up, Lord willing, Joshua Chapter 2 this evening. Joshua Chapter 2, as we continue what we began in the morning service. Joshua Chapter 2, we'll begin reading the beginning of the chapter. We want to make sure we have the full context. full understanding of what the Lord has for us in this text. Joshua chapter two and verse one. Joshua, the son of Nun, sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly saying, go view the land, even Jericho. And they went and came into an harlot's house named Rahab and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came in men hither tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Israel sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house, for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men and hid them and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were. And it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out. Whither the men went, I want not. Pursue after them quickly, for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords. And as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof, and she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when ye came out of Egypt, and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side, Jordan, Sihon, and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt. Neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. Now, therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that you will also show kindness unto my father's house and give me a true token and that you will save alive my father and mother and my brethren and my sisters and all that they have and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window, for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers be returned, and afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, we will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, Thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by, and thou shalt bring thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and all thy father's household home unto thee. And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless. And whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, If any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she said, according unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet line in the window. And they went and came under the mountain and abode there three days until the pursuers were returned. And the pursuers sought them throughout the way and found them not. So the two men returned and descended from the mountain and passed over and came to Joshua, the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them. And they said unto Joshua, Truly, the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. This is the word of the Lord. Father, we rejoice in the opportunity to come back on this Lord's Day evening. Father, thank you for the reminders this morning and for the wonderful opportunities that you give us to hear the word of God. The more we know that those opportunities obligate us to do the word of God. And so I pray, Father, that we would not come into this or rather that we would not leave this room the same way that we came in. Lord, you would give us the grace, the determination to live by faith and to honor you as we do so. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Not have I gotten, but what I received. Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed. Boasting excluded, pride I abase, I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Tears unavailing, no merit had I. Mercy had saved me or else I must die. Sin had alarmed me, fearing God's face, but now I'm a sinner saved by grace. This is Mother's Day, but the story of Joshua 2 is not the stereotypical story of a faithful mother. Rather, it is the story of a humble, simple, and poor Canaanite woman, a woman whom the text repeatedly calls a harlot. And yet, this Canaanite woman, part of a doomed race of people, and practicing a shady and promiscuous form of employment, found grace in the eyes of the Lord. She exercised simple faith that transformed her life, and not only transformed her life, but it also transformed her family's life, and ultimately, the course of human history. And you'll recall that Joshua chapter two serves almost as an interruption to the narrative of the book of Joshua. In chapter one, the Lord gives Joshua his commission to take over the role of Moses as the leader of the people and to bring the people into the promised land. Chapters three and four record how the Lord miraculously dried up the waters of the Jordan River enabling the children of Israel to pass. But wedged between these two accounts is Joshua 2, in which two spies are sent into the city of Jericho in order to plan Israel's military strategy against the city. What we read in Joshua 2, however, reveals very little, if anything, about military strategy or troop movements. It does, however, tell us a whole lot about the faithfulness of our God. The point of the chapter is this, that we must confess heartfelt faith in the works and character of God in order to escape His judgment. We must confess heartfelt faith in the works and character of God in order to escape His judgment. Now, you will recall we mentioned this morning that Joshua 2 is structured like a mountain. The technical term that the scholars have for this is a chiasm, but mountain is probably easier for you to remember. And really what you have, you have five points in the chapter, and you find that there's mirroring that takes place. So point one mirrors point five, point two mirrors point three, Point four. And then, ultimately, all of it works toward this great pinnacle, which is point three. And, of course, point three is the confession of Rahab. Now, the first movement of this chapter is the departure of the spies in verse one. So we noted, of course, that Joshua sent out the two spies secretly from Shittim, where Israel is camped, prior to crossing the Jordan River. We then have the second movement of the chapter which is the protection of the spies in verse 1b all the way to verse 7. The two spies make their lodging at the house of Harlot and Brother Roland brought up a good point a moment ago as we were chatting before the service