Faith and Evidence
Joshua 2:8-18
Introduction: This month we focus on the theme, “Shelters of faith”. Experientially it means that faith needs to be sheltered, faith needs to come under the banner of a refuge - so to speak. Faith at times can become so fragile and vulnerable to the tensions and disappointments of life that it could be on the verge of extinction no matter how victorious it could have been in the past adventures of life.
And last week our senior Pastor spoke to us on holding on to God’s promises to shelter our faith even in times of crisis.
Today we are going to look at another shelter of faith which can help withstand all calamities of life leading a Christian to move forward in God’s will despite the extremity of an existential life.
There is an old Persian proverb, which says: “Trust in God, but tie your camel.” Now that phrase acknowledges the tension we often come up when we talk about having faith in God – what is God’s part in our faith?
At times faith would mean to let go and wait for God.
At times faith would mean that we get active and make plans and allow God to guide us while we are in action.
And at times faith would mean to gather evidence. Faith is not the absence of evidence. It is the Atheistic evolutionary Scientist by the name of Richard Dawkins who said, “Faith is belief without evidence & reason; coincidentally (he said) that’s also the definition of delusion.” But John Lennox Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, discredits that by saying that “Faith is a response to evidence, not rejoicing in the absence of evidence.”
Now the question is: If we use evidence to base Christianity as true, then why need faith at all? – the answer to that is this – we use evidence to base Christianity as true so that we have sufficient reasons to have the Christian faith in the first place! You see Faith cannot be blind. Faith has to be reasonable.
One can take a step of faith across all the evidences laid out. And this faith is not unreasonable, because it is grounded on the evidences that has preceded us; this Christian faith is grounded in good reasons to believe – that – what we believe is reasonably true.
But again just because we have faith, we are not going to get all our questions answered in the Christian journey. We will still have unanswered questions. But then we are called to shelter our faith despite unanswered questions and unstable realities.
And on those grounds let us study today about a woman who sheltered her faith in the unprecedented time of her life – when destruction in the place she stayed was just around the corner.
And she sheltered her faith based on the evidence of God’s work, God’s wonder and God’s Word demonstrated through the nation of Israel; and she also sheltered her faith evidenced by her actions based on the revealed truth of God’s wonder, God’s word and God’s works. And this woman was Rahab.
So this morning, we will study from the faith-life of Rahab, to see how one can shelter their faith evidenced by actions. How did Rahab shelter her faith evidenced by action?
First of all we see that the evidence of Rahab’s faith was that she hid the spies (Josh. 2:1, 4, 6). The evidence of faith will make faith courageous. We read in Hebrews 11:31 that Rahab, because she believed in the Lord, “welcomed the spies.” The spies entered the house of Rahab since she was the owner of a hotel, she was an innkeeper. And the spies entered her inn looking for information and a place to sleep.
Now Rahab, in spite of who she was, saw these spies come into her inn and she did the most curious thing. She decided to help them and protect them when they were in danger. In fact, she took courage and protected them by lying to the king’s men, who were there to take the spies in for questioning.
This courage of Rahab was a surprising act of faith. Rahab’s faith was surprising because of who she was. Faith can show up anywhere, at any time, in anyone. Faith can show up in the very last place that you might expect. And sometimes faith fails to show up in the place that you might expect it the most.
God was working in this situation. He is drawing the people of Canaan and hoping that they will turn to Him. But they were being resistant to His call.
But just at the right time, God breaks through to this Amorite woman in Jericho and she provides shelter to the Hebrew spies as they enter Jericho in preparation for an attack on the city.
The people of Jericho had heard that the Israelites had camped out in the wilderness; and they knew much of the God of Israel.
They had heard of their miraculous escape from Egypt and how God separated the Red Sea to make a way for them and protected them by allowing the water to cover their attackers.
But instead of these events giving them hope and belief, it filled them with terror.
But Rahab had apparently come to belief in this one true God of Israel. We have little history of how she came to believe, but we can see this belief in evidence when she courageously protects the spies. The evidence of faith will make faith courageous.
Secondly, the evidence of Rahab’s faith was that she confessed to the spies about God’s wonders in the life of Israel and she also confessed to them about how God convicted her (verses 9-12). Rahab saw an opportunity and she took quick action on behalf of these spies, but more specifically she was making a decision to choose God. The evidence of faith will make faith in God Active – leading to unconventional decisions in the larger interest of God’s will.
