House of the Heroes

I haven’t yet made it to Cooperstown, but one day I hope to visit baseball’s Hall of Fame and honor the game’s greatest players.  (I’m just waiting until Dale Murphy is inducted!)   There in the hallowed hallways of America’s Pastime, fans can find Lou Gehrig’s locker, Curt Schilling’s blood-stained sock, and Babe Ruth’s first Yankees road jersey.  The motto of the museum is ”Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations,” and over 15 million visitors have been amazed and inspired by the artifacts, exhibits, and accomplishments of  baseball’s greats throughout the years.

Whether in athletics, academics, the arts, the military, or the making of a nation, heroes are important, and monuments to help us remember what they’ve done certainly have their place—even in war-torn Jerusalem.  As Nehemiah and company repaired the city’s wall, we find that the “ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tomb of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes”(Neh 3:16). The House of the Heroes.  How cool is that??

We’re not told who was honored there, but surely the museum housed a replica of Abraham’s altar where he had raised the knife to sacrifice his son, Isaac, a painting of Joseph running from the exciting and alluring temptation of Potiphar’s wife, a life-size statue of Moses holding the 10 Commandments, (you could probably purchase fake Moses staffs  in the souvenir shop), a short documentary of Joshua’s seven-day march around Jericho,  and reproductions of Gideon’s fleece, Samson’s hair, and the tent peg Jael drove through Sisera’s temple as rested in her tent.  Perhaps one plaque noted Hannah’s commitment to give God her only son, and another detailed his decades of service to God and country.  Without doubt, David’s sling shot from his battle with Goliath was on display, likely right beside the sword and bow given to him by his loyal friend Jonathan.  An entire wall would have been dedicated to the astounding exploits of David’s Mighty Men, and framed blueprints for God’s temple segued to the treasures of Solomon’s kingdom.  Hopefully, the righteous reigns and revivals of Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah were celebrated, and the courage of Joash’s aunt, Jehosheba, to rescue him from his murderous grandmother was remembered.  Ah, what a museum it must have been!  The House of the Heroes.

Physically and spiritually, we need those places and those people that help us preserve history, honor excellence, and connect generations.  Though no one is perfect, we need heroes who have gone before us—walking in faith, trusting even in fear, and receiving grace in failure.  We should honor men like William Tyndale, who gave his life to get God’s Word written in English, and Martin Luther, whose belief in faith alone led to spiritual reformation and revolution.  We should celebrate the courage and commitment of missionaries like Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, and David Livingston.  And we should acclaim the sacrificial lives and constant prayers of parents, grandparents, pastors, and friends who have cheered us on, prayed us through, and given us examples to follow.

Take some time to walk the halls of your own House of Heroes.  Be amazed and inspired at the grace of God and the goodness of God.  And live so others can look up to you.