
It makes no sense whatsoever.
And yet,
he is willing to act.
Not willy-nilly,
but because of what the Lord had said.
So we see him here at the end of verse 10,
ready.
He's taking the knife.
He's ready to slaughter his son.
And in verse 11,
But the angel of the Lord
called to him from heaven and said,
Abraham, Abraham.
And he said,
I imagine eagerly,
Here I am.
He said, the angel,
Do not lay your hand on the boy
or do anything to him.
For now I know that you fear God.
Seeing you have not withheld your son,
your only son,
from me.
Proving of his faith.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes
and looked,
and behold,
behind him was a ram
caught in a thicket by his thorns.
And Abraham went and took the ram
and offered it up
as a burnt offering
instead of his son.
So Abraham called the name of that place.
The Lord will provide.
As it is said to this day,
on the mount of the Lord,
it shall be provided.
This is an astounding picture.
And the author of Hebrews
places this in Hebrews chapter 11
as an encouragement to us
to persevere in faith.
Don't miss that.
Don't lose that.
We are meant to also believe
in the promises of God.
God likely won't.
I highly doubt.
He's going to ask you
to offer your son.
We should have a good conversation
if you think or are convinced
that he's doing so.
I'd have words for you.
But he's going to ask us
to do things
that are weighty
and are sacrificial,
believing in his promises.
So how is it
that Abraham was able
to have such faith?
It's given to him
as a gift from the Lord.
But it's not an unreasoning faith.
It's a reasoning faith.
And we see this back
in Hebrews chapter 11
and verse 19.
We see that Abraham
considered
his reasoning.
He's thinking this through.
He's given a command.
He's traveling a distance.
He's got to be in turmoil over it.
But wait a second.
God made a promise.
He made a promise
to bless all the nations.
He made a promise
that my descendants
would be as many as the stars.
He made a promise
that it would happen
through Isaac.
How does this make sense?
He considered
that God was able
even to raise him
from the dead.
He knew
that God would be sure
to his promise.
He knew somehow
God is going to work this through.
And certainly,
God did.
Instead of having him
sacrifice Isaac,
which he certainly could have
raised from the dead,
he provides
an alternate sacrifice
in the form
of a ram.
And the author says,
from which,
figuratively speaking,
he did receive him back.
Isaac was as good
as dead
to Abraham.
He had come to the place
where he was willing
to sacrifice
his own son
in obedience
to God.
And he did,
in fact,
receive him back,
figuratively,
from the dead.
Abraham's reasoning
was audacious.
It was audacious.
But it went something
like this.
God promised to make
of me
a great nation.
Therefore,
he gave me
a son
when I was
as good as dead.
Far too old
to father a son,
and my wife Sarah
far too old
to mother.
Therefore,
God has now
asked me
to sacrifice
my son
the only
reasonable way
that God
can fulfill
his promise.
Therefore,
God is not a liar,
and God
will make
a way
to keep
his promise.
What faith.
What astounding
faith
in God's
spoken
word.
God has said it.
It will come
to pass.
God promised it.
Therefore,
I believe it.
This is the type
of faith
that we are
asked to have
in our God.
This is the type
of faith
that the author
of Hebrews
is encouraging
and encouraging
and encouraging.
Did you have
that kind of faith
in this past
week?
Did God
ask you
to do anything
that was
difficult
but consistent
with his promises
that you failed
to do?
You just said,
I just don't
believe the promise.
Functionally,
I'm not so sure.
Cognitively,
I ascend
to these promises,
but functionally,
eh.
And as a result
of Abraham's
faithfulness,
God restates
the promises
of his covenant
with Abraham
and with his
descendants.
He says again,
lest anyone
forget in the
reading of this
story,
the promise
that came
and is coming.
Verse 15
down through 18
of Genesis 22.
And the angel
of the Lord
called to Abraham
a second time
from heaven
and said,
By myself
I have sworn,
declares the Lord.
Because you have
done this
and have not
withheld your son,
your only son,
I will surely
bless you
and I will surely
multiply your offspring
as the stars
of heaven
and as the sand
that is on the seashore.
And your offspring
shall possess
the gate
of his enemies.
And in your offspring
shall all the nations
of the earth
be blessed
because you
have obeyed
my voice.