that there are some scholars who have connected Rahab specifically as an innkeeper. Now, it does seem that there are some that have wanted to see her exclusively in those terms because they want to diminish the fact that scripture calls her a harlot. And they want to try to water that down because that doesn't seem to set too well with our sensibilities. But it is likely, perhaps, that Rahab did operate a legitimate inn. And of course, in addition to that, was providing these other services. But nonetheless, it seems that there was strategic value in this location because it would have been a place where they could have had access to other soldiers, perhaps local officials that could have even inadvertently provided sources of intelligence. Unfortunately, however, we learn very quickly in the course of the chapter that the spies' cover is blown and the king sends officers to Rahab's house to locate and arrest the spies. Rahab, however, hides the spies in stalks of flax on her rooftop. And she deceives the officers into thinking that the spies have escaped the city. Of course, when the officers leave the city to try to catch up with the spies, we know that the gate closes behind them. And so it is in this context that we then find the third and the most important movement of the chapter. Number three, the confession of Rahab. The confession of Rahab. So if you really want to be creative, if you're taking notes, you could outline this in the shape of a mountain. And you would start, of course, with the sending of the spies, or departure of the spies in verse one, then the protection of the spies in verses one through seven, and then the confession of Rahab in verses eight through 14. So look with me starting in verse eight. We'll read verses eight and nine here. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof, and she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. Now this is an absolutely remarkable statement coming from the lips of a Canaanite prostitute. First of all, notice that she correctly identifies Israel's God. Notice what is said there in verse 9, I know that the LORD, you'll notice there that the word LORD is in all caps. And as I'm sure that most of us know, LORD in all caps is God's personal covenant name, the name Jehovah, or Yahweh as it's called by many scholars. Rahab acknowledges that Israel's covenant God has indeed been faithful to the covenant. She notes that the Lord has given them the land. It's notable that Rahab's attention is not drawn to the children of Israel. It is not drawn to their fledgling army or their military capacity. Her attention is drawn to Israel's God, And friends, our desire at Grace Baptist Church is not to draw attention to Grace Baptist Church. Certainly, our goal is not to draw attention to the pastor or to draw attention to any of one of us. Our desire ought to be to draw attention to our great God. Our testimony in the community ought to be such that we cause people to think, what an awesome God those people serve. Now let's bring it over, of course, to the day that we're recognizing today. You know, moms, your first desire ought not be for your children to praise and honor you. Now that is legitimate. We do have the verse that appears on our sign this week in Proverbs 31, that her children, that is the children of the virtuous woman, rise up and call her blessed. And that is a glorious reality. but your first desire ought to be to point your children to the one true God. As Rahab's attention was drawn toward God, she acknowledged another reality there in verse nine. She said, your terror has fallen upon us. In other words, you struck fear in our hearts. She says, all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. That word faint literally has the idea of melt away. Literally, we are melting away in your presence, Rahab said. Now this is a drastic change from Israel's first reconnaissance mission into the promised land. Maybe you remember what the spies said in Numbers chapter 13 in verse 33. And there we saw the giants, the son of Anak, which come of the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. That was the testimony of the original 10 spies, of course, Joshua and Caleb being the exception there. But in numbers, the children of Israel were melting away in fear upon hearing this report. But in Joshua, the Canaanites, even in heavily fortified Jericho, were melting away in fear in the face of the children of Israel. And again, it's not because Israel had the biggest or the most well-trained army. It's because the Canaanites had heard about things that could only be described as works of God. Notice what is said in verse 10. how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt, and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side, Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed." Militaries, human militaries can crush their opponents, but only the Lord can dry up the waters of the Red Sea so that the children of Israel can pass on dry ground. Sihon and Og there are references to kings that Israel encountered during their wilderness wanderings who refused to offer them passage. And so Israel went to war against those kings. You notice the language there that Rahab notes, whom ye utterly destroyed. This is the language of what we call the ban. It's the same language that will be applied later to the city of Jericho itself. And you remember the very clear instructions that God gave concerning the city of Jericho. Every man, every woman, every child, and all the things in the city were to be devoted to God. Ultimately, they were either to be destroyed, there were certain things such as gold and such that were devoted to the Lord's service in the tabernacle. But nonetheless, all of it belonged to the Lord. That's the language she uses here. They were to engage, or they engaged in utter destruction. And she notes, this had to be a work of God. This wasn't explainable in human terms. Now the language in verse 11 is perhaps the most stunning part of her confession here. Notice, and as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, and neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. The word courage here literally is the word breath. The idea is you left us breathless. We