Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Rahab and the Spies - The Book of Joshua

Transcript

Rahab and the Spies - The Book of Joshua · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1.9
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me to be
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: strong and courageous. These words will serve as my life's
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: reminder as I move through the life of Joshua. as
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: I face my first test and conquer my new territory.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: I will do so knowing that the God of this
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: universe is behind me, beside me, and in front of me.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Even though the mountain in front of me may seem
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: as fortified and large as Jericho, I know that you
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: have a plan, God, to cause the mountain to crumble
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: before me. All I need to do is stand steadfast
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: and reliant upon you, and my victory is inevitable. I
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: decree and declare that you are setting up Rahabs in
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: my life to help shield and protect me from the enemy.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Praise you, Lord, for you have gone before me to
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: speak on my behalf, even before I entered the room. Therefore,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: the ground is ripe for the seeds of promise, and
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: I know that my harvest time has come. I will
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: let out a hallelujah because your word never fails. My
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: future is secured. My family is protected. And my promise
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: has been made sure in your unfailing love. In Jesus' name, amen.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord. by listening to today's Bible
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: Click the link in the description to grow closer to God. There,
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: you'll find daily prayers, Bible plans, sleep stories, and so
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: much more, all on the Pray.com app. Click the link
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: in the description to get started.
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: Rahab and the Spies In our last story, we learned
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: about the passing of Moses. His past with anger had
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: kept him from leading the new generation into the promised land.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: Before Moses' departure, God appointed Joshua to lead in his place.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Near the camp on the mountain, Moses overlooked the land
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: flowing with milk and honey and breathed his last, knowing
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: that the sheep of Israel were safe under the care
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: of a new shepherd. In this story, we learn about
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: God's steadfast reminder to Joshua to be brave and courageous,
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: and how bravery comes in all shapes and sizes. Rahab,
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: a prostitute woman from Jericho, shows the courage of God
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: in a different way, as inspired by the book of Joshua.
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 3:30
  Speaker 4: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 3:42
  Speaker 4: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, Simply go
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: you for your support. In our previous episode, we heard
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: how God showed kindness to Moses in his final days
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: on earth. Though his anger had kept him out of
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: the promised land, God allowed Moses to see that place
• 4:13
  Speaker 4: God was giving his people, a view of the fulfilled promise.
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: Moses reminded the people of all God's laws and that
• 4:20
  Speaker 4: if they obeyed him, they would be blessed. Before he died,
• 4:24
  Speaker 4: Moses commissioned Joshua, the man that God himself had chosen
• 4:28
  Speaker 4: to lead Israel into their new home. Today we'll hear
• 4:32
  Speaker 4: how God reminds Joshua to be brave and trust that
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: he would work through Joshua and be with him just
• 4:39
  Speaker 4: as he was with Moses. We'll also see how courage
• 4:42
  Speaker 4: leads a prostitute named Rahab to help God's people as
• 4:46
  Speaker 4: they come in to take Jericho. Let's listen now to
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: today's readings.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: The sun had set on the era of Moses. His leadership, humility,
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: and devotion to God would be heralded for thousands of generations.
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: Now a new era had come, and it was time
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: for God to lead his people out of the wilderness
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: and into the land flowing with milk and honey. God
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: came to Joshua as he once did to Moses. In
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: the silence, God spoke softly, saying, Moses is dead. Now arise, Joshua.
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: Go over the Jordan River into the land I have
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: given you and my people. Joshua smiled and laid it
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: at the words he was hearing. Yet a subtle doubt
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: nested in the back of his mind. He could not
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: shake a feeling of insecurity. Am I truly able to
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: lead these people like Moses did? He thought to himself. God,
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: knowing Joshua's heart, continued to speak, saying, No one shall
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: be able to stand against you, just as I was
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: with Moses, so I will be with you. I will
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: never leave you. Be strong and courageous, and you will
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: lead the people into victory. Keep my commands close to
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: your heart, and do not be afraid, for I am
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: with you. Three times God repeated these words to Joshua,
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: encouraging him to be strong and courageous. Joshua closed his eyes.
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: and took a deep breath. He rolled his shoulders back
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: and assumed a large posture. Then he arose to go
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: lead his people. Prepare yourselves, Joshua shouted to his men.
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: He marched through camp to all the officers of Israel, saying,
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: Pass through camp and command people to pack their belongings,
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: for in three days we will pass through the Jordan
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: and take the land.
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: That is ours.
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: So Joshua and all his men helped the families of
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: Israel prepare for their final adventure. A galvanizing spirit of
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: unity was among the people, and Joshua had the trust
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: and admiration of Israel. However, Joshua was not naive to
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: the dangers that awaited Israel. He remembered the vastness of
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: the Canaanite armies and their strength. They were not like
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: God's people. These cultures could be brutal and sadistic, taking
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: women and children as prostitutes and slaves. He must be careful,
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: and God must be with him. The first land they
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: had to conquer was Jericho, a city with great walls
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: and fortification. So Joshua sent two spies to scope out
• 7:38
  Speaker 3: the land and its inhabitants. As Joshua once did with
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: eleven others, These spies remained hidden within the city and
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: measured its level of strength. The two spies swept the
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: land for threats and weaknesses. They remained anonymous and hidden,
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: finding lodging in the house of a prostitute named Rahab.
• 7:58
  Speaker 3: There they hid in between shifts of going out and spying. Soon,
• 8:04
  Speaker 3: word of the two spies came to the king of Jericho.
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: Suspicious and angry, the king sent men to Rahab's house
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: to find the spies... for he had been told they
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: were lodging there. Knocks could be heard from the front
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: of Rahab's house. The spies and Rahab looked at one another, panicked.
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: The king had found them. The spies drew their swords
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: and prepared for a fight, but Rahab took both of
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: them and hid them safely. Rahab straightened her clothes, put
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: on a sensuous smile, and slowly approached the door. Guards
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: were at her door. Rahab, about to greet them as customers,
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: was interrupted by one of the guards, saying, Bring out
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: the men who have been staying here, for they are
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: Israelite spies. Rahab feigned surprise and concern. With her profession,
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: she had become quite good at faking expressions. She let
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: the men come inside and said, Ah, yes, two men
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: were here, but I had no idea where they were from.
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: When the gates of the city were about to be closed,
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: they left quickly. You must go find them before they
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: kill us. Rahab played the part of a woman in distress,
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: needing the big, strong men to save her, all the
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: while making sure nobody looked up towards the flax of
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: the roof where she had hid the spies. The men
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: wasted no time and pursued the men past the gates
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: and towards the Jordan River. With great vigor, the men
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: rode in pursuit of the spies that weren't even there.
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: Rahab shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: She climbed up to the roof where she had hidden
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: the spies. They would stay there for the night, before
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: leaving early in the morning. Rahab crouched down to where
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: they were. Her eyes were filled with tears, but there
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: was a look of resolve on her face. I know
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: the Lord has given this land to you, Rahab said.
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: Everybody here... is afraid of you. We have all heard
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: how God saved you from the Egyptians and the Amorites.
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: If your God would part the Red Seas for you,
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: there is no telling what he might do to us.
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: As soon as we heard you were coming, our hearts melted.
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: Please spare me and my family when you come, since
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: I have helped you. Please help my mother, father, and siblings.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: The two spies smiled. They had no idea how afraid
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: the people were of them. It was a good report,
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: and they were excited to bring it back to Joshua.
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: They took special note of Rahab and said to her,
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: Of course, our lives are in your debt. If you
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: tell nobody of us, we will be faithful to you. Then,
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: while it was still dark, Rahab lowered the men down
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: by a rope through a window. for her home was
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: a part of the city wall. The two men thanked
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: Rahab and said, When we come to the land, tie
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: this scarlet cord to your window, and anyone who passes
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: through will not harm you. And so Rahab did it.
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: The scarlet rope was tied around her window as a
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: symbol of mercy, just as the scarlet blood was painted
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: on the doorsteps of the Israelites years ago. God would
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: do more than just spare Rahab and her family. Little
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: did she know that the scarlet thread would represent far
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: more than mercy from Israel. Later on she would marry
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: a handsome prince from Judah, and through her lineage a
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: thousand generations across the entire world would be shown the
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: mercy and blessings of God. The men departed and ventured
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: into the hills and hid there for three days. The
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: soldiers of Jericho scoured the outskirts of the land, barely
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: missing the spies. A few close calls later the men
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: were able to return. Hungry, dehydrated, and more happy than
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: they had ever been, the spies ran back to their camp.
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: Joshua was helping a family pack their things when he
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: heard shouts from the distance. He looked towards the horizon
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: and saw two figures waving in the distance. Their silhouettes
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: jumped up and down. Joshua squinted and could finally see
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: that it was his spies returning. All the people looked
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: as the two men ran back. Then... Joshua heard the
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: words they had been shouting. The Lord has given us
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: this land, and they shall melt away because of us.
• 12:28
  Speaker 4: We begin today's story with a new leader, Joshua, feeling
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: the weight of his position. Moses had led God's people
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: for many years with strength and humility, and Joshua knew
• 12:39
  Speaker 4: that he had some big sandals to fill. Not only that,
• 12:43
  Speaker 4: but after 40 years of wandering in the desert, God
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: was telling Joshua, It was now time to cross the
• 12:48
  Speaker 4: Jordan and actually enter the promised land. So God spoke
• 12:53
  Speaker 4: to Joshua three times, echoing the words Moses had charged
• 12:57
  Speaker 4: Joshua with, be strong, be courageous. God reassured Joshua that
• 13:03
  Speaker 4: he would go with him, just as he had been
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: with Moses before him. But this was much, much more
• 13:09
  Speaker 4: than a pep talk. These were marching orders. Listen to
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: what God says when he repeats the charge the third
• 13:15
  Speaker 4: time in Joshua 1.9. Have I not commanded you? Be
• 13:20
  Speaker 4: strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not
• 13:23
  Speaker 4: be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: wherever you go. I can't help but think of the
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: words that Jesus gave to his disciples before he ascended
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: into heaven. He was giving them the task of taking
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: the message of the good news to the world. And
• 13:39
  Speaker 4: just as God told Joshua that he would be with
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: him wherever he went, Christ promised His Spirit to go
• 13:44
  Speaker 4: with us, within us always, that He would always be
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: with us. Joshua believed God would do exactly what He
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: said He would do. And this time, unlike the generation
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: before him, the people did as well. They were confident
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: that God would deliver the land into their hands. It
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: was time to cross the Jordan. But note that Joshua
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: sent spies in advance, just as Moses had done 40
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: years before. You see, confidence does not mean carelessness. The
• 14:12
  Speaker 4: threat of other nations was real and Joshua needed to
• 14:15
  Speaker 4: know what was ahead for the people. So two spies
• 14:19
  Speaker 4: entered the first city that they would have to take,
• 14:21
  Speaker 4: the city of Jericho. And it's here that we meet Rahab,
• 14:26
  Speaker 4: a prostitute. She gave safe lodging to the spies because
• 14:30
  Speaker 4: she had heard the incredible things that God had done
• 14:33
  Speaker 4: since they had been rescued out of Egypt. God's great
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: name had gone before these men and she, by faith,
• 14:40
  Speaker 4: opened the door for them. The king sent soldiers to
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: capture the spies and he had heard that they were
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: staying with Rahab. So she lied to protect the men.
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: She sent the soldiers in search of the men who
• 14:53
  Speaker 4: she said had gone to the city gates. You see,
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: like the midwives in Egypt who lied to Pharaoh's guards
• 14:59
  Speaker 4: to protect Hebrew babies, Rahab feared God more than men
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: and put her own life on the line to protect
• 15:06
  Speaker 4: those who were sent by God. Rahab then lowered the
• 15:10
  Speaker 4: men through her window to safety so they could return
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: to give Joshua the good news. God has indeed given
• 15:17
  Speaker 4: us the land. Rahab's faith and faithfulness would be rewarded.
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: Before leaving, the men told her to tie a scarlet
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: rope to her window so that when they returned to
• 15:27
  Speaker 4: take the city, her life would be spared. That red
• 15:31
  Speaker 4: cord represents a scarlet thread of redemption, the story of
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: Jesus that runs throughout the Bible, and that by his
• 15:38
  Speaker 4: blood we are redeemed. Rahab herself would become an ancestor
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: to the Savior who would come and bring the whole
• 15:47
  Speaker 4: world to Himself. Dear God, thank You that You brought
• 15:51
  Speaker 4: rescue and grace and peace to all of us through
• 15:54
  Speaker 4: Your Son, Jesus. Thank You, God, that just as Joshua
• 15:58
  Speaker 4: and the people could trust You to make good on
• 16:00
  Speaker 4: Your promises, we also know that we can be faithful
• 16:04
  Speaker 4: and true and strong and courageous. In Jesus' name, amen.
• 16:10
  Speaker 4: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 16:14
  Speaker 4: And before we go, I wanted to let you know
• 16:16
  Speaker 4: that the Bible in a Year podcast is an outreach
• 16:19
  Speaker 4: of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come to you each
• 16:22
  Speaker 4: week through the support of listeners like you. Your support
• 16:27
  Speaker 4: today is so important that we want to thank you
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: for your gift by giving you a copy of my
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: book called The Jesus Book. This book is a powerful
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: guide that shows how every book in the Bible points
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: to Christ and how you can better read and understand
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: the Bible and how God's word transforms our lives. So
• 16:46
  Speaker 4: to get your copy of the Jesus book, simply go
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 16:55
  Speaker 4: you for your support.
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: If today's reading moved you, the Pray.com app is where
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: you can go deeper with daily prayers, Bible plans, and more.
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: Download it free. Link in the description.