THE LORD'S POWERFUL HAND

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. The men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, armed, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.

That day, the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan." So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan."

And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

On the tenth day of the first month, the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what He had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God."

Joshua 4:10-24

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The time had finally come for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. To facilitate this, God parted the Jordan River and “the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle”. After “the people hurried over”, the scriptures tell us that “about forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war”.

What a majestic sight this must have been as Israel finally entered Canaan!

After everyone had crossed over, we read where God exalted Joshua “in the sight of all Israel” before telling him this:

“Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan."

So Joshua did as the Lord commanded. The priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord and “no sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before”.

God’s latest miracle was completed.

So now in Canaan, the Israelites “went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho…on the tenth day of the first month”. There, Joshua set up “the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan” before saying the following to God’s people:

“In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?', tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when He dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God."

It’s obvious that the Lord expected His people to never forget the day that He made the way for them to cross the Jordan. His amazing act was to be passed down to all the generations that were to follow. To that end, we read where Joshua set up the twelve stones at Gilgal as a memorial to the work of God’s mighty hand and how He had divided the flood-stage waters to allow safe passage for His people.

Now, a couple of quick questions…

Do you hold any memories of how the Lord’s powerful hand has worked in your life or the lives of those you love?

Have you committed yourself to always tell future generations of all the good things God has done, just as the ancient Israelites were told to do?

Personally, I can share this testimony so you can see what it might look like.

For in 2002, my wife Grace went to the emergency room of a local hospital with abdominal pain. I was in the Navy at the time and my ship was at sea for just a 24 hour period but it turned into what seemed like an eternity.

You see, less than twenty-four hours after going to the ER, my wife ended up in intensive care in the critical care unit. Testing showed she had contracted a major bone marrow disease called essential thrombocytosis, a condition where the body mass produces platelets without regulation. In other words, her body was turning into a big blood clot.

While in the intensive care unit, her platelet count was over four million (normal is 100,000 to 400,000) and after racing to the hospital once my ship was moored, I vividly remember praying for the Lord to perform a work of miraculous healing so Grace would live. And the Lord delivered, not because I dictated it because no one tells God what to do. Rather, it was His will for Grace to survive and I am happy to report that she remains in remission today, twenty-four years later.

During this ordeal, God taught me something that was very important, something that has helped me minister to so many others through the years. For while in prayer as Grace was in intensive care, the Lord reminded me that she didn’t belong to me because she was His child.

In other words, Grace wasn’t mine just because we were married. From the day she was conceived, she was God’s and His alone, and He had blessed me with the opportunity to marry her and be her husband.

Indeed, it was the Lord who ordained our coming together and He has set forth every day we have spent together ever since, a rich blessing to always be celebrated and praised. But even with this, God doesn’t intend that this marriage will last forever but rather as long as He wants it to last. For a day is to come when either Grace or I will be called home to receive the promise of eternal life received the day wMe believed in Jesus as Savior.

If Grace is called first, believe me when I say that I won’t begrudge losing her for a moment. Instead, I will choose joy, giving thanks for every single moment that the Lord allowed us to spend together as one flesh. And on a broader scale, I have learned to be very intentional in appreciating everything God is doing in and around me, especially the little things that could easily be taken for granted.

So that’s my testimony about experiencing the power hand of the Lord move in my life. If you have a story to share, please drop a comment to this message and bless others with it. For the truth of the matter is that the wonder-working power of God is always at work…every second of every minute of every hour of every day…and it’s only a matter of time before He will touch every single person He has created in some special way and in His special time.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

REMEMBER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

Joshua 4:1-9

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Joshua, Chapter 3 ended, we saw where God reenacted a miracle before the Israelites, parting the Jordan River while it was at flood stage to allow His people to cross over into Canaan.

As Chapter 4 opens, we pick up the story with the entire nation having crossed over the river when Joshua issued a command that one person from each tribe, twelve in all, were to “take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan” from “where the priests stood”. They were then to “carry them” and “put them down at the place” where they would stay the night.

So each person walked onto the bed of the Jordan River, picked up a stone, twelve in all, and “carried them…to their camp, where they put them down”. Joshua then “set up the twelve stones…at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood”.

