INSPECTING Our CHURCH FIELD-II—Joshua 2:1-24
Attention:
Upon close examination, our perception of a situation may be much different than the reality.
We may be surprised at what we find.
We may be surprised at what we find on the church field.
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?
7 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—Examining our church field we discover...
People given to PREVENTION(:2-3)
Explanation:(:2-3)Threatened/Suspicion
:2—“And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the country.”
:3—“And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”
Upon hearing that spies had arrived in the city from the Israelite camp(:2), the king of Jericho ordered Rahab to turn over the spies. He had been told that the spies were lodging at her house. Their clandestine operation had been found out.
Fear can move us to Prevention of that fear. However the solution for that fear may be easily misplaced.
In our passage, it moves the king of Jericho to attempt a removal of the enemy’s edge.
The king & all Jericho were rightly fearful of losing control...of their own culture & societal guidance. However, had they submitted by faith to the people of God they feared, they would have discovered that His societal & cultural norms, though vastly different, would be freeing.
People fill/populate their lives with that which ‘chases God out’ of it!
Argumentation:
attempts to thwart God’s intervention—some intentionally some unintentionally in ignorance.
Acts 17:22-23—[Paul @ Athens, Greece to the philosophers]—“Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus & said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; For while I was passing through & examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”
Felt they couldn’t afford to miss a potentially important god!
**Eph. 4:17-18—This I say, therefore, & testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;”
1Pet. 1:14—[NASB]“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,...”
Deut. 28:49-57—“The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. And they shall eat the increase of your livestock & the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you. They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high & fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; & they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you. You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons & your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege & desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you. The sensitive & very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, & toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind, so that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege & desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates. The tender & delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness & sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, & to her son & her daughter, her placenta which comes out from between her feet & her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege & desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.
God’s people want to Prevent losing the basis of their ‘goodness.’
**Ps. 2:1-11—“Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD & against His Anointed[quoted in Acts 4:25], saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, & I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
Illustration:
Why people drug & drink themselves into a stupor—They are threatened by the world in which they live!/Not knowing of or not accepting God’s preventative in Christ/They choose their own way/Given to PREVENTION
Why do people pursue things that are illegal & detrimental for the sake of a dollar?—Seek fulfillment in ‘toys’ & ‘creature comforts’ rather than in Christ!/Attempt to maintain some degree of comfort regardless of their method’s collateral damage/Given to PREVENTION
Gluttony is a preventative measure to bring comfort to an uncomfortable world!/Given to PREVENTION
Beauty industry/Preys on the belief that the outward signs of aging can be slowed or stopped altogether/Assumption that physical beauty is the key to a fulfilled life/Given to PREVENTION
America’s(or any nation’s) military/To maintain loss of control & prevent an active takeover by a nation which may be strong/Given to PREVENTION
Application:
?Your world given to fleshly PREVENTION.
?Have you seen what plagues your church field?
?Are you/we meeting the needs of your/our church field?
People are desperate for anything offering temporal satisfaction.
4—Examining our church field we discover...
People given to ALLIANCE(:4-7)
Explanation:(:4-7)Acceptance/Siding/Association/Benefit
:4—“Then the woman took the two men & hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.”
Rahab purposely “hid” the “two” Israelites in order that the king would not find them.
After hiding the “men”, Rahab then lied to the king. She told the king of Jericho that she knew nothing of where they were from.
*Rahab surrender to Israel’s YHWH(:11?) left the king of Jericho(& Canaan as a whole) with no authority over her life or that of the spies, thus her lie(& their secrecy) to the king is a testimony to her faith.(cf.—Js. 2:25; Heb. 11:31). She forsook her city, her king, & her countrymen for YHWH. Therein is the alliance!
“Thus, in evaluating Rahab, we must render a mixed verdict, one that condemns her lie”...“, but one that commends her faith, both in deed & in word.”—NAC
Rahab’s confessing the truth would have changed/lost many lives of the faithful—her’s, her family’s(number unknown—father, mother brothers, et al(cf.-6:23)) as well as the two spy’s. The ultimate outcome would not have changed at all—Jericho would still have fallen.
On the other hand, had she told the truth we would have had no testament to the overwhelming power of conversion & trust, Nor would we have testimony to the life-changing power of faith.
Also we are to tell the truth regardless of the threat of persecution. Jesus physically distanced Himself from those who actively sought His life(Herod, The Council) or He directly told them the truth or He did not answer them, but He did not lie to them.
And what about Peter & the apostles speaking in the temple in opposition to recognized authority(Acts 20:15-21)? They pushed the boundaries of government with the message of Christ, at threat to their own lives, but they did not lie.
Acts 4:15-21—“But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, & we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” And they called them & commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter & John answered & said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen & heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.”
What does this say to those individuals & agencies secreting Bibles into countries ‘officially’ closed to the Gospel?