Abraham's
faithfulness,
his willingness
to sacrifice
his only son,
because of God's
promise to him
made possible
another son,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
His willingness
to sacrifice
his son
prefigures
God the Father
sacrificing
his only son,
actually sacrificing
his only son,
the Lord Jesus Christ,
that all the promises
of the Abrahamic covenant
would be fulfilled.
And they are
being fulfilled
to this day.
It's an astounding
faith.
So Abraham
has this
legendary
faith,
but he also has
a legacy
of faith.
And the author
of Hebrews
gives that to us
kind of in rapid
succession
in the next
three verses
20,
21,
and 22.
We won't spend
much time on these
at all,
although we could
spend a whole week
on each and every
one of them.
But we want to get
to the beginning
of chapter 12
at some point,
don't we?
So first,
Isaac's faith.
Verse 20,
By faith,
Isaac invoked
future blessings
on Jacob
and Esau.
The story of Isaac's
blessing of his sons
is quite the debacle.
I'll encourage you
to read it from
Genesis chapter 27,
the whole chapter,
and through the
beginning of chapter
20,
but the point is,
the point that the
author of Hebrews
is making is that
he believed
that the blessings
given to his sons,
particularly the
blessing of Jacob,
would come to be
realized.
The continuing
blessing of the
promise to Abraham.
All that was said
would come to pass
through this lineage
of Jacob.
So we see this
example of Isaac's
faith.
We also see the
example of Jacob's
faith.
Verse 21,
By faith,
Jacob,
when dying,
blessed each
of the sons of
Joseph,
bowing in worship
over the head
of his staff.
So when Jacob
was very old,
the sons of
Joseph were
brought to him.
And when Jacob's
sons came to be
blessed,
excuse me,
Joseph's sons
came to be
blessed,
the older brother
Manasseh was
placed on his
right hand to
receive the
greater blessing,
the younger
brother,
Ephraim,
on his left,
or Ephraim.
But Jacob,
responding to
the direction of
God,
crossed his
hands and
gave the
greater blessing
to Ephraim.
Right?
He believed
what God
said.
Against the
tradition of
giving the
greatest blessing
to the
eldest son,
he instead
gave it to
the next
in order.
We also
see the
example of
Joseph's
faith.
Verse 22,
By faith,
Joseph,
at the end
of his
life,
made mention
of the
exodus of
the Israelites
and gave
directions
concerning his
bones.
Joseph was
confident that
nothing could
thwart God's
promise that
his people
would possess
the land
of Canaan.
He believed
in the
Abrahamic
covenant.
He had once
dwelt in
that land
and had
left that
land out
ahead of his
brothers because
of famine.
He was quite
forced to do
so at the
age of 17
to go to
Egypt.
He became
the precursor
to his
family and
the Israelites
all ending
up in
Egypt prior
to the
exodus.
and yet
he was
still
holding
this
promise.
Israel
will
leave
Egypt.
They
will
be
settled
in
the
land
that
God
has
promised
them.
And again,
just imagine
the faith.
He went to
Egypt at
the age
of 17.
He left
this land
that was
promised
to his
people and
he lived
there until
he died
at 110.
Do you
sometimes feel
like the
promises of
God are
tearing?
Look at
the examples
of these
people,
this great
hall of
faith,
these witnesses
that have
gone before
us.
God's
word is
sure.
And he
was so
confident of
this that
before he
died he
spoke of
the exodus
and he
gave them
instructions
to take
his body
with and
bury it
in that
place.
He said
it's going
to happen
so when
it happens
be sure
to take
me there.
I want
my body
to be
laid to
rest
in there.
And then
in fulfillment
of his
directive
Moses carried
his body
out of
Egypt,
Exodus
13,
and was
buried in
Shechem by
Joshua when
Canaan was
conquered in
Joshua chapter
24.
So you see
what the author
of Hebrews is
doing.
Last week we
looked at the
text prior and
this week the
great confidence
in the promise
God made in
the Abrahamic
covenant.
These things
will come to
pass.
And the way
that these
men's lives
lined up with
a great
belief in
those promises.
So these are
examples for
us of
persevering
faith.
Faith in
promises that
they had
yet to
see
fulfilled
but believed
all the
same.
