Devote all Jerchio To God, Rescue Rahab (Josh. 6:17-19, 22-23, 26-26)

9/2/2009 9:15 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time Focuses:  Devote the entire city to God; Rescue Rahab and her family

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Joshua 6:17-19; 22-23, 25-26

            Message of the verses:  “17 ¶  "The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18  "But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. 19  "But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.     22  Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her." 23  So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel.  25  However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26  Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, "Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates."

            The SD for today begins the last illustration of the principles of spiritual conflict and victory applicable to our lives today, and that principle is “After the victory:  Remember to obey God’s commands and give Him the glory.”  There are four sub-sections in this section and I am going over the first two in today’s SD.

            Joshua gave specific orders to the soldiers that they were to dedicate all of the spoils to the Lord with the exception of Rahab and her family.  All of the banned articles were to go into the treasury of the Lord.  Joshua even tells his soldiers that they were not to covet any of these articles or they would cause a great hardship on the nation of Israel.  It will be learned latter that this order was not followed and there was great hardship that followed.

            I suppose that the portion of the wall that Rahab lived on did not fall down, otherwise she and her family would have been killed.  She was supposed to hang a scarlet cord from her window to identify where she lived so Israel would not harm her.  The messengers did not know how God was going destroy this city so that is why it is supposed that their portion of the wall did not fall.

            Rahab and her family became believers in the God of Israel and she married Salmon and became an ancestress of King David and also the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.  This shows the wonderful grace of God is saving one of the Gentiles out of the place where all of them would die because of their sinful ways.

            In verses twenty-six Joshua makes a curse on anyone who would rebuild the city of Jericho and there was someone who did do this and the cursed followed:  “In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”  (1Kings 16:34) 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Dr. Wiersbe again quotes Andrew Bonar’s wise counsel in this section:  “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.”  As I mentioned in and earlier SD after the victory of my son David’s open heart surgery in May of 1981 I had one of the worst summers in all of my life.  I wish that I would have know this wise counsel at that time. 

            The tenth commandment is the most difficult for any person to keep.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Romans 12:1-2  “1 ¶  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
    
2. Proverbs 3:5-6  “5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”   
3. Psalm 139:23-24  “23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24  And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
4. Philippians 4:11  “11  Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
5. Ephesians 6:14-18  “14  Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15  and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17  And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
6. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

9/2/2009 10:11 AM