1Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.- P66
3So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."
4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from.- P66
6(But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)
7So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.
- P67
Joshua sends two spies from Shittim to explore Jericho. The spies enter thehouse of Rahab, a prostitute, and stay there. The king of Jericho hears aboutit and orders Rahab to bring them out. Instead, she hides them under stalksof flax on her roof, sending the pursuers on a false trail toward the fords ofthe Jordan River.- P67
Joshua sends two spies into the promised land and instructs them to pay close attention to Jericho in particular. The spies enter the house of a prostitute called Rahab, but the king of Jericho hears of it and commands Rahab to bring them out. In this battle of espionage and counterespionage, this woman on the margins of society suddenly plays a pivotal role that will bring about victory for the Israelites and salvation for herself and her family. - P68
When we look at history, we often focus on powerful leaders and world-shaping events. But God often works through individuals the world overlooks. And unlike the maneuvers of the world, in which people are only pawns in a game of chess, God pursues hearts and redeems souls as He accomplishes His plans.- P68
When the king of Jericho commands Rahab to bring out the Israelite spies,
Rahab chooses to hide them and mislead the authorities of Jericho. We willsee later in the book of Joshua that she had learned of God‘s mighty worksand believed that He was sovereign even over the authorities of Jericho. - P68
So,
although she was a citizen of Jericho, she cast her lot with the Israelites. Aswith Rahab, God placed us as citizens of earthly nations so that we may be ablessing to others. - P68
But we must always remember our ultimate citizenship isin heaven. Should God‘s will ever conflict with the demands of our society,
may we have the courage to remain obedient to our Lord.- P68
But when we take a closer look at Scripture, we begin to notice the "small-er" people like Rahab who had neither status nor power yet were honored,
named, and remembered as God‘s faithful servants. The Bible is not simplya book about great leaders but the story of ordinary people who sought arelationship with God. And the One Scripture is ultimately about, JesusHimself, changed the world not by ascending to an earthly throne, but bybeing mocked as "King of the Jews" as He hung on the cross.
- P69
Whether we are in leadership or in lowly places, we are eachnecessary in God‘s story and He is present with every one of us.- P69
Dear God, thank you for placing me in the right time and place to do Your will in my community and be a blessing to those around me. - P69
When other things compete for my heart’s allegiance, remind me that my life is Yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.- P69