“None are bound to accuse themselves, or their friends, of that which, though enquired after as a crime, they know to be a virtue.”—M. Henry
God has given us government as His “minister to you for good.”(Rom. 13:4). Thus when the government steps beyond being a “minister for good,” regarding God’s standard for “good,” then we are free to ‘protect’ that which is of God.
“The fact is, Scripture offers no subtle philosophical distinction to justify or to excuse such lies.”—Allen Verhey in ‘Directions: Is Lying Always Wrong?’ in ChristianityToday.com, May 24, 1999.
When both governmental authority & loss of life come together, & you are personally responsible for that person(s)(the loss of life threatens someone other than yourself), then a lie ‘seems’ permissible(but is never demanded) & to refuse such a lie would bring betrayal(of God’s will?)(Lk. 22:22).
Consider Nazi Germany & a local investigation by soldiers of a household suspected of (& actually)harboring Jews. The household becomes responsible for not only themselves but to those given shelter.
Similarly the Hebrew midwives lied without condemnation & were commended of God for their faith, as is Rahab(Js. 2:24-26; Heb. 11:31).
Ex. 1:15-21—“Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah & the name of the other Puah; & he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, & see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, & did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives & said to them, “Why have you done this thing, & saved the male children alive?” And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively & give birth before the midwives come to them.” Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, & the people multiplied & grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them."
As such intermittent preventative lying is warned against, discouraged & advised against, but IS NOT wholly eternally determinative.
Col. 3:9-10—“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, & have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,”
Satan is “the father of lies”—Jn. 8:44—“You are of your father the devil, & the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, & does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar & the father of it.”
Rom. 12:21—“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
However being a practicing ‘liar’ IS eternally determinative(Rev. 21:7-8)!
Rev. 21:7-8—“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, & I will be his God & he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, & all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire & brimstone, which is the second death.”
Conclusion:
“In a broken world, sometimes a lie is justifiable, but every lie, even the justifiable one, is a sad reminder of our brokenness. Come quickly Lord Jesus.”—Allen Verhey
“Took”—xql law-kakh’—Qal Imperfect—1) To take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away. Strong—a primitive root; To take (in the widest variety of applications).
“Hid”—Npu tsaw-fan’—Qal Imperfect—1) To hide, treasure, treasure or store up. Strong—by implication--To hoard or reserve; figuratively to deny; specifically(favorably)--To protect, (unfavorably)--To lurk.
:5—“And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.”
Rahab builds upon the lie in order to remove the king’s attention from her & place it elsewhere.
She tells the king that “as the gate was being shut”—at night & particularly for fear of the Israelite’s approach(:9-11)—the spies he was looking for had left the city.
Rahab exonerates herself & disguises before the king, by stating that she “did not know” the itinerary of the spies.
But she then added a sense of urgency to the scenario by stating that from the time of the present interrogation, an immediate pursuit would very possibly result in the spies being captured.
“She made it clear that if the king’s men tarried, the spies would escape.”—NAC
Rahab was obviously in good standing with the king et al in the city.
“Gate”(See :7)—rev shah'-ar—1) Gate. Strong—An opening, i.e. Door or gate.
“Shut”(See :7)—rgo saw-gar’—Qal Infinitive—1) To shut, close. Strong—a primitive root; To shut up; figuratively--To surrender.
“Dark”—Kvx kho-shek'—1) Darkness, obscurity—1a) Darkness, 1b) Secret place. Strong—The dark; hence literally--Darkness; figuratively--Misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness.
“Went out”(See :3—“Bring out”)—auy yaw-tsaw’—
“Went”—Klh haw-lak’—Qal Perfect—1) To go, walk, come. Strong—a primitive root; To walk (in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively).
“Pursue”—Pdr raw-daf’—Qal Imperative—1) To be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after. Strong—a primitive root; To run after(usually with hostile intent; figuratively [of time]--Gone by).
“Quickly”—rhm mah-her’—Adj.—1) Hurrying, speedy, swift, hastening. —Adverb—2) Quickly, speedily. Strong—properly--Hurrying; hence adverbially--In a hurry. Used 18X.
“Overtake”—gsn naw-sag’—Hiphil Imperfect—1) To reach, overtake, take hold upon—1a) (Hiphil)—1a1) To overtake, 1a2) To reach, attain to, cause to reach, 1a3) To be able to secure, reach, have enough. Strong—a primitive root; To reach(literally or figuratively).
:6—“(But she had brought them up to the roof & hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.)
With forethought knowing the spies were indeed spies, Rahab had “brought” the spies “up to her roof” where she was processing(soaking or drying) “flax.”
