Rahab is a beautiful example of God’s grace to all who believe. No matter who we are or what we’ve done, through the blood of Jesus, it’s never too late to start over. Our Creator is the God of fresh starts. And when we come to Him in faith, He will give us a glorious future, wiping our old our slates of sin clean! 

Rahab - “A Fresh Start Through Faith” (Joshua 2)

When Rahab came back from the kitchen, she saw that the inn was brimming with patrons. It was a busy night, and between the full moon and the new wine, the crowd was getting rambunctious. But that was to be expected from the clientele that came to Rahab’s. For hers was a house of ill repute, and the men that frequented the inn weren’t exactly looking for a quiet evening.

Rahab went table to table, making the rounds. And it was when she was refilling the empty glass of a wealthy garment trader, that she saw the two strangers slip through the door, seemingly unnoticed. Even from across the room she could feel their nervousness as they hid in the shadows. Casually Rahab approached the men, trying not to arouse suspicion. And as she got nearer she recognized the manner of their clothing, and immediately knew the men were from Israel.

Rahab had heard the stories about these people called Israel, and their mighty God. The God who had delivered His people out of Egypt and who went before them, conquering lands and destroying kings. And right then and there, Rahab had a choice to make. For surely these men were spies, which meant war was coming to the city. Would she put her faith in Jericho’s army, or in the God that had brought these two men to her doorstep? With a slight nod of her head, Rahab motioned for the men to follow her upstairs. 

As they reached the roof, Rahab pulled away a few stalks of flax, making room for the men to hide underneath. And before covering them up she said, “I’ve heard of the great miracles performed by your God, and the mighty kingdoms He brought low. I can only guess that Jericho is next. Who can stand against the Lord your God? For He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. So when you return to your people, remember me before your Lord. And promise me you’ll spare my family when you take the city.” 

Somewhat shocked yet pleased by the faith of this pagan woman the men answered “It will be our lives for yours if we don’t deal with you kindly and faithfully.” And with that Rehab left to return to her duties at hand. And no sooner had she returned downstairs, when messengers of the king bolted through the door. The Israeli spies had been spotted and seen entering the inn. Coming up to Rahab, the messengers demanded answers. 

She should have been frightened. Lying to the king meant certain death. But for a reason she didn’t yet understand, Rahab wasn’t afraid. She answered the men saying, “Yes I saw who you’re looking for. They left through the gate shortly before dark. Leave now and you’re sure to catch them!” Then as quickly as they entered, the king’s messenger left in pursuit of the Jewish strangers. 

Running back upstairs, Rahab got the men and lowered a scarlet rope over the city wall for the two to escape. They instructed her to keep the rope tied in the window so when they returned, no harm would come to her or her family. As she watched them run off in the distance, Rahab said a silent prayer to a God she didn’t know, but in whom she had place her faith. And from that moment on, Rahab’s life was changed forever.

A short time later, Israel attacked and defeated Jericho. But because of that scarlet rope tied in faith, the city laid in ruin, but Rahab and her family were spared. But that wasn’t the end of God’s rewards. Because of her faith, even though Rahab had a stained past, God gave her a glorious new future, including a new people, a new husband, and a new life. For Rahab eventually married Salmon, one of the spies who she had hidden at her inn. Salmon was a prince of the house of Judah. And their marriage turned the once harlot into a respected member of one the most prominent families of Israel, and a direct ancestor of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Reading for Wednesday, January 23rd is Joshua 1:1-9,

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses… ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1-9 emphasis mine)

Can you imagine being assigned the duty of filling Moses’ shoes? I’d liken it to being asked to fill Billy Graham’s today I suppose. It seems like an impossible task!

 Moses is gone and Joshua is now responsible for not only leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, BUT having to lead them into battle to destroy the Canaanites and take the land for themselves!  

Joshua had been by Moses’ side for years, but he never quite had the relationship with God that Moses had. AND not only did Joshua need to take the people into the Promised Land and conquer it, he also needed to make sure the new settlements were divided fairly and according to God's plan, while constantly reminding the people that they were only there because of The Lord’s great love for them! This would be a huge task!

So God comes to Joshua and tells him:
It gets really interesting when we look a bit more closely at the meaning of each word above:

Commanded —  Tsavah has military overtones, as would befit a military commander. God gave Joshua not just an order but a commission to reject his fear. "Have I not commanded you?

Strong — Chazaq means to strengthen, but it's more than that. It means to be firm, prevail, withstand. The meaning of the word almost assumes success. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong..." 

Courageous —  'amats, is similar to chazaq, but  speaks of being alert and brave. Strength is good, but it needs a direction, which 'amats begins to give. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.

Frightened —  'arats  means to tremble with fear, to be terrified. Joshua, who had watched God work through Moses, and had been one of two ready to take on the Canaanites forty years ago, (Numbers 13), was shaking in his sandals. His task seemed overwhelming, and he suddenly didn’t feel up to it. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened,

Dismayed — Chathath means to be so dismayed and afraid that you shatter into pieces. Joshua was that afraid!! "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,"

Have you ever know such fear? To be so afraid that you’re body trembles?

