Sermons
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Sermons |
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Sermon preached by John Cooper at Christ Church on 23/2/03. It was on the topic of Putting God First and was given at the evening service. The day's Bible reading was from chapter six of the book of Joshua and reading from verses 1 to 24. |
Bible
Readings: Main
Themes: We might ask ourselves why did they go to the house of a prostitute? One possible answer would be that because of the mixture of her clientele it would be a good place to gather information without drawing too much attention to themselves. Another is that because her house was built right into the city wall it was a good place from which to make a quick escape. Rahab would have been an outcast from the society in which she lived but God led the spies to her. God knew that her heart was open to Him. Stories would have been circulating about the Israelites movements and it must have been obvious they were about to attempt an invasion. When the King of Jericho sent word to Rahab to deliver the men over to him she protected them and saved them at the expense of her own people. If we look through the Bible narratives we can see that God often uses people with questionable backgrounds [2] to accomplish His purposes. No matter how inconsequential a person may seem, no matter how dubious a past a person may have, if they are willing to acknowledge God as their Lord [3] they are immediately acceptable to Him. The question remains however, was Rahab justified in telling lies [4] to her King and betraying her people? Was she justified in lying to save the spies and ultimately how own life and that of her family? Scripture makes it quite clear that lying is a sin. Rahab was not a Hebrew and may not have known of the Laws as given to Moses - however she would have had a conscience and been able to understand right and wrong. She seems to have sensed that the Israelite God was a God who could be relied on [5]. Could one argue that by lying she sacrificed a wicked people already condemned by God to save and protect God's own people? We all have to make choices at some time or other during our lives. We have to put our trust in God and do the best we can. This is what Rahab did and she was commended for her faith by the writer of Hebrews. The Israelites kept their side of the bargain and Rahab and her extended family were spared and she became the mother of Boaz and an ancestor of King David and Jesus himself. It is important that we respect all people [6] and keep our promises. We must never fall into the trap of thinking that if a person seem unacceptable by today's social standards that this absolves us from keeping our word to them. Rahab through her profession would probably have been looked down on but the spies made a bargain with her and they honoured it and God honoured them all. Looking at the role Joshua [7] played in this narrative, clearly he could not have known God was going to deliver the city to him by supernatural means otherwise he would never have sent the spies out on an intelligence gathering exercise! Joshua was a great man, out of all the people who left Egypt at the time of the exodus from Egypt only he and Caleb survived to enter the Promised Land. He was a man of great courage. a brilliant military leader and an inspiration to the people, but what really singles him out is devotion to God. His leadership was based on Yahweh's Law: he was strictly commanded to study the Book of the Law 'day and night', to be strong and courageous and to trust in God's protection. Think how much hurt and anguish we could often save ourselves from if we would only study God's Word more [8]. The 'do's and 'do-not's' of the Law are there for mankind's protection. As Christians we are not strictly subject to the Law but it is worth studying. Obviously such prohibitions as not to make cloth from two kinds of yarn or dietary restrictions cannot help us but there is much we can learn and benefit from on how to live as a family, as a community [9] and just as an individual that would help us draw nearer to being the type of person God would have us be. Joshua is a good role model for all generations. Joshua and Rahab were from opposite ends of the spectrum. Joshua was everything most people would like to be whereas poor Rahab was the reverse but God loved them both and used them both demonstrating that there was room in Israel for Canaanites, indeed for anyone who acknowledged His sovereign power. We need to bear in mind that our God is Lord of the Universe and of all peoples and not just the God of modern day Christians. It is also worth making an effort to read and understand the part of the Bible we call the Old Testament and it's history. Questions 1) Why did the Israelite spies stay with a prostitute? 2) Why did Rahab act the way she did towards the spies? 3) Is it all right to lie? 4) Does the scarlet cord remind you of anything? Passover Exodus 12:7, 13 ref: 03/2
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Web page last updated 24 Oct 2006 |