“Flax” was a plant commonly used in making a more finely-threaded(than wool) light linen cloth(ing)(lighter than wool or some other hair-based covering). It was soaked in water for a period of time & the fibers then scraped from the stalks of the plants.—ISBE
The stalks of flax were laid out “in order”(regarding their various stages of processing?)” “on the” flat roof.” There must have been a sizable ‘industry’ going on at Rahab’s because the sheer number of “the stalks” was sufficiently bulky enough(bundled?) to completely conceal the spies.
“Brought...up”(See :8—“Came up”)—hle aw-law’—Hiphil Perfect—1) To go up, ascend, climb—1c) (Hiphil)—1c1) To bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up, 1c2) To bring up, bring against, take away, 1c3) To bring up, draw up, train, 1c4) To cause to ascend, 1c5) To rouse, stir up (mentally), 1c6) To offer, bring up (of gifts), 1c7) To exalt, 1c8) To cause to ascend, offer. Strong—a primitive root; To ascend, intransitively--Be high, or actively--Mount; used in a great variety of senses, primary & secondary, literal & figurative.
“Roof”2X—gg gawg—1) Roof, top, housetop. Strong—A roof; by analogy--The top of an altar.
“Hidden”(See :4)—Nmj taw-man’—Qal Imperfect—1) To hide, conceal, bury. Strong—a primitive root; To hide(by covering over).
“Stalks”—Ue `ets—1) Tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows—1a) Tree, trees, 1b) Wood, pieces of wood, gallows, firewood, cedar-wood, woody flax. Strong—A tree(from its firmness); hence--Wood(plural sticks).
“Flax”—htvp pish-teh'—1) Flax, linen—1a) Fiber used as material for garments. Strong—from the same as vp as in the sense of comminuting[making small/degrading]; Linen (i.e. the thread, as carded). Used 16X.
“Laid”—Kre aw-rak’—Qal Participle Passive—1) To arrange, set or put or lay in order, set in array, prepare, order, ordain, handle, furnish, esteem, equal, direct, compare. Strong—a primitive root; To set in a row, i.e. Arrange, put in order (in a very wide variety of applications).
:7—“Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.”
“The men”(military) of the city, at the king’s behest, “pursued” the spies upon hearing Rahab’s statement.
As soon as possible the “gates” were “shut” behind the pursuing party because of the fear present in the city(:9-11).
Chasing Shadows
*Not knowing that repentance brings forgiveness & acceptance!
“Pursued”(See :5)—Pdr raw-daf'—
“Road”—Krd deh'-rek—1) Way, road, distance, journey, manner. Strong—A road(as trodden); figuratively--A course of life or mode of action, often adverb.
“Fords”—rbem mah-ab-awr'—1) Ford, pass, passing. Strong—a crossing-place (of a river, a ford; of a mountain, a pass); abstractly--A transit, i.e. figuratively--Overwhelming. Used 11X.
Argumentation:
**Js. 2:24-26—“You see then that a man is justified by works, & not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers & sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
**Heb. 11:31—“By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.”
**Lk. 22:22—“And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
Mat. 25:31-46—“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, & all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, & He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry & you gave Me food; I was thirsty & you gave Me drink; I was a stranger & you took Me in; I was naked & you clothed Me; I was sick & you visited Me; I was in prison & you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry & feed You, or thirsty & give You drink? When did we see You a stranger & take You in, or naked & clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, & come to You?’ “And the King will answer & say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil & his angels: for I was hungry & you gave Me no food; I was thirsty & you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger & you did not take Me in, naked & you did not clothe Me, sick & in prison & you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, & did not minister to You?’ “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Isa. 2:6-11—“For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners. Their land is also full of silver & gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, And there is no end to their chariots. Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made. People bow down, And each man humbles himself; Therefore do not forgive them[says Isaiah]. Enter into the rock, & hide in the dust, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.”
**Jn. 6:22-29—[following the feeding of the 5000]“On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, & that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone-- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks-- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats & came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” Jesus answered them & said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves & were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered & said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Jn. 10:37, 38—“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; “but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know & believe that the Father is in Me, & I in Him.”
Illustration:
*Individuals join Local Govt. joins with State govt. which joins with Federal Govt./These wrangle & wrestle against one another at times but produce a cohesive society within which each of these entities benefit/Given to ALLIANCE
Memorial Day weekend/Most beaches & businesses in Carrabelle, FL are ‘packed out’ in overflow mode/Boats & fishing abound/The city & county provide their offerings & services for the sake of the tourists/Given to ALLIANCE
Application:
?Your world is given to fleshly ALLIANCE or godly ALLIANCE?
?Have you seen what plagues your church field?
People are desperate for anything offering temporal satisfaction.
?Are you/we meeting the needs of your/our church field?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Skidaway purposes for examination—What’s down there & Why?
Action:
Examining our church field we discover People given to...
3. PREVENTION(:2-3)
4. ALLIANCE(:4-7)
1. SIN(:1)
2. FEAR(:2)
Pts. 3-4 Presented 05/31/2015pm to:
FBCCbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(A Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
