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Tied to the Future

Words of Faith Final

Tied to the Future

Words of Faith 8-18-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Joshua 2

    [12] Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign [13] that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

    [14] "Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land."

    [15] So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. [16] Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."

    [17] The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us [18] unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. [19] If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. [20] But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear."

    [21] "Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

    [22] When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. [23] Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. [24] They said to Joshua, "The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

 

       The choice before Rahab was not a popular one!  Her neighbors would have surely turned her in to the king had they known she was sheltering spies.  But to Rahab, it was clear that the God of Israel was the one true and living God. The power of God was evident, and the destiny of Jericho was clear.  

      That was why she had shielded the spites.  She had been in the bargaining position of strength, shielding the spies from the king’s inquiries.  But now, she was begging them for mercy on behalf of her family whenever the conquering army arrived. 

        The response of the spies was immediate.  They needed her silence so that they might escape.  Many other spies might have secured such needed silence with a dagger. But the Israelites struck a deal based in trust and the confession of faith in the Lord that they had just heard.  Rahab was a fellow believer. 

       The plan involved a sign marking Rahab’s home for protection, a scarlet cord.  This cord would be clearly visible to the Israelite army marching around the city walls.  Jericho, at that time, had two walls about fifteen feet apart spanned by timbers. This formed the foundation for homes "in the wall."  Only those inside this one particular house would be safe.  It was critical that the family be inside and that Rahab not tell anyone else.       

        The spies exited the house by a rope through a window.  Sneaking out through the city gate would have been much more difficult. It could have given the alert that had been made to the king.  About a half-mile west of Jericho are limestone cliffs about 1,500 feet high, honeycombed with caves. By heading west rather than east, the spies evaded the soldiers of Jericho.

         Under cover of darkness, the spies swam back across the Jordan. They made their way to the camp to report to Joshua adventure and the alarm among the Canaanites. The spies' conclusion was that the Lord had surely given the whole land into their hands, and all the people were melting in fear.  This was a very different report from the majority of the spies at Kadesh Barnea, who said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are" (Num. 13:31).

        What do we gain from this text devotionally?  Several things stand out.

        There is a point at which we must choose to follow God.  Of course, it is the Spirit who draws and illumines us.  But simply knowing that He is God and that He is powerful is not enough.  We must decide to cast our whole weight upon the Lord, even if this is not popular with our neighbors.  The Spirit illumines, and then in that strength, we must respond.

         It is very powerful that Rahab is tied to her future by a scarlet cord.   Her hope was in the Lord's faithfulness and His followers at the other end of that cord.  This is often pointed out as a vivid image of the blood of Christ.  This cord will eventually lead Rahab to be grafted into the people of Israel and into the very lineage of Jesus. 

        It is very powerful to know that a Jericho tavern prostitute was tied into the lineage and hope of Christ by a scarlet cord.  What grace there is in knowing that we are tied into the hope of Jesus by the cord of His blood shed for us.

          We can also see the wonder of God’s grace toward the family.  There was hope not only for Rahab but for her family.  There were safety and shelter within this home because of her faith.  While our faith can never save our family members, it is clear that the Lord has plan and design for the family.  There is hope within the shelter of family faith. 

         This image is striking because the story of the Passover tells of protection offered by a scarlet marking of the lamb's blood on each door.  

         We are also reminded of the words of Paul and Silas to the Philippian jailer. He asked how he might be saved, and they responded, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (you will find wholeness) -- you and your household" (Acts 16:31).  Salvation is personal, and faith is individual. Still, there is a dimension of hope for the family within the shelter of faith.

          Have you cast your whole weight upon the Lord, trusting Him wholly for your life and future?  Have you been bound to the hope of Christ by His shed blood?  Have you taken shelter in His grace?  Have you received the sheltering of hope for your family that is only in Him?

 

         Father God, I give thanks for Your grace, which is sufficient to reach any person's life in any place.  I rejoice in knowing that Your shed blood ties me to a future secure in You.  I am comforted by the hope that family finds in the shelter of faith.  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.