Y’hoshua the son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Sheetim with these instructions: “Go, inspect the land and Yericho.” They left and came to the house of a prostitute named Rachav, where they spent the night. 2 The king of Yericho was told about it — “Tonight some men from Isra’el came here to reconnoiter the land.”
3 The king of Yericho sent a message to Rachav, “Bring out the men who came to you and are staying in your house, because they have come to reconnoiter all the land.” 4 However, the woman, after taking the two men and hiding them, replied, “Yes, the men did come to me; but I didn’t know where they had come from. 5 The men left around the time when they shut the gate, when it was dark. Where they went I don’t know; but if you chase after them quickly, you will overtake them.” 6 Actually she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax she had spread out there. 7 The men pursued them all the way to the fords at the Yarden; as soon as the pursuit party had left, the gate was shut.
8 The two men had not yet lain down when she returned to the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that Adonai has given you the land. Fear of you has fallen on us; everyone in the land is terrified at the thought of you. 10 We’ve heard how Adonai dried up the water in the Sea of Suf ahead of you, when you left Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Emori on the other side of the Yarden, Sichon and ‘Og, that you completely destroyed them. 11 As soon as we heard it, our hearts failed us. Because of you, everyone is in a state of depression. For Adonai your God — he is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
(Complete Jewish Bible).Life is full of choices. While many of the choices we make are simply a matter of preference, some choices are a matter of right and wrong. When it comes to making the right choice, there are two important assumptions to remember. First, we have to recognize that there is a choice to be made—sometimes we do not even know there is more than one option. Second, we have to know which choice is the “right” choice. Sometimes we are able to determine the “right” choice on our own, but often times we learn the “right” choice from others and their past experiences.
We see in the story of Rahab that God has done the work of making the nations aware that there is a choice to be made in the first place: continue worshipping false gods or worship the one true God of Israel. The mighty acts of God not only served to liberate and deliver Israel but demonstrated to the nations the “right” choice. God did not leave it to the nations to determine their need for salvation on their own. The God of Israel took the initiative and made His salvation known.
Hymn for Today: "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" by Anonymous.
1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
no turning back, no turning back.
2. Though none go with me, I still will follow;
though none go with me, I still will follow;
though none go with me, I still will follow;
no turning back, no turning back.
3. The world behind me, the cross before me;
the world behind me, the cross before me;
the world behind me, the cross before me;
no turning back, no turning back.
Thought for today: For what one earns from sin is death; but eternal life is what one receives as a free gift from God, in union with the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord. (Romans 6:23).
Please pray: for faculty and students as they prepare for Christian ministry in Samoa.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
***
***
No comments:
Post a Comment