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Family Covering

Words of Faith Final

Family Covering

Words of Faith 9-2-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Joshua 6

    [22] Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." [23] So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

    [24] Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord's house. [25] But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho--and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

    [26] At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the Lord is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates."

    [27] So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

 

        Evidently, the part of the wall where Rahab's house was located was miraculously preserved from destruction. In fact, it was the only safe place in town!  Rahab's radical faith in God and her courageous protection of the two spies had created a safe haven.

       Now the spies were directed to bring Rahab and her family out through the rubble and place them in a ritual quarantine. The camp of Israel was holy, and nothing unclean could be allowed to enter. But after the passage of time and the observance of appropriate rituals, they were received into the congregation of God's people. Everything in the city was burned except for the valuable metals that could be used.

       Joshua pronounced a curse upon Jericho that it should never be built again. The city of Jericho was to remain an object lesson of God's great victory in Israel's very first battle. Jericho's great "tel" or heap remains to this day as a testimony of God's might and faithfulness. The Lord was clearly with Joshua. The fame of Joshua spread through the land, and he was firmly established as the leader in Israel.

      The Lord was also clearly faithful to Rahab.  Her bold faith in God, and courage to protect the spies, saved her family from destruction and established a place in "vine" of Israel.  There is a powerful image here of how our faith can actually protect our family. It was only within the covering of Rahab's faith that this family was saved.

      There is a similar example in the book of Acts, where the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas how he might be saved.  They replied: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household" (Acts 16:31). Of course, salvation is personal and requires a personal commitment, but the power of faith to influence a household and shelter them from harm is apparent. The blood of the Lord Jesus is our scarlet thread protecting us from destruction. Rahab's family had to come into her house themselves. Still, it was her faith that initiated the protection afforded by God.

       How is your prayer life over your household and family?  There is a powerful covering afforded by the faith of those who trust wholly in God.  It is not about being a "perfect person".  Rahab certainly was not perfect, nor was the jailer. But when we surrender to the Lord and lay our family before Him in prayer, God does miraculous things.

 

       Lord, I am in awe of Your power and might.  I am also in awe of Your mercy and grace.  I pray for my family today that You would protect them from harm and draw them to a personal faith in You. I pray in faith for a family covering over those I love. In Jesus' Name.

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2005, 2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.