The author
of Hebrews
is spurring
us this
morning on
to the
same kind
of faith.
And frankly
beloved as
we consider
the faith of
these men we
ought to have
more confidence
because we
have seen
and we are
seeing the
promises
fulfilled.
We have a
greater
understanding of
how it is that
God is bringing
all these
promises to
pass.
We have a
greater picture
of the
revelation of
how things are
coming to
pass because
we are
chapters ahead
in the story
of redemption.
It ought to
be that much
easier for
us to see
it and to
have this
kind of
faith.
So allow
me in a few
moments to
ask some
questions
concerning our
faith.
Just two.
Well,
there's some
questions.
Number one,
has God
promised it?
Has God
promised it?
We believe in
a closed canon.
This means that
God has spoken.
We are not
adding books
to this text.
God has spoken.
It is a
completed work
and it is
God's complete
work to mankind.
It is inerrant
because God has
said it and God
cannot lie.
Is it
authoritative
book?
Because he is
the God of
the universe,
therefore what
he says
must go.
It reigns
then over
us and
it is
sufficient.
So it
contains within
it all the
promises that
we need to
know and
to believe.
So do you
do you know
the promises
of God?
He has made
some astounding
promises,
life-fulfilling
promises,
some beyond-this-world
promises.
Has God
promised it?
Secondly,
do we believe it?
Do we believe it?
Do we believe
what the Bible
says about
salvation?
John 14,
6,
as Jesus
said,
I am the
way and
the truth
and the
life.
No one
comes to the
Father except
through me.
Do we
understand,
do we live
in the light
of that
truth that
we can only
be saved
by the
life,
death,
and
resurrection
of Jesus
Christ?
Have we
thrown
ourselves
on the
mercy of
God
found in
Christ's
life and
death for
us,
his active
and passive
obedience
on our
behalf?
Do we
believe what
it says about
sanctification?
Paul wrote
to the
Philippians,
chapter 1
and verse 6,
I am sure
of this,
that he who
began a good
work in you
will bring it
to completion
at the day
of Jesus
Christ.
Do we
believe that
having been
set apart
by the
gospel,
having our
souls saved,
that we are
meant to
now be
continuing
in holiness
and that we
have the
spirit of
Christ who
uses careful
exacting
application of
the word of
Christ to
bring us to
that day.
That we can
in fact grow
in holiness
because we
have in
fact been
set free
from the
power of
sin.
Too often
we act like
we're powerless
when the
truth of
the scripture
is that we
have been
given power
to put away
sin and to
put on
righteousness.
Do we
believe what
it says about
glorification?
2 Corinthians
chapter 4
verse 16
and following
Paul writes
so we do
not lose
heart.
Whatever is
going on in
the world
around us
we do not
lose heart
though our
outer self
is wasting
away our
inner self
is being
renewed day
by day.
Paul's talking
about outer
man like
the part of
us that we
won't take
with us
and inner
man.
It's being
renewed day
by day
for this
light
momentary
affliction
is preparing
for us
an eternal
weight of
glory beyond
all
comparison.
as we
look not
to the
things that
are seen
but to
the things
that are
unseen
for the
things that
are seen
are transient
or passing
away but
the things
that are
unseen
are eternal.
Do we
live in
that way
as Abraham
and his
descendants
lived in
tents
awaiting
the promise?
Do we
live in a
transient
mindset?
Sojourners
aliens
and exiles
in a
place
that's
ultimately
not our
home?
To
recognize
that the
reason
that you
are so
unsettled
with the
way the
world
is
because
you
were
not
made
for
this
world.
You
were
made
for
a
new
world
that
is
beyond.
We
get
so
focused
on
the
mess
going
on
around
us
and
we
forget
the
glorious
truth
that
God
is
making
all
things
new.
It's
a
winding
down
of the
world.
It's
the
thing
that's
been
promised
to
us.
And
beloved,
it will
get worse.
It will
get worse
and worse
until the
end comes.
But the
kingdom of
God is
coming to
bear in
the hearts
of men
and women.
In that
sense,
the world
is winding
up.
The
gospel
is going
forth.
The
church
is being
gathered.
The
day
will
come
when
Christ
will
say
enough.
He
will
come
back.
He
will
eternally
judge
the
living
and
the
dead.
