Chapter 5: Practice From The Heart

Page 16

[21] “Then she said, ‘According to your words, so be it.’ And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the

scarlet cord in the window. [22] They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them.”

[23] “So the two men returned, descended from the mountain,

and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. [24] And they said to Joshua, ‘Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are

fainthearted because of us.’ ” Joshua 2:1-24

“Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.” Joshua 6:17

This is the very same kind of lie that was illustrated earlier in the Nazi example. God honored Rahab for protecting the Jews. Yes, God viewed Rahab’s lie in a different light. It is a righteous thing to help God’s people in their time of need and God will certainly reward those who do.

James reaffirms God’s Word in James 2:25-26 stating: “Was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Yes, this is another message that

conflicts with modern day Christianity. Why?

Can we be perfect? The answer is clearly—No. But like Rahab, we can recognize God for who He truly is. We can recognize His Holiness and righteousness. We can discern what really matters to Him. We can give up

and abandon our self-serving positions that rationalize our sinful life. We then enter into a relationship with Him through fellowship. This, in turn, means that we keep His commandments and we practice certain things to demonstrate that we are part of the kingdom of God.