Roaring Springs and Matador
United Methodist Churches
MOTHER’S DAY
May 14, 2000
Rev. Monte Wike, Pastor
“HANDLING EMERGENCIES”
The Story of Rahab, Great Grandmother of King David
Leadership #2
GREATER TEXT: Joshua chapter 2
TEXT: Joshua 2: 13-14, “And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.”
Matthew 1: 4-5, “And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;”
I. QUICK CHANGE OF EVENTS
A. AN EMERGENCY ARISES
Joshua 2: 1-3, “And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.”
Mother’s Day and a spy story? Mother’s Day based on the story of a harlot? Mother’s Day as one of a series on Leadership? Yes! to all three, primarily because of the leadership roles that mothers do and must play, and because this woman in particular became one of the outstanding examples of motherhood and of faith in the Bible! She was later to marry one of the two spies, and became the mother of Boaz, (Old Testament spelling) the grandfather of King David, and is in the lineage of Jesus.
Emergencies can arise on any level of existence at any moment. They can include everything from opportunities of extreme embarrassment to life-threatening injuries. They may come from accidents, misunderstandings, treats and acts of nature. They may affect a single person, a family or as many as a nation. Always an emergency is of sudden onset, takes precedence over everything and anything at the time, negates considerations of budget, time and relationships, is a time of emotional intensity, and leaves not merely changed circumstances, but extremely altered states of existence in its pathway.
An emergency may be handled in many ways. There can be a joint effort at solution, solitary heroic action, bungled and failed efforts, irreparable emotional and physical damage. Very often lies and deceit may enter into the solution, as in the case before us. It is not uncommon for a smaller emergency to lead to a larger crisis and accelerating or compounding results.
B. NATIONAL SECURITY THREATENED.
Joshua 2: 8-11, “And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the
“Handling Emergencies”, p. 2
Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.”
A national emergency is of such a nature that when national security is threatened, the lives of every person in the country are endangered. Such was the case of the arrival of the two spies from the hordes of the Israelites who were camped just across the Jordan, and who had already conquered and occupied the lands to the east. Their fame had preceded them. People of that entire mid-east region were still talking about the unprecedented escape of slaves from Egypt and the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea forty years later. Terror struck the nation from the King down. They thought the emergency could be deflected if the spies were eliminated.
For years I had wondered that spies from a religious country would go to a harlot’s house, why they would be unfaithful to their wives. But now I can see that this was the perfect foil, the way that any stranger entering the city would behave. They were young, unmarried men fulfilling the role of spy perfectly. But they were recognized as soon as they entered the city, and followed to Rahab’s house which was built into or upon the wall, so they did not make much of a tour of the fortifications of the city. Rahab realized the two men as the spies they were, and for the opportunity it presented for her own family.
C. FAMILY SECURITY THREATENED
Joshua 2: 12-13, “Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
We are never told why Rahab had become a harlot. It does not really matter. The Bible does not mince words about the personal lives of its great people, just states the facts. Harlot or not, she was devoted to her family and their safety. She recognized not only the spies, but the probability that her city and nation were about to collapse, and she wanted to trade the security of the spies for the security of those dear to her. This is a clear choice between national security and family security; the limit of crisis, the priorities of conviction, and the making the best possible use out of an emergency.
It is interesting to note the location of Rahab’s house, and the fortification it ensured. The walls of the city were great hollow rooms wide enough for a war chariot to ride on top. The rooms were used for the storage of grain, water and supplies in case of a siege, for munitions, and for the poor and outcasts, living quarters. The residents of the walls were willing to trade the cheap, or non-existent rent, for the inconvenience of the noise of marching feet above them, and the fact that if the walls were breached in a battle, they would be the first to die. For an enterprising harlot, the window in the wall was a good way to watch for approaching strangers/customers, and the nearness to the city gate a convenient way to attract their business. She was well-known to the soldiers and royal court. Her family lived in the more secure inner section of the city.
II. QUICK REACTION
A. THINKING ON HER FEET
Joshua 2: 4-8, “And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof.”
“Handling Emergencies”, p. 3
The motherly instinct and the shrewd business woman overlapped in Rahab. She wanted to protect her own neck at all costs. She knew that that was not enough to convince the spies to cooperate with her, so she added the safety of her family. She forfeited the safety of her country for her own safety, because she was convinced that her city was about to fall to God’s forces.