I have! My heart has beat so hard I thought it was banging on my chest! I can remember even feeling sick and trembling, for things far less severe than all Joshua had to face at this moment.

Which is why I found it odd that God orders Joshua to reject his fear, to be firm, to prevail against his enemies, and be brave in the face of impossible odds. I completely understand his fear in facing what seems impossible, but how was Joshua to dismiss his fears completely?

The key for all of us when we’re facing insurmountable mountains is found in The Lord's next statement:  

God didn't leave Joshua to do it on his own. He made a way through a promise: "...for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."


God promised to go with Joshua. That’s faith! Joshua would be stepping out in faith… in God and not himself. But there is another key element we all need to remember:

The LORD was going to be with Joshua because Joshua was going where God wanted him to go. God could promise Joshua that He would be with him because He knew Joshua would follow His leading and encourage the Israelites to do the same.

This means we too can reject our fears, stand firm, prevail against the enemy and bravely face what seem impossible odds. We too can step out in faith; knowing God goes with us when we’re following Him. And we can also encourage others to do the same!  

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Today we’ve finally arrived to one of the greatest climactic events in the entire Bible. The Israelites have waited forty years for this day!! Many weren’t even born when their families had begun their journey, and many may have been too young to remember crossing the Red Sea, but I bet they had all heard about it year after year.

It’s also true that this was just a river, not a sea, but it was raging and already overflowing it’s banks making it nearly impossible to cross, and it was their only barrier left between them and the promised land! They were almost home! Can you imagine the excitement!?  

A new chapter was about to begin! Just across the river lay a land richer than they dared to dream, more beautiful and fruitful than they could hope for! And it was about to become theirs because of God's steadfast promise.

It must have seemed surreal to finally stand in Canaan. Do you remember crossing the threshold to your first home? If you’re anything like me, at the time it must have seemed like a palace! You'd planned, imagined what you will do with it…but when you step in that front door, you’re overcome with emotions! Just imagine what it must have been like to realize you are part of the fulfillment of an ancient promise to Abraham. I like to think there must have been songs and shouts of celebration as God held back the water before them and allowed all of them to cross.

After Israel crossed, God gave Joshua some very specific instructions however, in Joshua 4:1-3,  “After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, "Choose 12 men from the people, one man for each tribe, and command them, 'Take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests' feet are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.' "and Joshua and the 12 men did exactly what God had commanded. But why?

Because stones don't naturally stack, there would come a day when Israel's children would ask their elders about these stones, and God went onto say He wanted the next generation to know: "Tell them the story, of how the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord's covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan's waters were cut off." Then in verses 23-24, “For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God."

This is what happens when the impossible meets the promises of God! 

Can you remember such a time in your life? Have you set out stones of remembrances in order to share with others, or even to jog your own memory when another miracle is needed?
The word, “remember” is found 131 times in the Old Testament and 36 in the New T. It's safe to say, The Lord wants us to remember Him and what He has done in the past. But what is the true significance of these stones?

The stones would forever cry out, "God did this! By His hand we crossed this river. By His power and faithfulness we were able to reach the promised land!"Seeing that rock pile and hearing the story, the people of Israel would know clearly that they had not crossed the Jordan River on their own. Have you set up memorials in your home to pass on the stories of all God has done to the generations to come?
Here are just a couple reminders:

•   “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor over it in vain (Ps. 127:1).
•  "’Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Zech. 4:6). 
•  "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life!" (Pr. 13:12) (When my grown children all arrived in TN to settle down next to us)

Joshua told Israel that the stones would serve as a reminder that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that they may always fear the Lord their God." (v. 24). We too have a mission known as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). We’re here to know God and make Him known and I can’t think of a better way to brag on all He has done for you in the past than to make some sort of memorials for others to see.

3. The stones remind us that we must step out in faith if we want to go with God.

The stones out of the Jordan marked the movements of God among His people. They also testify of the willingness of the people to leave what they had known in order to go with God; to take a huge step of faith and step into the water, and believe in what they could not see.

I guess it’s now been more than eighteen years that I began writing on river stones and placing them in the potted plants. I usually will write one of God’s names, or a verse of Scripture and on the back I’ll include a date and a few words of explanation. I'm reminded of them every week when I water the plants. I also have a friend who has build a path to her garden using “stepping stones of faith”.

This week I had my group of study buddies begin a list with victories on one side and battles on the other. Whatever battle you are in today, looking back over past victories (and we all have them if we are in Christ) will help us hang in there and watch and wait on The Lord!

Saturday, February 17, 2018


Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

This coming week's memory verse is Joshua 1:9...

I command you - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.


Have a blessed and precious day and week everyone!