could say you took the wind out of our sails. And there's a reason for this. Notice, she says, for the Lord your God He is God. She calls Jehovah God. Now, we have to remember that most cultures in the ancient world were polytheistic. That is to say, they worshipped many different gods. But Rahab is acknowledging here the exclusivity of Jehovah God. There aren't many gods. There's only one. His name is Jehovah, and he is the covenant God of the children of Israel. Particularly striking how she goes on to describe God in verse 11. She says, he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. Now in the ancient world, gods were often, if not most often, conceived of in territorial terms. So the God of a particular nation had power that was limited to that particular people. And so in that light, Rahab's confession is stunning. She is acknowledging here that Jehovah is not only the territorial God of Israel. Rather, he is the supreme God over all of heaven and earth. In fact, when you could read other places where this expression occurs, this language of in heaven above and in earth beneath, this is exactly the type of indication that we have. If you go back a moment to Exodus, Exodus chapter 20, a passage that is familiar to us, the record year of the Ten Commandments, We know that God introduces himself in verse two as Jehovah God, the one who has brought the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. The first of the Ten Commandments appears in verse three, thou shalt have no other gods before me. Notice what is said in verse four. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. And you see how this language is used in conjunction with acknowledging the supremacy of Jehovah God. Perhaps it's even clearer when you go over to Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter four. Deuteronomy chapter four in verse 39, Moses addressing the children of Israel, he says, know therefore this day and consider it in thine heart that the Lord, he is God, notice, in heaven above and upon the earth beneath, there is none else. And hence, Rahab is using language here that acknowledges the exclusivity, the supremacy of Jehovah God. Now, it is striking to remember once again that this is a confession from a Canaanite woman who had been employed in prostitution. Now, if you read your Old Testament carefully, you will see a consistent missionary thread that runs throughout the pages of the Old Testament. And yes, the Old Testament clearly gives priority to the nation of Israel, which is central to God's redemptive plan But here and there, you find evidence of God's mercy toward all people groups. In fact, there are striking instances in the Old Testament where God shows mercy to a Gentile and pours out judgment on one of his own people. Bible scholars have often recognized that Rahab actually contrasts with another character in the book of Joshua. Have any idea who that might be? You can shout it out if you know the answer. I'd be impressed if you came up with it. Okay, I don't hear any, I think I hear some mumbling, but it's Achan, Achan. And you remember Achan in Joshua chapter seven. You remember the children of Israel going into Jericho, they're given the instructions regarding the ban, destroy every man, woman, child. And of course, they're not to take any of those goods with them. Those things are to be completely destroyed or given over to tabernacle worship. And of course, that command was violated by Achan. But as you go over to chapter seven, notice how Achan is described there in Joshua chapter seven. Joshua chapter seven and verse one. But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. Rahab was a Canaanite, but Achan had a respected lineage. He was not only an Israelite, but he was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. And you remember back in the book of Genesis, God had already promised that the scepter would not depart from Judah. This would be the tribe through which the Messiah would come. Rahab recognized that God had given Israel the land and had enabled the people to engage in that utter destruction of their enemies. Of course, Achan did not participate in the utter destruction. He took the accursed thing, the goods in the city that were to be devoted to the Lord. Rahab found mercy. Achan found the Lord's anger. And so it is often acknowledged that these two, the way we express it in literary terms, we would say that they are foils to one another. Jesus himself highlights in the New Testament how even back in the Old Testament, God would often bypass the Jewish people and would show mercy to a Gentile. Look with me very quickly over in Luke chapter 4. Luke chapter 4 and verse 24. Jesus, as he's ministering there in the synagogue at Nazareth, in a rather contentious visit to the synagogue that would raise the ire of the people there. But notice what he says in verse 24. And he said, Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land, and unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha, really that's Elisha there, the prophet, and none of them was cleansed saving Naaman the Syrian. So notice Jesus, he points out the fact, the days of Elijah, there's all these widows in the land of Israel. Who is a special recipient of God's mercy? It's a widow in that corrupted, wicked city of Sidon. In the days of Elisha, God bypasses all the lepers in the land of Israel to show mercy on Naaman the Syrian. You remember that Naaman the Syrian had led a military campaign against the people of God in Israel and had taken away captives. We remember that as God declared to Moses and was later repeated in Paul's letter to Romans, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But we see here that an unlikely candidate for God's mercy and blessing confesses faith in the one true God. Now, as we come back to Joshua chapter two, we see that... Rahab then begins to give a request in verse 12 notice What she says there she says now therefore I pray you swear unto me by the Lord since I have showed you kindness that you will also show kindness unto my father's house and Give me a true token and that you will save alive my father and my mother and my brethren and my sisters and all that they have and deliver our lives from death