Inspecting Our Church Field-4(2015) Series

INSPECTING Our CHURCH FIELD-IV—Joshua 2:1-24

Attention:

Camouflage—Short Video TV ad begins with a scene of a pristine forested area.

Everything looks natural, peaceful...then you see movement...a completely camouflaged bow-hunter has been standing against a tree, blending in so completely that he is indistinguishable from the surrounding forest!

Our perception of a situation may be much different than the reality forund upon closer examination.

We may be surprised at what we find.

We may be surprised at what we find on the church field—around & even ‘in’ our church.

Joshua sent spies to determine what they would encounter in the promised land.

We can & should determine/examine what we will encounter on our church field.

What will we discover about those on our church field?

8 Discoveries in our own church field.

Last time we found that...

Examining our church field, we discover People given to...

1. SIN(:1)

2. FEAR(:2)

3. PREVENTION(:2-3)

4. ALLIANCE(:4-7)

5. SIGHT& INSIGHT(:8-11)

6. CONVICTION(:12-16, :4, :9)

7—Examining our church field we discover...

People given to GRACE(:17-21)

Explanation:(:17-21)

:17—“So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear,

:18—“unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, & unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, & all your father’s household to your own home.”

Again the spies reiterated their “blamelessness” regarding the “oath” they had made with Rahab.

It appears that the men may have experienced some degree of constraint due to the clandestine nature of the circumstances. Perhaps they felt obligated to Rahab’s rescue in fear for their own lives.

Regardless, Rahab exhibited faith. The spies exhibited grace...Rahab’s faith exhibited the reception of grace!

The spies’ blamelessness(:17) was couched in Rahab’s seeing fit to tie the “line of scarlet cord” in the very “window” thru which they would escape. Rahab would comply(:21).

Likewise, the spies’ “blamelessness” & “guiltlessness” in regard to the salvation of Rahab’s family, would only be maintained if,they were all gathered within the confines of Rahab’s house during the looming attack.

Rahab was ‘forced’/compelled into action by her faith!

Likewise, Gen. chapters 6-8—None of Noah’s family—himself, his wife, his sons, or his daughters-in-law—had to enter the ark. They chose to trust & were saved!

“Blameless”—yqn naw-kee'—1) Clean, free from, exempt, clear, innocent; 2) Innocent.

“Oath”(See :20)—hewbv sheb-oo-aw'—1) Oath, curse. Strong—properly--Something sworn, i.e. An oath.

“Made”(See :20)—hwqt tik-vaw'—1) Cord; 2) Hope, expectation—2a) Hope, 2b) Ground of hope, 2c) Things hoped for, outcome. Strong—literally--A cord(as an attachment [compare 06961]); figuratively--Expectancy.

“Swear”(See :12, 20)—ebv shaw-bah'—

“Bind”(See :21)—rvq kaw-shar’—Qal Imperfect—1) To bind, tie, bind together, league together, conspire. Strong—a primitive root: To tie, physically(gird, confine, compact) or mentally (in love, league).

“Line”(See :17—“Made”; )—hwqt tik-vaw'—1) Cord; 2) Hope, expectation—2a) Hope, 2b) Ground of hope, 2c) Things hoped for, outcome. Strong—literally--A cord(as an attachment [compare hwq[A (measuring) cord(as if for binding)]]); figuratively--Expectancy.

“Scarlet”—ynv shaw-nee'—1) Scarlet, crimson—1a) properly--The insect 'coccus ilicis', the dried body of the female yielding coloring matter from which is made the dye used for cloth to color it scarlet or crimson. Strong—of uncertain derivation; Crimson, properly--The insect or its color, also stuff dyed with it.

“Cord”—jwx khoot—1) A thread, cord, line, string. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to sew; A string; by implication--A measuring tape. Used 7X.

“Bring”—Poa aw-saf’—Qal Imperfect—1) To gather, receive, remove, gather in. Strong—a primitive root; To gather for any purpose; hence--To receive, take away, i.e. Remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.).

:19—“So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, & we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him.

Anyone of Rahab’s father’s household(:18) who left the confines of Rahab’s house to go “into the street” for any reason(defending the city, fear, etc. show unbelief) would be responsible for their own blood. No one else would be to blame. They were answerable to God.

This scenario reminds us of the original Passover(Ex. 12:3-7, 12, 22).

Ex. 12:3-7, 12, 22—“Speak[Moses & Aaron] to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him & his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood & put it on the two doorposts & on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.”.....“‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, & will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man & beast; & against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”.....[Moses to the elders]“And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, & strike the lintel & the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.”