COURAGEOUS LIVING P.3
Moving Beyond Your Past
Joshua 2
Hebrews 11:31 "By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient."
James 2:23-26 "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
INTRODUCTION
God has a way of working through very ordinary and unlikely people. Rahab was a lost pagan woman who lived in the city of Jericho. Yet she became one of the most honoured women in the Bible. She is mentioned in Hebrews 11 and in the book of James.
In Hebrews 11 she stands as an example of faith; in James, she is exemplified as an illustration of works. Putting the two together, we see in Rahab the picture of what we should all have – a belief that behaves.
Or in other words a faith that expresses itself in action.
Here we have the story of a woman who deserved nothing but judgement, and yet risked her very life in order to secure her deliverance and that of her family.
What audacity. What faith. What incredible COURAGE.
She deserved nothing, yet because of her faith, she got more than she could have ever imagined.
This is all the more remarkable when you consider Rahab had so much against her.
STRIKE #1: SHE WAS A AMORITE, NOT A JEW.
Rahab was not one of God’s chosen people. She had no inheritance rights or promises from God, and yet here is an outsider, a complete pagan sinner showing kindness and compassion to the Israeli spies.
STRIKE #2: SHE WAS A WOMAN.
An old daily Jewish prayer went like this, “I thank my God that I was not born a Gentile, or a woman.” This was the prevailing attitude toward women in that society. Women were viewed as second-class citizens. But that wasn’t necessarily God’s attitude towards women. In this case, God worked through an Amorite woman named Rahab.
STRIKE #3: SHE WAS A PROSTITUTE.
Now, I grew up presuming that God would only work through HOLY PEOPLE. You know, men or women who dressed in dark three piece suits, their hair was cut just so and they lived in the RIGHT neighborhood.
But the Bible says Rahab was a PROSTITUTE. Some Bible commentators have tried to sanitize this by pointing out that the Hebrew word for Prostitute is the same word for Inn Keeper. They suggest that Rahab ran an inn for those merchants travelling in and out of Jericho.
However, James and Hebrews makes it quite clear as to Rahabs sordid profession. She was, indeed a hooker
Why would God choose a prostitute? Surely there was someone of more reputable character who would’ve done the same thing.
Many people, even Christian’s struggle all of their lives trying to overcome their past. Since they have never forgiven themselves they have a hard time believing the God has truly forgiven them. Perhaps some of you live daily with the constant ache of regret.
The thoughts of your previous mistakes and sins still haunt you. You live with the continuing thought, “If only…if only I’d done this or had not done this… Life would be different.” Today we are going to study the life of a woman who epitomizes the idea of trying to “Outlive our Past.”
You see, each of us has a little Rahab in us. None of us are exactly where God wants us to be in our life. Some of us have things in our past that we actually feel will prohibit God from loving us. Each of us has fallen short at some time or the other. However, these actions will not preclude any of us from obtaining grace from God or keep him from using us in his perfect plan. God can use the Rahab in Us!
The most important thing about Rahab was her faith. Rahab’s faith is a wonderful demonstration of the grace of God. What kind of faith did Rahab have? To begin it was…
Courageous Faith
1 And Joshua the son of Nun (A)sent[a] two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
We are not told why Joshua did this. Earlier under Moses leadership 12 leaders were chosen to spy out Canaan as God instructed.
We are not told whether Joshua had heard from God. What we can assume is that Joshua was an excellent military general and strategist. He definitely was doing what any wise leader would do when preparing for a new campaign or challenge. He was getting all the information required to make the best decisions possible that would achieve victory.
And why Jericho? It was the largest, most secure city in the land. It was the gateway into Canaan. Only if Jericho was taken could the rest of Canaan be conquered.
And they went and came into the house of (B)a prostitute whose name was(C)Rahab and lodged there.
The Bible does not say why these two spies ended up in the home of a prostitute. I will let your minds wonder about that. But what we will see is God’s Sovereign hand at work . God knew what He was doing. Nothing happened without His Sovereign leading and will being accomplished.
You see, a practical reason the spies ended up at Rahabs home, is due to the fact she would have had access to information about the city and what people were doing and saying. If they were going to discover key information, this was the place to find it.
But it did not take long before news of the spies had reached the ear of the king.
2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”
Rahab was taking her life in her hands by protecting these spies. If the gun were held to your head, what would you do? Most would have easily given up and squealed, but Rahab does something incredibly courageous
4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan (D)as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
Faith is not risky, but faith does not hesitate to take risks. Rahab not only hid the spies but she misdirected the king’s men. Rahab’s life would not have been worth a wooden shekel if her deception had been discovered. Rahab had to know the risk she was taking, yet she risked everything on the basis of her new found faith. Her faith in God was so real and so strong that she was prepared to put her own life at risk in order to do what she knew was right.