These twelve stones were to serve as a reminder to the Israelites…a reminder of God’s miraculous power that He had displayed at that place and time. We should note that this wasn’t intended for that particular generation of Israelites. We know so because of these words from Joshua to God’s people:

“In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

In this passage we’re reminded that God’s miraculous works weren’t performed to be forgotten. Rather, He expected His people to always remember the things He had done for them. He also wanted His people to tell others about His mighty works so that His reputation would span generations.

Later on in biblical history, we find that God’s only Son…our Savior Jesus…was a worker of incredible miracles as well. After all, He was God in every way…one with His Father (John 10:30)…perfect, almighty, powerful, majestic, and holy in every way. His ministry on earth showed that nothing was beyond the work of His hands, including victory over death and a resurrection into eternal life. Thankfully, He didn’t just do this for Himself but also so sinners like you and me could follow if we would choose to simply place our belief and trust in Him as Savior.

Like His Father, Jesus didn’t want us to forget what He had done either. His suffering in our place on Calvary’s cross and subsequent ascension into Heaven to sit on God’s right hand were to never leave the minds of His followers. And so He commanded that His disciples remember how He loved and died for them. Here’s what we read in the eleventh chapter of 1 Corinthians:

“…The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Jesus commanded, “Do this in remembrance of me.” His words cry out for us to never lose sight of what He endured to pay the price for our sins.

And do as we participate in the sacrament of communion at our church homes, we’re to always remember that Jesus’ body was broken and bruised instead of ours. We need to always remember that it was His atoning blood that streamed from His head and hands and feet, cleansing us and washing away all our sin with every precious drop. We need to remember that His life, death, and resurrection instituted a new covenant… a promise of eternal life…whether Jew or Gentile…for anyone who would believe in Him. Indeed, when Jesus entered the gates of Heaven to sit in authority over all things, He made the way clear for others to unlock the door to the Kingdom and enter in so to take their place in one of the many mansions He has prepared (John 14:2-6).

Friends, as we into each and every day, let’s answer Jesus’ call to remember.

Let us remember God’s goodness and love…His willingness to make a way for sinners like us to be saved through His Son.

Let us remember how His Son Jesus modeled the love of His Father by healing, teaching, resurrecting, and eventually dying for not just some sinners but all.

Finally, we must remember that we are to mimic the life of Jesus in our lives as Jesus believers, to be Christ-like in all we do as Christians. This includes embodying His self-sacrificial, loving attitude towards others as we carry out His Great Commission call to make disciples of all nations.

For when we live as He lived, we show Him that we have responded well to His call to remember.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

AN EVER PRESENT, LIVING GOD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them.

And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.' "

Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord - the Lord of all the earth - set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Joshua 3:6-17

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Remember when Moses led the Israelites out of their Egyptian captivity into the desert wilderness and away from Pharaoh?

If you do, then you’ll recall that something miraculous happened when the people of Israel and their leader arrived at the Red Sea. For with Pharaoh and his army in hot pursuit, God parted the great sea so Israel could pass through on dry land before sending the walls of water crashing down on the Egyptian ruler and his forces, killing them all (Exodus 14).

Fast forward with me now to the third chapter of Joshua where we’re present with a completely new generation of Israelites. I’m sure they all had heard the stories of what God had done before to save their ancestors and now they were about to experience a similar miracle themselves at the Jordan River as they prepared to enter Canaan, the land God had promised .

We read in our scripture passage where Joshua gives this command to his priests:

"Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people."

And while the priests were carrying out the order, we find God coming to Israel’s new leader and saying this:

“Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.'"

Responding to the Lord’s desires, we find Joshua bringing the Israelites together and sharing the following:

“Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord - the Lord of all the earth - set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

In our passage, we learn that the Jordan River was at flood stage all during harvest which was obviously the time the Israelites would be crossing. It was obviously way too dangerous to cross conventionally and so the stage was set for God to once again put His full power on display. For “as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing”, piling “up in a heap a great distance away at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan”. At the same time, the “water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off”. In other words, the Jordan River was parted just as the Red Sea had been years earlier and “the people crossed over opposite Jericho” on dry ground where there was once a river. The priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, “stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan” until “all Israel passed by” and “completed the crossing.”