Now there's an interesting contrast in this chapter because much of the first half of the chapter is taken up with Rahab's deception of the king's officers in the city of Jericho. But much of the second half of Joshua chapter 2 is taken up with this truthful oath that is agreed to with the spies and Rahab. Verse 12, Rahab confesses here that she has shown kindness to the spies. The word kindness here is a word that occurs with great frequency in the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew word hesed. And this word is really an interesting mix between freely given love and binding covenant loyalty. In fact, there's one translation that regularly translates this word as loyal love. And incidentally, my favorite translation of this word is the one that appears in the King James with some regularity. It's the word loving kindness. But can you see the point in verse 12? Just as Rahab has shown loyalty to the spies, so she asked for the children of Israel to show loyalty back to her and her family. Now she mentions in verse 12 her father's house, and she goes on in verse 13 to enumerate her father, her mother, her brothers and sisters. There is no mention, incidentally, of husband or children. He mentioned this morning that there is a possibility that maybe she had had a husband who had died and that essentially that drove her to enter this shady line of work. Of course, we can't be dogmatic on that front in the absence of any clear data in scripture. Regardless, without a husband, Rahab would have been considered next to worthless in the ancient world. and yet she begs for mercy, she begs for deliverance from death. She specifically asks in this context for a true token. The idea here really is a sure sign. She wants a clear sign that the spies will preserve her life, that they will preserve her family's life from the onslaught of the Hebrew army. We see here that the spies agree, and they offer to Rahab the highest pledge they could possibly offer. Look at verse 14. And the man answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business, and it shall be when the Lord hath given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Spies pledge to preserve Rahab and her family with the pledge their own lives. The spies promise they will treat Rahab with loyal love, loving kindness, all these ideas, right? Just as she has treated them with loyal love, with loving kindness. This brings us to the fourth movement in the story. And again, if you have your mountain, remember we start the departure of the spies, protection of the spies, confession of Rahab, and then we move to the other side of the mountain with number four, the protection of Rahab. And again, this mirrors point two. Protection of the spies, protection of Rahab. And this begins in verse 15. Let's pick it up there. Notice, "...then she let them down by a cord through the window, for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall." This passage here gives us some helpful information. We mentioned this morning that the location of Rahab's house reveals that she was probably poor. that location, having a house that was really built into the city wall. But this location is also of strategic importance for understanding how this story works out, because you remember that when the officers go out to find the spies, what happens? The gate closes behind them. And there is a bit of suspense here, because now, although on the one hand, yeah, the officers are gone, praise the Lord, What's gonna happen to the spies? Well, now we learn that her house is located on the city wall, and so now there's the opportunity to use a rope to let down the spies so that they can get to safety outside the boundaries of the city. And so this verse is pivotal in filling in those details. And verse 16 then begins to give us this final conversation between Rahab and the spies. Notice, and she said unto them, get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you, and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers be returned, and afterward you may go your way." Really, the idea of the mountain there really has the idea of the hill country. And incidentally, if you look at chapters one and three, you will find references to three days in both of those chapters. Commentators seem to agree that probably this is the same three-day period that is mentioned in those other places. And then, as we continue reading, we learn the specific terms of the oath that the spies give to Rahab. Notice verse 17. And the men said unto her, we will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by, and thou shalt bring thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and all thy father's household home unto thee. And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless. And whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And we've already seen that the spies have pledged their very lives to protect Rahab and her household. But here we learn that their oath comes with three conditions. First, the spies repeat the expectation that Rahab is not to speak about her meeting with these two men. She must keep complete confidentiality. Second, the spies indicate that Rahab must bind the scarlet rope in the window. And I would suggest that this seems to be the same scarlet rope that was used to lower these men down. You do see in verse 18, this bind of scarlet thread in the window, which thou didst let us down by. Although you do have some different Hebrew words that are used, it seems that this is probably the same rope because of the wording here. Now this rope does seem to have some symbolic significance as we reflect on the broader narrative of the Old Testament. In fact, the first time that we see mention of a scarlet rope or a scarlet thread is in Genesis. Let me invite you to turn back there a moment. Genesis chapter 38. When I use that word symbolic, we have to be careful that we're not reading too much into things. That's always a danger, especially in the Old Testament with narrative. But it does seem that sometimes authors in the Old Testament will refer to something that has already been mentioned in earlier books, and really is designed to cause us to reflect back on those earlier incidents. In Genesis 