Revering the Word
Joshua 2 No matter your past God wants your future.
Good morning everyone. This morning we are in Joshua chapter 2. Joshua has now taken over leadership of God's people and they are about to cross the Jordan River to enter the promised land. Before they go, Joshua summons two spies to go check on the land. Let's see what happens when he sends them. John Joshua the son of non sent two men as spies secretly from Shatim saying go view the land, especially Jericho. So they came, so they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab and lodged there. Now we don't think they went to a harlot because there was anything inappropriate taking place but a harlot, a harlot's home would be one that would be more available to enter. Not everyone probably let strangers into their home so they were able to get inside of this house and what an incredible story we have before us here. It was told the king of Jericho saying behold men of the sons of Israel have come here tonight so report came of the spies to search out the land and the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab saying bring out the men so someone even said they were there. Bring out the men who have been who have come to you who have entered your house for they have come to search out all the land. But the women had taken the two men and hidden them and she said yes the men came to me but I did not know where they came from. It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark that the men went out I do not know where the men went pursue them quickly for you will overtake them. But she had brought them up to the rough and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the rough so the men pursued them. This is the the king's men try to find them pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out they shut the gate. Now very interesting right somehow some conversations must have taken place and perhaps there was already some kind of relationship favor established between Rahab and these two men now these two men we never hear their names. So we don't know and we have to say that we don't know however. There's a little bit of mystery at least in my mind as to who these two men were and who they could have been. And I am not going to claim to know what only God can know but there is a remarkable story that happens with this Rahab that we will get to in a moment. Now before they laid down she came up to them on the roof and said to them. I know that the Lord has given you the land and that the terror of you has fallen on us and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came up out of Egypt which would have been 40 years earlier. And what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who are beyond the Jordan to Sahan and Ag whom you utterly destroyed so reports have been given regarding Israel's victories. We have heard it our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you for the Lord your God. He is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath so listen to that she is acknowledging the God of Israel and that he is the one who's been giving them this victory. Now therefore please swear to me by the Lord since I have dealt kindly with you that you also will deal kindly with my father's household and give me a pledge of truth and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters with all who belong to them and deliver our lives from death. So the men said to her by the way she's a street smart this rehab so the men said to her our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours. They don't want to be they don't want you know Jericho to find out what's going on to be better prepared for when they come. Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours and it shall come about when the Lord gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you. So there's a kindred spirit and some commitments being made between the two spies and that of Rahab's household and think of how special this must have been. You know, first of all Rahab risked her life and hiding them. And what if they would have been found out on that rough you know what would have happened to Rahab and to her house if if the men would have been found out so she took a great risk and they they knew it and now they're making a commitment back to her. And there's something in that kind of a desperate situation a life or death situation that I think can build relationship and especially as you are faithful to like heart like like Rahab hiding them and not not letting the king know that she had them. And now these men in the future honoring their commitment to her, a special bond of relationship can develop through that. Then she let them down by a rope through the window for her houses on the city wall so that she was living on the wall. She said to them go to the hill country so that the pursuers will not happen upon you and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way. The men said to her we shall be free from this oath to which you have made us swear unless when we come into the land you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down and gather to yourself in the house. In the house, your father and your mother and your brothers and your father's household. It shall show it shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head and we shall be free, meaning they shall be free from their commitment. Anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid upon him. So they're making a very strong commitment that she needs to get everyone in that house and put the scarlet thread on the window of their house so that Israel will know which house it is when they come. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear. She said according to your words, so be it. So she sent them away and they departed and she tied the scarlet cord in the window so they've got it all agreed to now and they're all, you know, and Rahab's going to be motivated to honor the commitment she made because she has heard about the victories of Israel and she believes God's with them so she doesn't want word to get out because she wants to be saved and protected from what's about to happen. They departed and came to the hill country and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now, the pursuers had sought them all along the road but had not found them, then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over, that is the river, and came to Joshua, the son of none, and they related to him all that had happened to them. Surely, they said to Joshua, surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands more over all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us so they're seeing that God's hand even protected these two men and that they're seeing the fear of the nations around them. And so they give their report back to Joshua. Now, what's incredible about this is if you research the family line of Jesus and I want to take you to another book of the Bible that is going to come up in our Bible plan and then not too distant future. It's the book of Ruth and, you know, she ended up going with her husband Ruth that is to a land she should not have went she went to Moab and her husband passed away. And then she returned back to her homeland and her Kingsman redeemer the one who had a right to to take her as his wife since her husband died, ends up taking her as his wife this woman who is who, you know, had lost her husband. And, and that Boaz was the name of the one that ended up taking her, that is Ruth after her husband died. And it's quite an amazing story it's a four chapter story, and it closes in an incredible way. Naomi by the way was Ruth's mother-in-law who also lost her, her husband but when Ruth had a baby, of course Naomi was excited, and verse 16 of chapter four of Ruth, the end of the book of Ruth it says this then Naomi so her, her mother-in-law took the child that is Ruth's child through Boaz and laid him in her lap and became his nurse. The neighbor woman gave him a name saying a son has been born in Naomi which isn't really true was to Ruth but Naomi was the grandma, so they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David, and there's just a few verses left, but really that whole story of the book of Ruth shows us that through this miraculous second marriage after the death of Ruth's husband, she marries Boaz you can read the story of Ruth to understand how that all happened. And she they end up having Obed and Obed is the father of Jesse Jesse ends up becoming David's father, and that's how we get David's lineage is through Ruth. Now, to understand further the lineage of David which also by the way ends up becoming the lineage of Jesus because Jesus comes from this family line. It's the book closes to give us a historical account of how we got to David and it says this now they're now these are the generations of Perez to Perez was born hasron and to hasron was born Ram and to Ram. And to amernadab was born Nashon, and to Nashon, Salman, and to Salman was born Boaz that's the one who married Ruth and to Boaz Obed that's the child Ruth and Boaz had, and to Obed was the father of Jesse and to Jesse David so it goes through and that's how the book of Ruth ends it closes in that account. Now, if you go to the book of Matthew where the genealogy of Jesus is given, it talks about this Salman, S-A-L-M-O-N who was in this lineage that we see here in the book of Ruth. And it gives us another side note and it says Salman by Rahab, meaning Salman is the child of Rahab the harlot who ended up marrying into Israel after she saved the spies and after they came in and took over Jericho and indeed Rahab survived because of the Scarlet threat in her door house. Well, she ends up marrying an Izzarolite, Salman, and that ends up becoming in this family line of David, and indeed the family line of Jesus. So the question is, and I mean it's just for fun, but could Salman have been one of the spies and could they have, you know, possibly through this significant loyalty displayed by each of them. And I'm sure they were really excited to see each other and realize that it all worked out as planned when they took over Jericho and Rahab was saved in Israel, you know, one through an amazing story will get to that in the future. Now we're never told that by the way that Rahab married Salman, but nonetheless we do know that she married in Israelite and wouldn't shock me that it was one of those spies because of potentially the relationship developed there. So what a story we have. And we will, you know, get to the story of Israel coming into Jericho later and kind of recapture what happened at a later date. It's clear that God's hand is with Israel, and man, all of this not only led to David, but led to our Lord and Savior Jesus in the family line of Jesus there's quite an amazing stories of actually, you know, brokenness, sexual and reality, a lot of things happen in Jesus's family line. And it wasn't a perfect, it wasn't a perfect line in the sense that they all follow God well because you know what mankind doesn't, but he's still God that is used these people even in their dysfunction even Rahab who was a harlot. He still had a plan for her and when all that means no matter what you've been through no matter what you've done give your life to Jesus, follow him. He can use you today to hallelujah and God bless you all.