We
will
be
raised
with
him
and
we
will
reign
with
him
forever.
Do we
have
that
kind
of
faith?
Do we
live
in that
way?
On your
bulletin,
there's a
William Bates
quotations,
Puritan,
as they
typically
are.
He said,
God will
try our
faith before
he satisfies
our
sight.
Now,
I've been
reading to
our boys,
the
Chronicles of
Narnia,
I hope
you're
familiar
with
this
work
of
C.S.
Lewis.
And right
now we
are reading
my favorite
of all
the books,
which is
The Horse
and His
Boy.
And it
is my
favorite
of all
of his
books
because
it's
all about
providence.
It's
all about
the way
in which
Christ
works
in the
world.
And so
I want
to read
a little
bit of
it
to
you
because
I
think
we
often
find
ourselves
identifying
with
one of
the
primary
characters,
a young
man,
young boy
named
Shasta.
Kind of
his,
he has
this very
I'm the
most
unlucky
person
in the
world
kind
of
attitude
throughout
the
book.
And I
don't want
to totally
spoil the
entire
story for
you,
but I
got to
give you
a little
bit of
a background
for it.
Shasta
is being
raised
by a
man who
is not
his
father
in a
land that
is not
his
land,
the land
of
Calorman.
And he
discovers
a talking
horse of
Narnia,
all the
horses of
the land
of Calorman
are what
they call
dumb,
they don't
speak,
but he
discovers a
talking horse
of Narnia,
a war horse
named Bree,
and he
decides to
escape on
Bree,
and they
take off
for Narnia.
And along
the way,
they meet
a young
adult woman
named
Erebus,
and a
talking horse
named
Quinn.
And they're
brought together
through some
providence,
they travel
through a
major city
of the land
of Calorman,
where they
find out
a plot
that the
prince of
Calorman
is going
to attack
Narnia,
first by
taking a
city of
a land
called
Archenland,
called
Anvert.
And it
lies between
Calorman
and the
country of
Narnia.
So this is
kind of the
backdrop of
what's
happening.
And so
finding this
out,
they decide
to quickly
escape to
Narnia,
and to
first warn
King Loon
of this
coming
attack.
These guys
are coming,
200 horsemen,
they're coming
to attack,
we must
get across
in order
to be of
help.
And one
of the
dangers
that they
encounter
along the
way is
that they're
chased by
lions.
There's a
number of
circumstances
by which
they are
chased by
lions.
So as
the story
goes on,
they have
gotten to
this land
of Archenland,
and Shasta
has gone on
by himself
on a dumb
horse.
He's not
Umbri anymore,
he's on a
horse that
can't speak.
And he
finds King
Loon,
and he warns
King Loon,
and King
Loon and
his hunting
party that's
with him,
they take
off back
to Anver
to raise
the alarm
and bolt
the gates,
and a
deep,
deep mist,
a mist
rolls in,
it becomes
night,
so picture
this,
it's
night time,
it's dark,
it's gloomy,
and his
dumb horse
won't keep
up,
so he
loses them,
he loses
the pack.
So here
he is again,
the most
unlucky
that can
be.
And he
hears horsemen
riding up
behind him,
and this
is the
enemy coming
along,
and so he
takes an
alternate route,
so he's
going by
himself
through the
mountains
in the
dark,
and as
he's doing
so,
he begins
to sense
a creature
walking
along him,
beside him,
okay,
and this is
what I'll
start reading,
okay.
Who are
you?
he said,
scarcely
above a
whisper.
One who
has waited
long for
you to
speak,
said the
thing.
Its voice
was not
loud,
but very
large and
deep.
Are you,
are you a
giant?
asked Shasta.
Shasta?
You might
call me a
giant,
said the
voice,
but I am
not like
the creatures
you call
giants.
I can't
see you
at all,
said Shasta,
after staring
very hard.
Then,
for an even
more terrible
idea had
come out
into his
head,
he said,
almost in a
scream,
you're not
something dead,
are you?
Oh,
please do
go away.
What harm
have I ever
done you?
Oh,
I am the
unluckiest
person in
the whole
world.
Once more,
he felt the
warm breath
of the thing
on his
hand and
face.
There,
it said,
that is not
the breath
of a ghost.