38, of course, if you're familiar with the general flow of Genesis, you know that much of Genesis 37 through 50 is taken up with the story of Joseph. And chapter 38 is kind of this abrupt interruption in the narrative of Joseph. And it tells us, gives us some insight about Judah. And you may remember that Judah's two oldest sons were judged by God, they were killed, and the wife that each of them had, she was waiting for Judah to give her his third son. And Judah had refused to do that. And so she ultimately pretended to be a prostitute. She seduced Judah and ultimately she bore twins through him. Notice what is said in verse 28. And it came to pass when she travailed that the one put out his hand and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread saying, this came out first. And it came to pass as he drew back his hand that behold, his brother came out and she said, how hast thou broken forth this breach be upon thee? Therefore, his name was called Perez. And afterward came out his brother that had the scarlet thread upon his hand and his name was called Zara. And so you have the record of the birth of Judah's two twin sons, Perez and Zarah. Now it's notable that this narrative here in Genesis 38 is also similar to Joshua, associated with a shady and outcast woman, the woman Tamar, who is supposed to be given to Judah's son, Shelah. And of course, as we mentioned, impregnated Judah by posing the part of a harlot. And so the scarlet thread seems to bind these two narratives together and hold that thought because that will become important later. There is another text, however, which deja vu seems to creep in. You see, during the Exodus, God passed through the land to destroy all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. And you remember that there was a particular sign that the Israelites were to engage in in order to demonstrate that God was to pass over their homes. You remember that they were to slay a lamb and they were to sprinkle the blood on the doorposts of their house so that God would pass over those houses. Ultimately, I would suggest that seems to be the same imagery that we're seeing here. that this scarlet rope is the instrument that signals the troops of Israel that they are to pass over this house and they are not to extend judgment upon Rahab and her family. Now that raises another question. It is one that is popularly raised. Some would ask, is Rahab's scarlet rope a type or a pattern of the blood of Christ? Well, my answer to that is not directly, but maybe indirectly. And why do I say that? Well, we do have the indication in 1 Corinthians 5 that Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. And so through the Passover, we can indirectly make a connection with the scarlet rope, that just as the scarlet rope signified that judgment was not to fall on Rahab's house, so the blood of Christ signifies that God's judgment is not to pass over us. Now there's a third condition that the spies include in their oath, and that is that Rahab and her family need to remain in the house. If they leave the house, if they're out on the streets of the city, their safety cannot be guaranteed. But the spies say, as long as you remain in your house, if anybody lays a hand on you, we will bear the blame for that. Our life for yours, as he said earlier. Now, as we come back to Joshua 2, Joshua chapter 2, notice how this section concludes, this section of the protection of Rahab, verse 21. And she said, according unto your words, so be it. She agrees to the terms of the oath. Notice, and she sent them away. And they departed and she bound the scarlet line in the window, and they went and came under the mountain and abode there three days until the pursuers were returned. And the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. We learn here, God is faithful. He has protected the spies, and even as the pursuers are vigorously trying to find them, as Rahab has let the spies go, they've gone into the hill country, God has preserved their lives, and the pursuers have not been able to locate them. This brings us to the fifth movement in the narrative. And remember, in our shape of a mountain here, we start with the departure of the spies, we have protection of the spies, confession of Rahab, as we come to the other side of the mountain, We have the protection of Rahab, and then finally, our fifth point, the return of the spies. The return of the spies. Of course, at the beginning of the chapter, the spies go out, they leave from Shittim, and then they return at the very end of the chapter. Look at verse 23. So the two men returned and descended from the mountain and passed over and came to Joshua, the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them. I love the wording here. All things that befell them. Of course, that's good Elizabethan English. But it's notable, the spies didn't really do much of anything, when you think back to the narrative. They didn't actively gather any military intelligence. They didn't make things happen. Rather, things happened to them. Joshua, in his narration of the story, seems to be cluing us into the fact that the spies were recognizing divine providence at work. In human eyes, their mission might have been considered a failure, insofar as they didn't acquire the type of military intelligence that you would normally gather in a reconnaissance mission. But God worked things out behind the scenes to accomplish his grand purposes for the nation of Israel. And so we say with the hymn writer, what though the way be lonely and dark the shadows fall, I know where errant leadeth, my father planned it all. The sun may shine tomorrow, the shadows break and flee, twill be the way he chooses, the father's plan for me. He guides my faltering footsteps along the weary way, for well he knows the pathway will lead to endless day. Day of night, light and gladness on which no shade will fall. Tis this at last awaits me. My father planned it all. I sing through the shade and sunshine and trust him whatever befall. I sing for I cannot be silent for my father planned it all. Now we remember that this chapter, the structure of the chapter points to that glorious confession of Rahab right in the middle of the chapter. But notice that