The famed English Pastor and Theologian, D.Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote, A person’s life will either demonstrate the reality or the lack of reality of their profession of faith. Where a life consistently contradicts the profession no matter how often or how strongly it is stated, the faith that they say they have is not saving faith. In other words if your life does not demonstrate the change your words profess, then you d probably do not possess saving faith.
True saving, courageous faith lives itself out for others. It does not protect itself. It is demonstrated by life change.
The Bible says that true faith always has a transforming effect on the life of the individual. And it does not keep to itself. Rahabs faith was not hidden. She displayed her faith by demonstrating it in helping the spies.
Rahab demonstrated courageous faith and secondly she expressed
Confident Faith
With the search party of the king on their way toward the Jordan River, to look for the Israelite spies, Rahab went up to the roof of her house to speak with the spies., and then proceeds to make this profession of confident faith,
“I know that the LORD has given you the land, (E)and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land (F)melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD (G)dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and (H)what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to (I)Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.[c] 11And (J)as soon as we heard it, (K)our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for (L)the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
Now compare what Rahab testified and what the ten spies reported to Moses 40 years earlier, in Numbers 13
This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea[a] and along the Jordan Valley… We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants[b] there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”
Wow. On one hand you have the confession of doubt and fear
The lnad is too large, the people well armed, giants pervade the land, we cannot do it, we are grasshoppers in our eyes and they think so too.
Then there is the confession of a Canaanite prostitute
We are afraid of you, your God is greater, we are like grasshoppers about to be squashed.Why the difference?
The original spies took note of the size of the enemy and concluded they could not. Forty years later, a Canaanite, woman confesses faith that the enemy is afraid, that God was all powerful and defeat was imminent.
It is rightfully said that ‘Faith is only as good as its object.’ Warren weirsbe writes in his commentary on Joshua,
When the ten original spies looked through the land they took note of the size of the people, strength of the cities, and power of the armies. They immediately looked at themselves and concluded they were nothing more than meaningless insects who would be squashed in an instant. They presumed that the Canaanites saw them the same way.
Here is the point our faith is as only as good as its object. If we are looking at ourselves then all we will see is disappointment, faithlessness, despair and uselessness. Then we think that people perceive us just as we perceive ourselves.
For example, A child that is told by his parents that he is dumb and will never amount to anything and is ugkly and useless will grow up to think that is what others see him/her as. He will then act out what he perceives people say he is.
Why should anyone to confesses in and trust in the Lord God Almighty see themselves as grasshoppers?
You see, the enemy does not want you to hear and believe the truth. Forty years later, Isreal stands on the same shores of the Jordon as their parents and when a new generation prepare for battle they hear these incredible words from Rahab,
The enemy was Afraid
The enemy knew God’s power
The enemy was defeated
Talk about having ice cold water thrown in your face. The truth was that for more than 40 years the Canaanites have been living in terror at the thought of the people of God coming to take the land. Here is the point, Rahab heard the reports from travelers coming through Jericho. When she did, something happened in her heart.
All of a sudden, the small idols of wood and stone became meaningless. She would have thought if this God is as mighty to defeat the great armies and nations of the world, then maybe this Almighty God is able, even more than able to save and deliver her and her family from destruction.
She did not understand or even know God’s name yet, but in simple faith she confessed her confidence in the Lord to save her.
When I think of Rahab I think of many Christians who have bought into the lie that their past disqualifies them from serving God and enjoying His blessing.
“How can God use me, after what I have done’
And every time a person succumbs to this lie, Satan sits back and laughs because he has another one locked in his icy grasp.
Until you see God for who he is and how much He trully loves you, then you will have given the enemy license to run roughshod over your life.
The Bible makes clear our position and identity in Christ, ‘5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[a] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. 9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. ( Eph.1:7-9 NLT)
As followers of Jesus we must see ourselves in Christ as forgiven, accepted, ascended and victorious. Then we will see that Satan is indeed forever defeated.
So, like Rahab you can be confident as you trust the Lord and move forward in faith.
Rahab possessed a confident faith, she demonstrated and courageous faith but she also expressed a…
Concerned Faith
As she testifies to the spies, she makes this plea
12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and (M)give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”
Rahab was not only concerned about her own welfare, for once she had experienced the grace and mercy of God, she was also burdened to rescue her entire family.
This is how it always is with a person who has a genuine salvation expereince with the Lord. They want everyone, especially their family members to know what the Lord has done.
When Andrew had his encounter with Jesus, he immediately went to get his brother Simon Peter. When the Samamritan woman at the well met Jesus, she went back to her home town and told everyone about Jesus. When a demoniac had an encounter with Jesus and was delivered from Satans death grip, he immediately told all who would listen about Jesus and his mercy.
True, genuine faith cannot be held tightly or be made silent. Genuine faith is expressed and seeks others to be part of what God is doing in your life.
But possessing courageous faith ad demonstrating caring faith is only as good as its foundation.