Imagine being there at the Jordan with the Israelites. What emotions would have been racing through your heart, mind, and soul as you watched the river’s water rise up on either side, leaving a dry pathway for you to cross over? How do you think Joshua felt as he saw God deliver on the miracle He promised? Wouldn’t all of them feel strongly at that point that their Lord was indeed with them? I can’t help that the experience empowered and encouraged them for the challenges that were yet ahead.

My friends, the good news for us today is that the living God of ancient Israel is still with us, every second of every minute of every hour of every day…and He is always showing us His presence through the miraculous work of His hands.

Just consider all the little things we too often take for granted.

The sun that rises to provide us light and warmth.

The night that brings us dark and coolness to rest as well as the stars and planets to look up and marvel at.

How about the air we breathe…the earth we walk upon?

God made it all, giving us everything we need to survive. He continues to sustain us by His provision each and every day.

Further, He is ever putting His powerful, healing hand to work, a hand that can bring healing from affliction that often baffles science and worldly convention with just a single touch, much like the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years who went to Jesus and gained immediate relief (Matthew 9:20-22).

Yes, we serve a loving Lord through which all things are possible, a living God who is with us and for us, He never leaves us nor forsakes us, consistently making the incredible commonplace within the world we live.

In today’s passage, the people of Israel saw first-hand that God was present and in a big way. If we keep our eyes open today, we too will recognize how He is still living and working in the lives of His people, making Himself known while revealing His ability to do anything. As always, let us give Him all our honor, glory, and praise.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

LOOKING FORWARD TO TOMORROW

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Early in the morning, Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days, the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

Joshua 3:1-5

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Joshua, chapter 3 opens, we pick up after the Israelite spies successfully returned from their reconnaissance mission in Jericho, having been sheltered and shielded by the prostitute, Rahab. In the opening five verses, we find “Joshua and all the Israelites” setting “out from Shittim” and heading “to the Jordan where they camped” for “three days” before they would cross over the river into the Promised Land. The scriptures then tell us that the “officers went throughout the camp” and gave the following orders to the people:

"When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

You may remember that the ark of the covenant represented God being with His people and so it was only fitting that the ark would always precede the Israelites and they would follow it wherever they went. They were about to enter a foreign land with lots of uncharted territory…and so they would need their Lord to lead and guide to where He wanted them to go. All they needed to do was remain faithful and obedient, placing their full trust in Him.

Given all this, we find Joshua telling the Israelites to "consecrate” themselves because “the Lord” was about to do “amazing things among” them the next day and I’m sure there must have been loads of eager anticipation within the camp about finally getting to cross the Jordan and into Canaan. It was something the previous generation of Israel sinfully failed to do after not trusting God (Numbers 14) and this current generation was determined to not make the same mistake again.

Since God would be leading His people into the land He promised, a land that would be considered holy ground, the Israelites were expected to consecrate themselves, setting themselves apart from the world and its ways before they were participated in such a holy event guided by a holy ark and a holy God.

Now, you’ll recall that consecration required washing of clothes and abstinence from sexual relations (Exodus 19:14-15). In other words, purity was critical and the Lord expected His people to be holy because He was holy (Leviticus 19:2)...and it was in and through His holiness and power that amazing things happened in plain sight of the Israelite people.

Friends, this is great news for us today for the same God of Israel is the God we serve now, a God who still consistently and persistently does amazing things in our midst. He is the God of unlimited possibility…meaning that there’s nothing to impossible for Him to do (Matthew 19:6). Indeed, our Lord routinely takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary.

This becomes a game-changer for when we believe and trust that God can do all things, that’s when we find Him showing us just that. He allows us to be eyewitnesses of His miraculous works which lead us to a place where we hold the greatest reverence, respect, and awe of Him.

Like Israel, all believers should look forward to tomorrow with the highest level of excitement over what God might do. For He and He alone is capable of making the improbable probable and indeed He always makes something remarkable happen every day.

What an awesome Lord we serve!

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

CHANGED AND USED FOR A PURPOSE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then 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.

The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." So 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."

But 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. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)

So 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.

Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, "I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in Heaven above and on the earth below. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

"Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land."

So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."

The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear."

"Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua, son of Nun, and told him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, "The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

Joshua 2

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we get to the second chapter of Joshua, we find Israel’s new leader deciding to secretly send two spies across the Jordan and into Canaan to “look over the land…especially Jericho”. In our passage for today, we find that the two spies do as Joshua commands and the scriptures tell us they entered “the house of a prostitute named Rahab” where they stayed.

Of interest, although the spies believed they had entered Canaan undetected, we read where the king of Jericho somehow finds out about them, sending the following 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."

How did Rahab respond?

Well, we see where she had no intention of blowing the spies’ cover. Instead, she hid them under the stalks of flax on the roof of her home before saying this to the king’s men:

"Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them."

With this, we see where the king’s men believed Rahab and “set out in pursuit of the spies” traveling “the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan”. The gate of the city was shut “as soon as the pursuers had gone out”.

So for now, the spies were safe but there was now some urgency for them to depart before the king’s men returned. This is why we find Rahab going to them before they “lay down for the night”, saying:

“I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in Heaven above and on the earth below. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

The words of Rahab reflected her faith in the God of Israel. She knew of God and what He had done, believing that He could indeed do all that she had heard and more. This is why she feared the Lord, begging the two Israelite spies to intercede for her and her family. Specifically, she asked that their lives might be spared in similar fashion to how she had made the way for the spies to avoid death at the hands of the Jericho king. Note that the spies agree to honor her request but only if she continues to conceal them and not report them to the Jericho authorities.

And so Rahab lowers the spies “down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part before giving them the following guidance:

“Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."

We read where the spies agreed to honor Rahab’s request, ensuring her that she and her family would be protected when Israel entered with one condition. She had to tie a “scarlet cord in the window through which (she) let (them) down”. She was then required to have her entire family in the house because it was the only way they would be safe. If anyone chose to leave the home and go outside, the promise would be broken and no fault would fall on the spies for their deadly decision.

With this, Rahab sent the spies on their way before tying the scarlet cord in her window as requested. The spies followed Rahab’s direction and “went into the hills” where they “stayed…three days” until their “pursuers had searched all along the road” before returning to Jericho “without finding them”. The spies then “started back”, going “down out of the hills” where they “forded the river and came to Joshua, son of Nun”, telling “him everything that had happened to them”. Then, they added these words of assurance to their leader:

"The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

As we close this passage, we need to keep in mind that the Israelite spies only were able to return to Joshua because of the actions taken by Rahab who was willing to harbor and protect them. This made her an important player in God’s overall plan, even though she was a prostitute by trade.

Overall, this is an amazing story in Israelite history and lore. Through it, we learn two important things:

First, we should never underestimate what God might do to fulfill His plan.

If someone would have been asked to guess who the hero or heroine might have been who saved the two Israelite spies, I’m pretty sure Rahab the prostitute wouldn’t have been in the top 100. And yet, God used her in powerful ways for His glory and to ensure His will and way were done.

In the end, she and her family become part of the Israelite family.

Today, as we ponder what God might do in our lives or the lives of others, we should do so understanding that all options are open and all people are instruments for God to use. In Rahab, we see how our Lord truly transforms people from the inside out…especially when they acknowledge and revere Him like she did.

Second, never rule out who God might use for His awesome purposes.

When we look at the New Testament outside of the Gospels, the person most mentioned is the Apostle Paul. His writings dominate that part of the Bible and this might lead someone to think Paul had been the epitome of faithful servitude and holiness his entire life but it wasn’t so. For before Paul the apostle came along, he was Saul the persecutor and killer of Christians…that is until he encountered Jesus in a big way while traveling the road to Damascus. That engagement set in motion the steps that would transform Paul forever, diverting him towards the cause of Christ.

Rahab just serves as another example as God chose to use her for His purposes although she had represented the highest levels of sexual immorality. He transformed and changed her heart to not only serve Him and His people but earn her way into His family of faith.

If you’re like me, I’m sure you have looked at someone in society and judges them, perhaps even thinking that the act they committed had left them in a place that was beyond forgiveness. We are very adept in society at labeling people for the crimes they commit, labeling them with the crime they carried out. Some of those labels might be murderer, rapist, thief, child molester, abuser…and in today’s scripture, prostitute.

But here’s the thing about labeling…we’re not as good at labeling ourselves, are we?