the spies actually repeat the same confession of faith in verse 24, notice. And they said unto Joshua, truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. In contrast to those unbelieving spies in the previous generation, these two spies had confidence that the Lord had given them the land. What they lacked in terms of gathering military intelligence, they made up for in their faith in Jehovah God. And certainly there was clear-cut evidence here that the Lord had indeed given the children of Israel the land. Notice what they say, all the inhabitants of the country do faint. Again, it's the same word we saw earlier, the idea of melting away. All the inhabitants melt away because of us. By the way, this is the response that Moses had anticipated years earlier. You remember when God had parted the waters of the Red Sea, Exodus 15 records this song that Moses sang to the Lord. If we go back there a moment. Book of Exodus, Chapter 15. Notice verse 14. The people shall hear and be afraid. Sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed. The mighty men of Moab, trembling, shall take hold upon them. All the inhabitants of Canaan, notice, shall what? Melt away. Same word that is translated faint in our passage. Notice how he goes on in verse 16, fear and dread shall fall upon them by the greatness of thine arm. They shall be as still as a stone till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. Furthermore, friends, the Lord himself promised that fear would be the response of the people of Canaan. If you go over to Deuteronomy for a moment. Deuteronomy, chapter two, Verse 25. Moses here recalling the words of God. Notice what is said here in verse 25 of Deuteronomy chapter two. This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven who shall hear report of thee and shall tremble and shall be in anguish because of thee. I would suggest to you that all of this suggests a broader biblical principle that is expressed in a really memorable form over in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 28. Thank you for having nimble fingers this evening. Deuteronomy 28, notice verse one. Solomon writes, the wicked flee when no man pursueth But the righteous are bold as a lion. And the book of Joshua is proof positive that that verse is true. The wicked Canaanites in Jericho were quaking in fear before a single Israelite soldier stepped foot in that city. And now with a new generation in Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, there was a renewed commitment to righteousness. You see it very early on in the book of Joshua. And it would really be my contention, if you looked really through the history of Israel thus far, and you remember that book that Tom Brokaw wrote some years ago entitled, The Greatest Generation. Of course, we think of that in America as the Great Depression Generation. Well, I think if you were to identify the greatest generation in Israel's history, it would probably be the generation of Joshua's day. We seem to see a faith and a confidence there, and certainly they had their failures, just as any other generation did, but we see a faith there that we really don't see at any other time in Israel's history. There was a uniqueness to that generation, and certainly it verified this reality. The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold, It's a lion. It has been said that the infamous, wicked Roman Catholic Queen of England, that's Mary, Queen of Scots, better known as Bloody Mary, she's reported to have said, quote, I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe. You know, sometimes we may not appreciate the fact that the wicked, even the wicked that might be very powerful and influential in this world, many times they are living in a perpetual state of fear. Did you see what happened during the COVID time? I mean, what was the solution? Oh, just shut everything down, shut down all the schools, shut down all the businesses, cut out life as normal and stay inside your homes. What leads to that kind of response? It can be nothing, friends, but fear. That's what we see in Joshua's day. It's what we see in our day. We've seen the remarkable faith of an unlikely mother. Now, what's the takeaway for us? Well, let's first of all think of this passage in its context in Joshua. Now, we read this a moment ago, but let me remind you of what we had in our call to worship this evening in Joshua 21, verse 43. If you're not able to get there in time, you can listen. And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he swore to give unto their fathers, and they possessed it and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about according to all that he swore unto their fathers. And there stood not a man of all their enemies before them. The Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel. All came to pass. Friends, surely God is good to his people. He preserved the lives of the spies. He providentially led them to an outcast prostitute in Canaan. And he showed mercy on that prostitute by opening her eyes to his wonderful character and works. And he graciously delivered that woman from his awesome hand of judgment. All of this demonstrates that none of God's words fail. None of them fell to the ground. Everything God promised came to pass. Reference the fact this morning that Rahab's faith is commended in the New Testament. Let me just remind you of one of those texts we looked at. It's in Hebrews chapter 11 in verse 31. Hebrews chapter 11 in verse 31. Notice The author writes, by faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies with peace. What was the difference between Rahab and every other person in the city of Jericho? It wasn't that Rahab was smarter than they were. It wasn't that she was more virtuous than they were. It wasn't that she was more talented than they were or more prosperous than they were. Really, Rahab was disadvantaged in just about every way we could conceive of. She was the wrong race. She was a Canaanite. She was the wrong gender. She was a female without a husband in a patriarchal society. She was in the wrong profession. She was a prostitute. But the Lord did a transforming work in Rahab's life by enabling her to come to faith. This morning, we spent considerable