Faith that changes lives and communities is finally founded on
Covenant Faith
In Verses 15- 24, Rahab enters into a covenant with the two spies.. A covenant is simply an agreement, a contract between two or more parties, with certain conditions for all parties to obey.
Before the two spies left Rahab’s house, they reaffirmed their covenant with her. First of all she was not to tell anyone that the spies had been in her house. Second she had to make sure that her family was together with her in the house if they were to be saved.
With every contract there is some sort of seal that makes the contract effective and legal.
In this case, Rahab was to hang a scarlet rope out of her window so that the armies would see where she lived and would come to rescue Rahab and her family.
The color of the rope is significant, for it reminds us of blood.
Just as the blood on the doorposts in Egypt marked a house that the angel of death was to pass over, so the scarlet rope marked a house on Jerichos wall who would have protection and deliverance.
I want you to note that Rahab was saved by her faith in God not a symbol or relic. The scarlet rope symbolized the blood of sacrifice. When God saw the blood, He remembered His covenant. All who were under the blood would be saved.
Now jump start 2000 years. On a cross on a hill outside Jerusalem, the Son of God was crucified. Whenever a man, woman or child places their faith in Christ the Bible makes this declaration
‘the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. … (X)If we confess our sins, he is (Y)faithful and just to forgive us our sins and (Z)to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And when we have trusted in Christ, the Bible also states that,’ since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.( Romans 5:1-2 NLT)
In Joshua 6:25 we find that Rahab and her all family were saved just as had been promised. Not only did she enjoy deliverance from death for herself and her family. She was fully included in the community of God’s people. The scripture says, “and she lives among the Israelites to this day.” Even beyond that she later married and had children. If you trace the lineage of Jesus, Rahab is listed as a direct ancestor of the Lord. What a marvelous victory over her past and what a reminder of the wonder of God’s grace.
Let me close with this illustration taken from Max Lucado’s book, “No Wonder They Call Him the Savior.”
Christina lives in a small dusty village in Brazil. Her heart was empty and she felt like society had cheated her of its joys. She longed for the excitement of the big city of Rio. One morning her mother Maria awoke to find Christina’s bed empty.
“Maria knew immediately where her daughter had gone. She also knew immediately what she must do to find her. She quickly threw some clothes in a bag, gathered up all her money and ran out of the house.
On the way to the bus stop she entered a drugstore to get one last thing. Pictures. She sat in the photograph booth, closed the curtain, and spent all she could on pictures of herself. With her purse full of small black and white photos, she boarded the bus to Rio de Janeiro.
Maria knew that Christina had no way of earning money. She also knew that her daughter was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a human will do things that before were unthinkable. Knowing this, Maria, began her search. Bars, hotels, nightclubs, any place with the reputation for street walkers or prostitutes. She went to them all. And at each place she left her picture – taped on a bathroom mirror, tacked to a hotel bulletin board, fastened to a corner phone booth. And on the back of each she wrote a note.
It wasn’t too long before both the money and the pictures ran out, and Maria had to go home. The weary mother wept as the bus began its long journey back to her small village.
It was a few weeks later that the young Christina descended the hotel stairs. Her young face was tired. Her brown eyes no longer danced with youth but spoke of pain and fear. Her laughter was broken. Her dream had become a nightmare. A thousand times over she had longed to trade these countless beds for her secure pallet. Yet the little village was, in too many ways, too far away.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs her eyes noticed a familiar face. She looked and there on the lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother. Christina’s eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room and removed the small photo. Written on the back was this compelling invitation. ‘Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn’t matter. Please come home!’ She did”
[Max Lucado. No Wonder They Call Him Savior. (Portland: Multnomah, 1986.) pp. 158-159]
CONCLUSION:
The courageous faith of Rahab first of all teaches us that our past does not determine our future. Many of us refuse to step out on faith because we are afraid that our past will only allow us to fail. We are oft times afraid to attempt to take on God’s challenges out of fear of not succeeding. But the word says he uses ordinary people. It is not necessary to have letters or hyphens after our name. It is not a prerequisite to have title or fame. God simply wants us to be open to his will. He needs us to be receptacle of his way. He is asking us to let him use the Rahab in us!
Secondly, Understand God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things! The Lord is under no command or obligation to follow a certain criteria in finding the person to fulfill his plan. He uses our imperfections and limitations to exemplify his omnipotence.
What am I saying? Simple = we don’t have to be perfect, but we must be willing!
Yes, God can use the Rahab in us. God sent his son from the cross to the grave from the grave to the sky to confirm that though he sits high; his compassion allows him to look low. Our messed up past can not cripple us. Our troubled background can no longer disable us. Our transgressions cannot trip us. Our wicked ways of yesterday will not prohibit God’s utilization of us. Once we accept him as the Lord of our lives, his gift of salvation is given. Our surrender enables him to use us. God can use our brokedness. God can use the Rahab in u