Tell me
your sorrows.
Shasta was a
little reassured
by the breath,
so he told
how he had
never known
his real
father or
mother and
had been
brought up
sternly by
the fishermen.
And then he
told the story
of his escape
and how they
were chased
by lions and
forced to
swim for
their lives,
and of all
their dangers
in Tashban
and about his
night among
the tombs and
how the beast
howled at him
out of the
desert.
They told
about the
heat of the
thirst of
their desert
journey and
how they were
almost at
their goal
when another
lion chased
them and
wounded Erebus
and also how
very long it
was since he
had had
anything to
eat.
I do not
call you
unfortunate,
said the
large voice.
Don't you
think it was
bad luck to
meet so many
lions,
said Shasta?
There was
only one
lion,
said the
voice.
What on
earth do
you mean?
I just
told you
there were
at least
two the
first night
and there
was only
one,
but he
was swift
of foot.
How do
you know?
I was
the lion.
And as
Shasta
gaped with
open mouth
and said
nothing,
the voice
continued.
I was
the lion
who forced
you to
join with
Erebus.
I was
the cat
who comforted
you among
the houses
of the dead.
I was
the lion
who drove
the jackals
from you
while you
slept.
I was
the lion
who gave
the horse
the new
strength of
fear for
the last
mile so
that you
could reach
King
Loon in
time.
And I
was the
lion,
you do
not
remember,
who pushed
the boat
in which
you lay,
a child
near death,
so that it
came to shore
where a man
sat,
it was
I.
But what
for?
Child,
said the
voice,
I am
telling you
your story,
not hers.
I tell
no one
any story
but his
own.
Who
are you?
said Shasta.
Myself,
said the
voice,
very deep
and low,
and so
that the
earth
shook.
And again
myself,
loud and
clear and
happy,
and the
third time,
myself.
Whispered
so softly
you could
hardly hear
it,
and yet
it seemed
to come
from all
around you
as if
the leaves
rustled
with it.
Shasta
was no
longer
afraid
that the
voice
belonged
to
something
that
would
eat
him,
nor
that
it
!
He
knew
the
night
was
over
at
last.
He
could
see
the
mane
and
ears
and
head
of his
horse
quite easily
now.
A golden
light fell
on them
from the
left.
He thought
it was
the sun.
He
turned
and saw,
pacing
beside
him,
taller
than the
horse,
a lion.
The
horse
did not
seem
to be
afraid
of it
or else
he
could
not
see
it.
It
was
from
the
lion
that
the
!
came.
No
one
ever
saw
anything
more
terrible
or
beautiful.
Luckily,
Shasta
had lived
all his
life
far too
south
in
Calamon
to have
heard
the
tales
that
were
whispered
in
Tashpen
about
a
dreadful
Narnian
demon
that
appeared
in
the
form
of
a
lion.
And
of
course
he
knew
none
of
the
stories
of
Aslan,
the
great
lion,
the
son
of
the
emperor
over
the
sea,
the
king
above
all
high
kings
in
Narnia.
But
after
one
glance
at
the
lion's
face,
he
slipped
out
of
the
saddle
and
fell
at
its
feet.
He
couldn't
say
anything,
but
then he
didn't
want
to
say
anything,
and
he
knew
he
needn't
say
anything.
The
high
king
above
all
kings
stooped
toward
him,
its
mane
and
some
strange
and
solemn
perfume
that
hung
about
the
mane
was
all
around
him.
It
touched
and
the
fiery
brightness
of
the
lion
rolled
themselves
together
into
a
swirling
glory
and
gathered
themselves
up
and
disappeared.
He
was
alone
with
the
horse
on
a
grassy
hillside
under
a
blue
sky
and
there
were
birds
singing.
Hebrews
chapter 12
verse 1
and 2
says
therefore since
we are
surrounded by
so great
a cloud
of
witnesses
Let us
also
lay
aside
every
weight
and
sin
which
clings
so
closely
and
let us
run
with
endurance
the
race
that
is
set
before
us
looking
to
Jesus
the
founder
and
perfecter
of
our
faith
for
the
joy
that
was
set
before
him
endured
the
cross
despising
shame
and
is
seated
at
the
right
hand
of
the
throne
of
God
Let's
pray
together