time unpacking Rahab's lie. And regardless of how you may feel about Rahab's deception in the passage, remember this, the only thing that could have prompted Rahab to protect the spies was her faith. You remember 2 Corinthians 5, 7, where we walk by faith and not by sight? If Rahab had walked by sight, the choice was pretty simple under the circumstances that she faced. Spies had invaded her country in order to plan a wholesale annihilation of her people. The logical thing to do would be to hand over the spies to the authorities in order to save her own people. But Rahab didn't walk by sight. She walked by faith. She placed the care of herself and her family, not in the hands of the city soldiers on the wall, but in the hands of a gracious God. Can I give a word of encouragement to mothers this evening on this day and really a word of encouragement to fathers too? You can entrust the care of your children to our God. Can I repeat that? You can entrust the care of your children to our God. You know, this week I got an email from a missionary, a single lady missionary. And I get all kinds of emails from missionaries. There's all kinds of people that, you know, they want to come and present at this church. And, of course, a lot of times it's people I don't know. And of course, we're not really in a position to add new missionaries at this time. But I was particularly struck by this particular lady that had reached out. She was related to a pastor friend that I know. But what was striking was her field of service. She was raising support to go to North Africa. And of course, if you know that region of the world, you know that that is a highly volatile area of the world, especially for a single female missionary that, of course, she wants to go, she wants to help church planters over there, she wants to teach ladies. I was really struck as I was reading that story, I was thinking to myself, and I'm just being totally transparent with you, I don't know that I could surrender my daughter to go into a field like that. You know what, friends? We can entrust our children to our caring God. Do you know that God cares for your children more than you do? Hard for us to believe sometimes, isn't it? God cares for your children more than you do, and we have this tendency, and it's a right tendency in many ways, right? We wanna shield our children, we wanna protect them. Sometimes that helicopter tendency, it needs to give way to the fact that there is a God in heaven who can care for our kids. Sometimes the biggest struggle, and of course, I've still got young children in the home. The biggest struggle parents can face is that time when it's time to let go. Just know, parents, that when you do that, you can trust your God to take care of them. Certainly Rahab, she recognized. She can entrust herself, she can trust her family to a faithful God. Now, I wanna broaden our perspective as we think about this story. You see, the account of Rahab isn't just a chapter in the book of Joshua. It's a chapter in the Bible. Now, you say, okay, well, that's obvious. Okay. But look with me at Matthew chapter one, if you would. Because sometimes we, I just feel we have this tendency to see the stories of the Bible in kind of this piecemeal fashion, kind of like Aesop's fables. And we see them as disconnected from one another. But if we notice carefully, there is a design to all of this. And this story that at first glance might seem obscure, it might seem strange, it has everything to do, friends, with the plan and purposes of God. Now we know in Matthew chapter one, we have the record of Jesus' genealogy, specifically his genealogy through his earthly stepfather, Joseph. Now, of course, it is standard in the genealogies of the Bible that represent a patriarchal culture that only men usually are mentioned in genealogical records. It is striking, however, that in Matthew's record of Jesus' genealogy, he mentions four women by name. Now, notice the first of them in verse three in Matthew chapter one. Notice, and Judas begat Phares and Zarah, of whom Tamar. Phares begat Esrum, and Esrum begat Aram, and you remember That's Genesis 38, right? The twins of Judah, the scarlet thread. Of course, there you had this probably a Canaanite woman posing as a prostitute included in the genealogy of our Lord. Now notice verse 5. And Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab, and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David the king, and David begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah. Three women are included in this cluster of verses. So let's take them in reverse order. Verse six mentions that David begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah. Of course, we know that this was Bathsheba, And we know that this was the same woman with whom David had committed adultery. Furthermore, we are not expressly told this in the Old Testament, but it does seem likely that Bathsheba may very well have not been a native Israelite, because her husband, Uriah, is identified as a Hittite. Verse 5 mentions Ruth. Again, you have another non-Israelite, a Moabitess. And finally, Now, working our way backwards, we find that Salmon beget Boaz of Rahab. Oh, friends, isn't our God good? The incredible grace and mercy and wisdom of our awesome God, taking a simple outcast poor harlot, opening her eyes to who he is, and rewarding her faith by including her in the ultimate plan of all the ages, the plan to redeem mankind through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This reminds us, of course, that Jesus was and is a real man. His family tree includes prostitutes and Canaanites. It includes deceit and adultery. And yet Jesus didn't shrink back from any of that. He came into a sin-cursed family tree to rescue a sin-cursed world through his perfect life, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the grave. We're also reminded here, are we not, of the life-transforming power of faith. We see this for Rahab in her own life, we see it for her family, we see it for the impact that she would have down through the ages. We mentioned this morning Jesus' remarkable words that he gives in Matthew chapter 17 and verse 20. For verily I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Well, Brother