The evidence of faith will make faith in God energetic – leading to unconventional decision at the brink of time.
Rahab has just moved from one account of obstruction of justice into helping Israelites their enemies, not to mention treason against her country.
Rahab risked her life by hiding the spies in her own house. She also lied so that they would not be apprehended. Although lying is wrong her motives were right. She had only started on her course of faith and was probably unaware that this was wrong. Lying is forbidden in the Bible and can be avoided when we ask the Lord to provide a way of escape [1 Cor. 10:13].
But in Rahab’s case she had only started on her course of faith. The point is Rahab was willing to risk her life for her newly found faith.
All of this would have put her to death if caught. But that did not deter her from the right course of action.
She called God by His personal name, Yahweh, not some generic title. This indicates an intimate knowledge of God. She had apparently heard of God’s work and become a believer in secret when this opportunity came to her door.
It’s clear to see here that Rahab is acting upon a belief that God is who the Hebrews claimed Him to be and that the impending doom on the city-state of Jericho would indeed happen as she had heard.
The evidence of faith will make faith in God Active – leading to unconventional decisions for the larger interest of God’s will.
And third, the evidence of Rahab’s faith is that she sent the spies away and also asked for protection from death to all who belong to her (verse 16 & 13). The evidence of faith will make faith compassionate and bold.
She cared about the fate of others. Rahab loved her family and remembered them in her bid to save her own life from the invading forces. She negotiated their safety along with her own. Rahab helped the spies escape by lowering them down from the wall on a scarlet cord. She told them where to hide from the men searching for them. This was practical advice since she knew the terrain well. Rahab's works demonstrated that she had given her allegiance to God.
James 2:25 says this: In the same way, Rahab … was considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction.
But the greatest evidence of Rahab’s faith was the scarlet cord, mentioned in v18, for this cord was the ‘sign’ (verse 12) that she believed the word of the spies. While the cord was in the window, Rahab knew she was safe.
We see later that Rahab’s faith, was rewarded. In chapter 6:25 we find that she and her family were all saved from destruction, as promised.
The only safe refuge today for a guilty sinner is the blood of Jesus Christ. The only safe refuge today for a fearful believer is the Word of God. The only safe refuge when everything around you crashes and tumbles down is God; because when everything clatters and topples down, God will still be there! And He will raise us up and make a way where there seems to be no way!
The evidence of faith will make you bold when everything around you is collapsing. Godly actions are the evidence of faith.
Rahab - was a Canaanite, lived in Jericho which was under condemnation from God. But then she was living under a period of grace from God (Deuteronomy 7:1-5, 23-24; 12:2-3).
But Rahab was motivated by faith in the one true God. She believed that the Lord was sovereign in heaven and on the earth. She came to this conclusion after hearing of God's mighty deeds. This was a remarkable declaration of faith for someone steeped in a culture of idolatry for generations.
But Rahab joined the Hebrew nation through marriage, and became the great-grandmother to Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world.
Rahab’s life was completely changed. Many people struggle all of their lives to overcome their past. Perhaps you’re one of them this morning. Many today live with the perpetual thought, that “if only... I had done this or had not done that... Life would be different.”
This passage today is about a woman named Rahab; a woman who had made some bad choices earlier in her life, all of us have. But God looks at this in a different way than man. The choices of the past are not nearly as important as the choices that you make today in a step of faith.
Rahab is remembered for her courage and for her faith in God. Her past has been blotted out and she became a member of God's family. Rahab is listed in the Bible's hall of Faith. Hebrews 11:31 says this: By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies was not killed with those who were disobedient.
Perhaps this morning God wants you to consider the evidence of your faith in being courageous in welcoming a new responsibility, or welcoming a new commitment or welcoming a new spiritual discipline!
Perhaps this morning God wants you to consider the evidence of your faith to be active to take unconventional decision in the brink of time for your family, or to take an unconventional decision on your career.
Perhaps this morning, God wants you to consider the evidence of your faith to be compassionate and bold to someone in some situation that needs to see the light of Christ through you – as much as the family of Rahab saw the light of God through her faith evidenced by her compassion for their safety.
