What Do Babe Ruth and King David Have in Common?

“If you want to find the men who serve God best, you must look for men of faith. Little faith will save a man, but little faith cannot do great things for God.” – C.H. Spurgeon

In 1936, the Baseball Writers Association of America and a special Veterans Committee were tasked with voting for the first players to be inducted into the newly established Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which was set to open in 1939. In order to be eligible, a player had to be named on at least 75% of the ballots. Receiving the most votes were (in order): Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson.

Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, and Cy Young were elected the following year; Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1938; and then George Sisler, Eddie Collins, and Willie Keeler in 1939. Lou Gehrig, who was forced to retire in 1939 because he was dying of ALS, was also elected via a special ballot that same year.

The Bible has its own “Hall of Faith”, which is found in Hebrews 11, and it includes a list of biblical heroes who demonstrated simple but steadfast faith during their earthly lives. Among the early “inductees” were Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. There are even two women enshrined in the Hall of Faith, Sarah and Rahab, just like the lone female member in Cooperstown, Negro Leagues executive Effa Manley.

The cold reality is that you and I will never get into Cooperstown without buying a ticket, but we can be inducted into the Hall of Faith someday if we follow in the footsteps of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel by remembering that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Meanwhile, here are some further thoughts on the subject from Charles Spurgeon…

“Faith gives feet to the soul, enabling it to march along the road of the commandments. Love can make the feet move more swiftly; but it is faith that carries the soul. Faith is the oil enabling the wheels of holy devotion and of practical holiness to move well; and without faith the wheels are taken from the chariot, and we drag ourselves along. With faith I can do all things; without faith I will be missing both the inclination and the power to do anything in the service of God.”

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President