Lenten Devotions - Day 15
“We know that Yahweh your God rules heaven and earth, and we’ve lost our courage and will to fight.” Joshua 2:11
We serve the Creator, the All-powerful God, the Ruler of the Universe. We speak of God's greatness, majesty, and authority. We know there is nothing impossible for God. We sing these claims. We quote Scriptural claims of the same. We offer prayers in recognition of God's power, yet in times of distress, we too often look elsewhere for words of comfort, hope, and courage.
That is what happened here in the story of Joshua's spies sent to Jericho. A generation before, Joshua had been one of two spies to report confidence in the victory of Yahweh as the people made their way into the land promised to Abraham. He had been one of two spies reporting in contrast to the fear and anxiety of ten others who called the nations of the land giants against whom there was no hope. The nation listened to the words of fear, instead of faith. They spent forty years wandering as a result.
This time around, after a generation's wilderness wandering, Joshua returned Jordan with the Hebrews. He sent two spies into the land to bring back a report. As they entered Jericho, they hid in fear for their lives. They found refuge with a pagan prostitute. Likely she was employed in the practice of temple prostitution to some god or another. She was no servant of Yahweh, God of Israel. She had no experience eating manna or drinking water springing from the rocks. She had not participated in the deliverance from Egypt. Even so, it was her words that carried the day.
Jericho was up in arms upon recognizing that Hebrew spies had entered the city. The king and his soldiers frantically searched for the hidden spies. Rahab turned them away with the story that they had already left town and should be pursued before they got far away. When the soldiers returned to the king, she made her way to the spies she has hidden. Why had she betrayed her people? It was because she was afraid—afraid of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
A generation before, Joshua's people had been the ones to cower in fear. Now it was Jericho. The king's soldiers were after the spies, because they were afraid of the Hebrews and their God, Yahweh. The Hebrews were afraid of the people of Jericho. It would then be through the words of this woman—a pagan, a prostitute who likely worked in the temple of some false god—that the message of Yahweh would come to the Hebrews awaiting the report of the spies.
God's word does not always come, or is not always heeded, anyway, through the likely conduit. It is not through Joshua that the people listened to the word that victory was assured because of Yahweh. It was through a woman, a prostitute, a pagan, a traitor to her nation, that God's word was finally heard. How often are we as guilty as these Hebrews of disqualifying the message of God, then determining that only those we determine as qualified can be used to speak for God? Perhaps the real problem is that we just don't trust God and don't want to hear what God has to say.
How has God been trying to get your attention? Determine to be receptive to God's word, regardless of the source through which God should choose to speak.
“Lord, help me to recognize when you speak to me, not disqualifying those through whom you choose to speak, and respond according to your will.”
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
We serve the Creator, the All-powerful God, the Ruler of the Universe. We speak of God's greatness, majesty, and authority. We know there is nothing impossible for God. We sing these claims. We quote Scriptural claims of the same. We offer prayers in recognition of God's power, yet in times of distress, we too often look elsewhere for words of comfort, hope, and courage.
That is what happened here in the story of Joshua's spies sent to Jericho. A generation before, Joshua had been one of two spies to report confidence in the victory of Yahweh as the people made their way into the land promised to Abraham. He had been one of two spies reporting in contrast to the fear and anxiety of ten others who called the nations of the land giants against whom there was no hope. The nation listened to the words of fear, instead of faith. They spent forty years wandering as a result.
This time around, after a generation's wilderness wandering, Joshua returned Jordan with the Hebrews. He sent two spies into the land to bring back a report. As they entered Jericho, they hid in fear for their lives. They found refuge with a pagan prostitute. Likely she was employed in the practice of temple prostitution to some god or another. She was no servant of Yahweh, God of Israel. She had no experience eating manna or drinking water springing from the rocks. She had not participated in the deliverance from Egypt. Even so, it was her words that carried the day.
Jericho was up in arms upon recognizing that Hebrew spies had entered the city. The king and his soldiers frantically searched for the hidden spies. Rahab turned them away with the story that they had already left town and should be pursued before they got far away. When the soldiers returned to the king, she made her way to the spies she has hidden. Why had she betrayed her people? It was because she was afraid—afraid of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
A generation before, Joshua's people had been the ones to cower in fear. Now it was Jericho. The king's soldiers were after the spies, because they were afraid of the Hebrews and their God, Yahweh. The Hebrews were afraid of the people of Jericho. It would then be through the words of this woman—a pagan, a prostitute who likely worked in the temple of some false god—that the message of Yahweh would come to the Hebrews awaiting the report of the spies.
God's word does not always come, or is not always heeded, anyway, through the likely conduit. It is not through Joshua that the people listened to the word that victory was assured because of Yahweh. It was through a woman, a prostitute, a pagan, a traitor to her nation, that God's word was finally heard. How often are we as guilty as these Hebrews of disqualifying the message of God, then determining that only those we determine as qualified can be used to speak for God? Perhaps the real problem is that we just don't trust God and don't want to hear what God has to say.
How has God been trying to get your attention? Determine to be receptive to God's word, regardless of the source through which God should choose to speak.
“Lord, help me to recognize when you speak to me, not disqualifying those through whom you choose to speak, and respond according to your will.”
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
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