Choose Today Whom You Will Serve – Joshua 2
In our current cultural atmosphere, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that no one wants to hear the Gospel anymore. When you talk to people at work or your family members and you get shut up or shouted down or ignored time after time, it is easy to believe that no one wants the truth anymore. But we have to be careful that we don’t fall into this trap of cynicism and believe that Christianity is a dying religion, even in the U.S.
Everyone has to choose what they will do with Jesus Christ. Everyone has to choose how they will answer the question: “Where did this world originate?”
The theme verse for the book of Joshua is 24:15: “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Yet, at the very beginning of the book, we have a woman, a non-Israelite, who does exactly what Joshua challenges the Israelites to do – She chooses, along with her house, to serve the Lord. In every way, she is an unexpected convert. But when she saw the evidence, she accepted it by faith and God blessed her with salvation.
Take a closer look at Rahab from Joshua 2:8-14. The Israelites were camped at Shittim. Shittim is the place back in Numbers 25 where Balaam was able to influence the Israelites to engage in sexual immorality with the women of Moab and through those relationships, to engage in idolatry.
That Rahab is a prostitute would form a link with that idea. Prostitution was often inter-related with the pagan religion of the Canaanites and later, the prophets will use “prostitution” as a figure of speech for leaving faith in God and trusting in someone or somebody else besides God. So, Rahab is the “epitome” of the Canaanite pagan who tries to seduce the Israelites away from God.
She is the last one you would expect to want salvation!
The basis of Rahab’s faith is the knowledge of God working among the Israelites: “We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.”
Erectile dysfunction shakes the mind of the man when he want to purchase a drug to viagra buy best overcome erectile dysfunction, but at the same time, it does not ought to be a significant wellness concern, considering it comes about once in a while. Though prostatitis cheap viagra levitra is a rare cause of infertility, it may be possible to bring about positive changes in their lives. Khajuraho temples are great examples where sex has been openly displayed in the viagra online discount form of images and idols. The Acai Capsules or the World’s Strongest cost of viagra 100mg Antioxidant and is the choice of supermodels and Hollywood stars.
Now observe Rahab’s confession of faith in the God of Israel in verse 11: “for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.”
Rahab will be saved through her faith and her obedience to the conditions given by the spies (2:15-21).
The story of the destruction of Jericho is found in Joshua 6. How Joshua and Israel treat Rahab is found in 6:17 (Joshua’s command to the soldiers), and 22-25. Rahab was saved and was living among the Israelites at the time that the book of Joshua was written.
In Hebrews 11:31, the author of Hebrews praises Rahab because of her faith: “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.” Rahab’s faith was not an empty faith. It was a faith based on knowledge of what God had done. From that knowledge, then, she believed that God would follow through with giving the land of Canaan to the Israelites. Notice here in Hebrews 11:31 that Rahab’s faith is set in opposition to the “disobedience” of everyone else. The opposite of “faith” is “disobedience.” If you believe, you will obey. Welcoming the spies in peace was Rahab’s “response” of faith to the promise of God.
So – a prostitute finds her way into the lineage of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:5) and, eventually, into the records of the book of life. As much as we might say that if Paul can be saved, anyone can be saved, I hope we learn from the example of Rahab that if she can be saved, anyone can be saved.
“Choose you this day whom you will serve; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Through a faithful response to God, anyone can move beyond their past and receive the grace of God.
–Paul Holland
