2S15-16: A Message Signed With Blood—The Faith of 21 Men

“The king’s servants said to the king,
‘Here, your servants are ready to do
whatever my lord the king decides.'”
-2 Samuel 15:15

Have you heard of the 21 Coptic Christian martyrs?

They were migrant workers who had traveled to Libya seeking employment due to poverty in Egypt.

Unfortunately, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (otherwise known as ISIS) had been operating in Libya during this time.

In early January 2015, the militants abducted these men in two separate incidents near the Libyan coastal city of Sirte.

The men were identified as Christians and targeted for their faith.

On February 15, 2015, ISIS released a propaganda video titled “A Message Signed With Blood to the Nation of the Cross.”

The video showed the 21 men dressed in orange jumpsuits, marching to a beach near the Mediterranean Sea.

They were forced to kneel and were then beheaded by masked ISIS militants.

As they were being killed, many of the men were seen praying and calling on Jesus Christ.

According to reports, many of them died with the words “Lord Jesus Christ” on their lips.

The Ghanaian man, who was not originally a Christian, is said to have converted on the spot, inspired by the faith and courage of the others.

When asked if he rejected Jesus, he allegedly said, “Their God is my God”, and chose to die alongside them.

The massacre shocked the world and especially the Coptic Christian community in Egypt.

The victims were later honored as martyrs of the Christian faith.

Now, why do I bring this tragic yet inspiring story up?

Because it perfectly connects to verse 15 when David’s servants pledged allegiance to him and said…

‘Here, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.”

This is also a perfect example of the Lord dividing, electing, and separating.

When Absalom arose, many (I’d say the majority) abandoned David to follow after him.

However, there was a small remnant who chose to stay faithful to the king, even if it cost them their lives.

This faithful remnant was like the Coptic Christians who stayed faithful to their King and Messiah Yeshua no matter the cost.

This is the great divide, folks.

A clear line has been drawn.

On one side, you’ve got people who will stand by God’s anointed one no matter how dangerous.

On the other side, you’ve got the superficial follow-the-crowd folks who easily switch from one leader to another simply because that person seems to be cool and winning.

But here’s the thing, and this is your takeaway.

Winning or losing ain’t what matters.

What matters is doing what’s right.

And doing right is staying loyal, and standing strong with God’s son no matter what.

See ya all next time.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

“When he opened the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar the souls of
those who had been slain for the word of God
and for the witness they had borne.
They cried out with a loud voice,
‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true,
how long before you will judge and
avenge our blood on those
who dwell on the earth?’
Then they were each given a white robe
and told to rest a little longer,
until the number of their fellow servants
and their brothers should be complete,
who were to be killed
as they themselves had been.”
– Revelation 6:9–11

“If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up
his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life
for my sake will save it.”
– Luke 9:23–24

“If the world hates you,
know that it has hated me
before it hated you.
If you were of the world,
the world would love you as its own;
but because you are not of the world…
the world hates you.”
– John 15:18–19

“Be faithful unto death,
and I will give you the crown of life.”
– Revelation 2:10

“If we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us.”
– 2 Timothy 2:12

“So when they had gathered,
Pilate said to them,
‘Whom do you want me to release for you:
Barabbas, or Yeshua who is called Messiah?’ …
They said, ‘Barabbas.’
Pilate said to them,
‘Then what shall I do with
Yeshua who is called Messiah?’
They all said, ‘Let him be crucified!'”
– Matthew 27:17, 21–22

Here are the names of the 21 martyrs: