Where Are You Going?

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The idea for this post came from Our Daily Bread's devotional thought for September 1, 2016.       

     

            Paul writes to the Philippian congregation, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

            With this verse in mind, where are you going?  When you are scared, where are you going?  When you are sad, where are you going? When you are mad, where are you going? When you are happy, where are you going?  When you are nervous, where are you going?  If you are not going to God in prayer, then you are going to the wrong place.

            Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, appeared to be invincible.  He was the leading authority of the greatest world power of the day, and he had his sights set on the city of Jerusalem.  Hezekiah, the King of Judah that resided in Jerusalem, received a message from Sennacherib stating that Assyria was coming to take the city.  Considering his other victories, and the power of his mighty nation, this was a threat that probably shook Hezekiah in his boots.

The world was literally crashing down around Hezekiah and his kingdom.  Where did he go? Isaiah 34:7 tells us, “Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.” Hezekiah laid out everything to the LORD in prayer! Because of Hezekiah’s prayer, God stepped in and prevented Assyria from attacking Jerusalem.  The Assyrians were defeated before they even had the opportunity to attack.  Sennacherib would never come back to Jerusalem.

Far too often we attempt to go other places when we have issues.  So…where are you going?

3 Things You Can Learn From a Prostitute

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Yes, you read that right.  All of us can learn something from a prostitute.  In Joshua chapter 2, time has drawn near for the Israelites to begin their conquest of the Promised Land.  The first target on their list is Jericho, a mighty city with a seemingly impenetrable fortress.  As leader of the Israelite people, Joshua sends out two spies from Shittim to gather a report on the city (Joshua 2:1). 

When the spies arrive, they meet a prostitute named Rahab and stay in her home.  She was a prostitute and innkeeper whose house was built directly into the city wall (v. 15).  Rahab may have started out in life as a prostitute, but she’s living proof that people can overcome their surroundings.  She is mentioned three times in the New Testament, and all of them are positive.

The first time she is mentioned is in Matthew 1:5.  It reads, 

“and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,” (Matthew 1:5, ESV).  

 From this we can infer that she eventually gave up prostitution, married and had a family.  Her husband was a man named Salmon, and they had a child named Boaz.  Boaz married Ruth (Ruth 4:10) and had a child named Obed.  Obed then had a child named Jesse, who was the father of King David of Israel (1 Samuel 17:12).  That makes Rahab King David’s great-great grandmother and an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The second time she is mentioned is in Hebrews 11:31 in the so-called “Hall of Faith.” The Hall of Faith is a chapter in Hebrews dedicated to extoling the virtues of some of the Bibles most venerated figures of faith.  And this former prostitute is included! The passage reads, 

“By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” (Hebrews 11:31, ESV)

The third and final time she is mentioned is in James 2:25 which says, 

“And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?" (James 2:25, ESV)

So this prostitute is mentioned in pretty high regard in the New Testament.  Two of the three New Testament passages note an event in her life regarding the spies in Joshua chapter 2.  It was probably this event that changed her life forever, transforming her life of prostitution into one of faithful obedience to God.

Looking at this event in her life from Joshua 2, I believe there are three things we can learn from this prostitute: (1) No matter how bad you’ve been, God can and will forgive you if you turn to him! (2) If you truly believe what God says, you will obey him.  (3) Faith requires action.

1. No sin is too great for God to forgive!

The first lesson we can learn from Rahab’s life is that no sin is too great for God to forgive.  What a wonderful promise in Scripture: 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV) 

We see living proof of this in Rahab’s story.  The Bible picks no bones about the fact that she was a prostitute.  But she didn’t stay that way.  She repented, turned to God, married, and had a family.  We see her faith emerge in Joshua 2:8-11 where she makes the following assertions: 

(a) “I know the Lord has given you the land.” (v. 9) 

(b) “We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt.” (v. 10)

(c) “The Lord your God is God of the heavens above and the earth beneath.” (v. 11).   

No matter how bad you’ve been in your life, no sin is too powerful for God’s love and mercy to overcome if you bring it to Him!

2. If you truly believe what God says, then you will obey Him.

The second lesson from her life is this: If you truly believe what God says you will obey Him!  Rahab took in the spies and protected them when the king of Jericho came knocking at her door, demanding that she turn them over, saving them from definite execution. (Joshua 2:2-7)  If she had been caught lying to the king, she could’ve been beaten, or worse.  Yet the possibility of earthly retaliation didn’t matter much to her.  She’d heard the rumors of the God of Israel, and her faith began to grow.  She truly believed what she’d heard, and she acted on her faith.  Nothing the king could’ve done would’ve stopped her from assisting God’s people. 

The exact same thing is true for us today.  Rahab truly believed in God, therefore she acted on that belief.  If we truly believe in what God has revealed to us through His Word, then must act on it. The Apostle John quite vividly states the fate of those who do not obey God, 

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8, ESV)   

If we truly believe that, if we truly take God at His word, then we will obey Him. 

3. Faith must be accompanied by action.

The third and final lesson we can learn from Rahab’s life is that faith must be backed up by action. When James wrote about Rahab’s story in James 2:25, he uses her actions to illustrate the truth that he’s teaching in regard to faith and action.  Faith and action go hand-in-hand.  Rahab had heard and believed in God, but she didn’t have to help save the spies from the king.  She could’ve easily acknowledged her belief in the power and nature of the God of Israel, but if she hadn’t acted on that faith, then it would’ve been a worthless faith. 

We have to act on our faith, just as Rahab did.  If we say, “I believe in you Jesus” but do nothing, then our faith is absolutely and totally worthless.  Let us all learn to have the faith and obedience of this former prostitute and wonderful woman of God!