JOSHUA: GOD IS SALVATION (PART FOUR)
There is a wonderful story of faith and redemption contained in the second chapter of Joshua. It is not only a story of God's faithfulness to His people, the Jews, but it also reveals His ultimate plan to bring the Gentiles into His fold by faith.
Joshua chose two men to go to the
city of Jericho as spies and discover what they could about the city's
strengths and weaknesses, and what the attitude of the people in Jericho
was. When the two spies reached Jericho
they entered into the house of a prostitute by the name of Rahab. The name "Rahab"
is an indirect Quranic name for boys and girls that means “vast”, “spacious”,
“open-minded”, or “generous”. Rahab was
all of that and more, to be sure.
Despite her profession, she feared the Lord Who had delivered these Jews
from Egypt and across the Red Sea.
Someone saw the men enter her house and told the king of the city that
they were there. Rather than give them
up, however, Rahab chose to protect the men and told the king's messengers that
they had already left the city and were on their way back to the Israelites'
camp. She used this kindness to bargain
with the spies for her life, and that of her family. She then helped the men escape the city by
hanging a scarlet rope from her window (which was on the wall) and letting them
down to the ground. The men agreed to
save her and her family according to three conditions: first, she would not
report them to anyone in the city; second, she was to hang the scarlet cord out
of her window to mark her house on the day that the Lord would defeat the city;
and third, she was to bring all of her family into her house in order for them
to be saved also. If any family member
was found outside of Rahab's house, they would perish along with the city -
their lives would be in their own hands.
It is a testament to God's great
love and mercy that Rahab and her family would be saved over every other person
in Jericho. She was a Gentile first of
all, but that didn't stop God from saving her.
She was a sinner, but God saw past that.
She was an enemy of Israel, but it didn't matter. God saw the one thing in her that set her
apart: her faith. She believed God
enough to risk her own life for His people, and to do what was necessary to see
that she and her family would be saved.
It wasn't her fear that saved her.
All of the Canaanites' hearts were melting from fear, but they still
were determined to fight against God and His armies. No, it was her faith turned to action that
moved God's mercies. The scripture tells
us, "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).
There is an important relationship that exists between faith and works
which many find confusing. The Lord is
always the author of our faith. He
reveals His will to our spirits, and we then respond by acting on what we believe we have heard from Him. God told Abraham to leave his home and
country; and, as a result, he would receive the land of Canaan for an
inheritance. Because Abraham believed,
he acted by leaving his home and sojourning in a strange land. God told Noah to build an ark, and he and his
family would be saved from destruction.
Because Noah believed, he worked every day on the ark. Over and over we read of men and women whose
faith was demonstrated by action. Their
actions were not based on their own
thoughts, intentions, or works; but a simple response to what they believed God
was saying. James tells us that just as
the body is dead without the spirit, so also faith without works is dead (James
2:26). It is what we do - the choices we
make in life, and our obedience to God's directives - that set us apart, and
mark us as lights in the world. Without
those actions, our professed faith becomes a dead corpse with little or no
power to influence the world for good, or to transform us into the image of
Christ.
Just as the Lord is the author of
our faith, He also is the finisher of it.
When we are willing to obey His revealed Word, He then gives us the ability to do what He requires. "For
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good
pleasure." (Philippians 2:13). "For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10). It is no longer our labors, but God
laboring in us. This is what Rahab
exemplifies. Her faith required that she
put herself in jeopardy in order to save herself and her family ultimately, and
she was willing to do what her faith demanded.
"By faith the harlot Rahab
perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with
peace." (Hebrews 11:31).
The scarlet cord that Rahab hung in her window as a
sign that her house was to be spared is a picture of the blood of Christ which
takes away the sin of the world. It is
reminiscent of the lamb's blood that was smeared on the doorposts of the
Israelites before they left Egypt. When
the death angel passed through the land of Egypt, he passed over the houses
that were marked with the blood, but destroyed the firstborn in every other
house. The same was true of Rahab's
scarlet cord. The armies of Israel
passed by her house, but destroyed all others.
So it is today. It’s only the
blood of Christ shed for the world that will save souls from the destruction
that lies ahead. When the Lord returns
to execute judgment on the ungodly, only those who have believed and received
the atonement of Christ's sacrifice will be saved.
Rahab had everything going against her. She was among those who God had marked for
destruction, and her profession caused her to transgress God’s law repeatedly
to make a living. Despite all that, it
was her faith that touched God’s heart.
She found the key that moves God with compassion and unlocks His grace
and mercy. She found that the just shall
live by faith. Like Abraham of old, who
was the father of the faithful, her faith was accounted as righteousness before
God.
It is the same for us today. If we believe in the cleansing power of the
blood that the Son of God shed for us on Calvary, we will be saved! The Bible says that Jesus’ blood cleanses us
from all sin. There is nothing that God’s great love will
not forgive if we have the faith to believe it and receive His measureless
mercy. It isn’t by our will power or
our natural strength that our life is changed.
It isn’t because we have worked hard to turn our life around that God
takes notice and extends His mercy. It
is by our faith in the finished work of Calvary and in all of the promises that
God has given to us who trust in Christ Jesus.
The day that Jericho fell began a brand new life for Rahab and her
family. Their old life was destroyed and
what lay ahead was a glorious opportunity to start over again and learn to
serve the true living God.
The story of Jericho is not just one of judgment and
destruction on the ungodly, but it is also a story of redemption and
forgiveness to those who believe. Just
like the soldiers of Israel looked for the scarlet cord on Rahab’s house to
extend mercy to those within, God looks for the blood of His dear Son on the
hearts of believers to extend salvation to those who believe.
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