Immediately upon their arrival, Rahab knew who the spies were and what they wanted. She also knew that they would soon be discovered at her house, and she could be killed for harboring the enemy. She had to take fast and effective evasive action to save the spies and her own skin/kin. She hid them under piles of flax laid out to dry on the roof (the original “cover-up” for spying?) and made her agreement with them before she ever went down to answer the hammering at the door by the king’s guard. Her future was secure, now the crisis that faced her was to convincingly getting rid of the soldiers. She made up a story that they although they had been there, they had fled the city just at dusk and were hiding in the country-side.
Harlotry, if not a lofty and honorable, then apparently it was recognized as necessary and open profession, nurtured by deceit and well-kept secrets. She thought nothing at all of telling lies to misdirect the pursuers, nor of aiding and abetting the enemy. She handled both aspects of the emergency with ease and success.
B. WOMEN AND MOTHERS FACE LOTS OF EMERGENCIES
Proverbs 31: 10-16, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.”
Motherhood seems to be the center of the emergency room! Whether it is financial, medical, emotional, or social, we turn to the nearest person for help, and that is usually the mother, at least the women in the household. The passage from Proverbs lists the qualities of a virtuous woman because she was able to handle every emergency and tense situation as it arose. She was not out-smarted or overwhelmed by sudden happenings.
Clear thinking, complete thinking and controlled thinking are essentials in handling an emergency. Panic is not a good element in this type situation. Panic begets panic. Rational thinking can beget calm and decisive action. An emergency calls for a “take-charge” person. One in authority, one with experience, one with abilities that may have lain dormant or untapped until the present situation arose.
It is just a rare coincidence that this week both our daughters called to tell how they faced emergencies with their children. Our two-year old grandson, in a rebellious move, fell backwards against a door hinge and tore a hole in his scalp which bled profusely. Sarah was concerned that it might be very serious from the amount of blood, 911 was called, the bleeding stopped, and the hospital treated it as a minor emergency, with adequate waiting time in the OR. (By-the-way, Sarah will graduate from SMU this week-end, and has been accepted at Southern Illinois Law School, and the girls will be just two hours apart. Both will be here after graduation.)
Laura, the daughter in Illinois, has two grown children. Her daughter, Susanne, was on her way over to their house when her car was broadsided by a truck that ran a stop sign, hitting the driver’s door, totaling the car, and knocking it down a steep embankment. Her dad was called at home, her mother at work, and both arrived to find she was rescued with only cuts and bruises, very fortunate and blessed to be alive at all. Nothing calmed her like the presence of her mother on the scene.
III. QUICK RESULTS
A. THE SPIES ARE SET FREE
“Handling Emergencies”, p. 4
Joshua 2: 15-16, “Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.”
The spies had received what they came for, information about the fortifications and people of a land about to be conquered. They were feared as a people of God, their fame had preceded them. They knew that God was on their side, that they could conquer and win. They knew that Jericho, in spite of massive walls and fortifications was vulnerable and the people content and complacent, easy victims. Their arrival precipitated the emergency for Rahab, for the nation. They had to spend most of their time in hiding, either on the roof or in the mountains, but they were successful in their mission.
We cannot avoid emergencies. They will come in spite of our best efforts at prevention and readiness. The Lubbock tornado was thirty years ago this week, Moore, Oklahoma one year ago. Unavoidable emergencies, but both cities overcame the tragedy and rebuilt, and prospered. What we cannot escape, we can make use of to better our lives.
B. HARVESTING EMERGENCIES
Joshua 2: 14, 17-21, “And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.” “And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.
Rahab certainly benefited from this encounter. She is listed among the Bible “greats” in the “Faith Chapter”, Hebrews Eleven, as an example of faith. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” (Hebrews 11: 30-31) She was able to harvest both continued living and a new faith.
It is interesting to note in passing, the other heroes, and the emergencies they faced, as recorded in that same chapter: (Hebrews 11: 32-35), “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barrack, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:”
But that was not the only benefit. She was reunited with her family. Her life as a harlot came to an end. She spent the remainder of her days in Jericho looking out the window awaiting the arrival of the Israelite troops. She later married one of the spies, Salmon, by name, (Matthew 1: 5) and became something of a favorite in the new nation of Israel as they swept the Cannanite country for a homeland. She became the ancestor of both King David and of Jesus, and is listed in the Book of James as an example of the power of works coupled with faith. “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” (James 2: 25)
Could we say that there is a “reason” for an emergency? And if not that, then try to see some good, reap some benefit, develop something positive from every situation, emergency or not. We cannot change events, but we can change their outlook. We cannot undo, but we can out-do. We may not be able to cancel, but we can conquer.