What we are good at is giving ourselves a pass when we don’t do the same for others. In fact, we tend to view ourselves as somehow being better than others who have committed greater sins than we have. In some extreme case, people can judge while giving the impression that they had never sinned before, although the Bible makes it clear that every single person is a sinner that falls short of the Lord’s glory (Romans 3:23).

It’s equally true that no one is beyond the transforming, reforming work of the Holy Spirit and this means there is hope for anyone who would choose to repent, turn from their wicked ways, and commit themselves to the Lord’s service. This is what Rahab did…it’s what Paul did…it’s what every single Christ believer has done…and it’s what anyone else can do too, now and in the future.

And so let this be our prayer for all people everywhere…that they would turn from their sin and exchange their old life for a new one in Christ Jesus, a new life that will be dictated by God’s desire for their lives. For our scripture passage for today reminds us that the Lord can and will change anyone so to fulfill His plan, a plan which will ultimately lead to His glory.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: "Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.'"

But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: 'The Lord your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.' Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers until the Lord gives them rest, as He has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise."

Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!"

Joshua 1:10-18

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the very beginning of the Book of Joshua, chapter 1, the Lord gives instruction to His newly chosen leader of Israel, the man who this book is named after. In the earlier verses of this chapter, you’ll recall that God told him to get Israel “ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them”…a land that would include “every place where (Joshua) set (his) foot”…a “territory (that would) extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates…to the Great Sea on the west.” This was the Promised Land…the land of Canaan that God had promised every leader of Israel from Abraham until Joshua.

Now, God was about to fulfill that promise. All Joshua and the Israelites had to do was remain obedient to what the Lord had commanded, remember that He was with them always, and with that, be strong and courageous…confident that they would have victory over any enemy within the land they were inheriting because their Lord was fighting with and for them.

So Joshua goes to the “officers of the people” and commands them:

"Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.'"

He further reminds the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh that they will inherit the land where they presently were (the land east of the Jordan River) as God promised but all fighting men were to cross the Jordan and fight with their fellow Israelites. In other words, victory for Israel would be a team effort…all of their fighting men from each of the twelve tribes coming together to battle on behalf of their one true God…and that one true God would ensure victory.

In other words, it was essentially all for One (God) and One for all.

Well, after giving orders to the officers of the people, we see that the officers respond with an obedient, powerful response saying:

“Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!"

And so we know that Joshua didn’t only have God on his side but the people of Israel as well. He was now fully ready to step forward into Moses’ role and lead the Israelites into Canaan.

You know, this passage reminded me of a concern I have with the Christian church today. For when the church first started, everyone were just Christians…no other distinctions...just one body of Christ-believers who were all committed to one Savior and Lord (Jesus).

That first century Christian church was all for One (Jesus), knowing that the He was one with the Father (John 10:30) and the One who was the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)…the One who was with them and for them.

Now, ask yourself if we look like this as the Christian church today.

Are we REALLY all for One (Jesus) lock-stepped together for the common cause of Christ Jesus?

Or are we a world of Christ believers who identify more with a denomination or home church more than we identify with the world-wide body of Christ?

You see, my fear is that we have allowed the enemy to enter into the Christian church and fragment it, dividing and conquering the people of Jesus so that they might not reach their full effectiveness for the cause of the Gospel and he gets away with it because of our pride. He (Satan) is very skilled at getting individual churches and denominations to get all puffed up in the productive work they do within their respective frameworks for the cause of Christ, so much so that they get caught up in self aggrandization and satisfaction, unable to see how they could accomplish so much more for Jesus if they would come together with all other Christians in support of a common, collective Gospel cause.

Friends, it’s high time for a revival of ecumenicalism to reign supreme in the Christian church. It’s time for us to tear down the walls that Christ believers have built between themselves and truly join together as the universal body of Jesus Christ, the One who is the Head of the church (Colossians 1:18).

If this happened, can you imagine the power the church would hold…and how the world would be turned on its head by the groundswell of united Christian believers carrying out their Great Commission calling together. There’s simply no more time to be inefficient, ineffective, and dysfunctional as a body in carrying out what Jesus has called us to do. Now is the time for all Christians to be for the One (Jesus) as the One (the Head of the church) surely expects us to be, the One who is for us all, without question.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.