Nick, that's hyperbole. Well, it certainly wasn't hyperbole for Rahab. In fact, I would argue Rahab experienced an even greater blessing than a moved mountain. She was included in the genealogy of the Messiah because of her faith. And friends, we're reminded that the power is not in the intensity of our faith. The power is in the object of our faith. Of course, our wonderful God who moves mountains. You know, you may be in this audience tonight, maybe you're struggling with a loved one who has not yet come to faith in Jesus Christ. Can I encourage you, friend? Remember that your God moves mountains. And I know, friend, it's, you know, I feel the same way. I have unbelieving friends, unbelieving loved ones that I've been praying for for years. And I know the temptation, you know, when you get down to pray and there's that voice that says, oh, it's just not worth it. You know, you've prayed those, you know, 50,000 other times, it hasn't worked. What makes you think it's gonna work now? Do we really believe in the power of prayer? Do we believe, friend, that our God can and indeed does do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think? Maybe tonight we need to be reminded that we have an awesome God. We can trust Him. Even when our faith is small, friends, the object of our faith is mighty. Don't give up. You might think, well, Brother Nick, you know, this is just this tiny church here in Paxton. You know, what difference can we make? What impact can we have? Do you really believe, friend, in the power of the Word of God? You believe in a God who moves mountains. And it's not because of slick marketing. It's not because of the pastor's personality. My personality is probably on par with a funeral home director. But if anything happens in this church, friends, it's because of our amazing God. His word is powerful. You know, the greatest danger that faces Grace Baptist Church, it may not be the type of thing that you're thinking. The greatest danger we face is not conflict within this body. It's not division. I know that that might be the first thing we would think of. Indeed, that can destroy churches. The greatest danger we face I don't think it's going to come through some notorious sin that we're trying to cover up and not deal with appropriately. I really believe the greatest danger we face is the same danger that faced the church at Sardis. You remember what Jesus said of them in Revelation chapter three, thou hast a name, but you're what? You're dead. We can get to the place where our faith grows cold and we no longer believe in the power and promises of Almighty God. We just, we approach this with skepticism. Well, you know, here we are, you know, we gotta do this again. Aren't we tired of business as usual? Aren't we tired of going to service after service and not seeing a single conversion to Christ? Aren't we tired of lifeless Bible reading? of lifeless praying, of lifeless preaching, of lifeless singing. Aren't we tired of just going through emotions, friends? God has more for us. And we have to believe, friends, that God can do great things in our midst. You say, Brother Dick, we haven't seen it yet. Maybe we haven't. But you know what? I know that there's power in the gospel. I know that our God can move mountains. And friend, what's needful for us is for us to entrust ourselves to God, even with that simple faith, even if it's not everything that it should be, if it's as a grain of mustard seed. Jesus says it's enough for God to do great and mighty things. Friend, let's reflect on the life of Rahab. Let's consider this example of a woman who was broken, who was fallen, who was flawed, who was sinful, and yet she had faith in an amazing God. God wrought great things in her life, and he can do the same for you and me. Father, thank you for the joy of preaching the word of God this evening. Father, we cry out to you because we need your help. In my own life, I often go back to the words of that man who had brought his son to Jesus, who said, I believe, help thou my unbelief. Lord, I suspect that's all of us in this room that belong to you, that yes, we believe, but help our unbelief, Lord. Give us faith. like the faith of Rahab, that looks beyond our experience of sight, and that clings to you, to your promises, in simple faith. Father, we pray that you would do a great work in our midst this evening. Convict the hearts of your people, draw them close to yourself, Father, give us a living and vibrant faith May we not grow cold, Lord. We beg your help. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. We're gonna do something a little bit different. I know that's always scary to people. We're not gonna have a closing hymn, all right? So thank you to whoever was gonna play a piano. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna ask you to find maybe one or two people near you, all right? I know, this is different. I want you to get together in a little prayer group, and I want you to think, and we'll keep this simple, all right? What is the one prayer request that you have that you really want the Lord to break through in your life to bring about? Maybe it's something you've been praying for for years on end, and you've not seen an answer. I can tell you, friend, we've got a room full of people that want to encourage you, right? We're surrounded with fellow members of the body of Christ. So I'm gonna leave this up to you. You find one or two people sitting near you, or if you wanna find somebody that's a little further away, that's fine too. Find a small group. This doesn't have to be long. You can keep it simple. Two to three minute prayers, but share a request that you have, that you're praying for, and go through the group and pray for those requests. I really believe the Lord can break through for us. You believe that? You have confidence in the promises of God? So, let's take this opportunity. Find one or two people near you. Don't be shy, right? You're among friends. And whenever you're finished praying, you're welcome to dismiss. Of course, you can fellowship in the back quietly if people are still praying here. But go find one or two people and get into a group and let's bring our requests to the Lord in prayer. Okay.