As we return to our series in Hebrews 11 on the Hall of Faith, we are again confronted
by Old Testament figures that many refer to as “heroes.” To be sure, our
culture is fascinated with the hero archetype. Stories as old as Homer’s Odyssey and the Iliad have celebrated heroic figures. More recently creative people
came up with comic book characters full of various heroes, each with their own
corresponding powers. These comics were then turned into TV shows and movies
that gross record sales. Now, one hero is not enough; they are putting two,
three, and four together in one motion picture (as witnessed in movies like the
Avengers). Even now, Batman and Superman are sharing the big screen and soon
Captain America and Iron Man will take their turn in front of audiences
worldwide. There is something about heroes that resonates within us as human beings.
We want to be like them and, I imagine, apply their saving powers to the
situations we often face or see on our TV screens. If only, we might say, I
could be like “so and so” or borrow “this or that” super power, I could fix “such
and such.” However, is this really the right idea?
Today we are going to look at the next installment in the Hall of Faith and learn about what our
role is when we face the problems of this world—problems that require a hero.
In Hebrews 11:30-31 two members of a dynamic duo are mentioned that will teach
us our place in the saving business.
The Hero-11:30
The next story as retold by the preacher in Hebrews begins
at the end when it says in verse 30, “by faith the walls of Jericho fell down”
(11:30a). However, so much more than a bunch of barricades collapsed when
Joshua faced this wicked city head on all those years ago. Here is how the
original account reads:
Joshua 6:20-21-“So the people shouted, and priests blew
the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people
shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went
up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city. They
utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old,
and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.”
What is referenced here by the preacher in Hebrews is
nothing short of total and complete destruction.
However this kind of destruction raises an issue or two when
it comes to the nature of God. Many skeptics will ask, “How can a God that we
claim is good command the kind of destruction witnessed here?” This, to be
sure, is a compelling question; however, it is not unanswerable.
For starters, God had promised the Israelites this land and
the citizens of Jericho were not about to give it up. Though some might have
opted for a more “diplomatic solution,” the Bible makes it clear in a number of
places that the kind of people that occupied this particular territory were
exceedingly wicked, destructive, and not about to hand over things quietly.
Second, God knows the bigger picture and is working things out for His glorious
purposes. We know because of what the rest of Scripture reveals that eventually
in order to bring His Son into the world through the Jewish people (the people
promised to bless the world), there would have to be a Jewish people in the
future. Therefore, allowing a substantial enemy—or even the threat of future
generations of enemies—was counterproductive and risky. Therefore, in order to
allow for the greater good—Jesus Christ who came to provide salvation to the
world—threats like Jericho had to be dealt with soundly. It gave God no
pleasure to command this; but it did pave the way for something truly glorious.
Led by Moses’ successor Joshua, the people of God were
victorious over this formidable enemy in the Promised Land, thereby gaining a
foothold in the long-awaited territory. However, the “battle of Jericho” was
unlike any battle that had ever been waged.
Such a victory only came after the people of God, led by
Joshua, obeyed the Lord in faith. In
fact, extraordinary faith was required as the Lord wanted to destroy the
Amorites in Jericho in a way never before accomplished. Here is how the
instructions read in Joshua 6:1-5:
Joshua 6:1-5-“Now Jericho was tightly shut because of
the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The Lord said
to Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the
valiant warriors. You shall march around the city, all the men of war
circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests
shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; then on the seventh
day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the
trumpets. It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's
horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout
with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the
people will go up every man straight ahead.’”
Without hesitation, Joshua led the people of God around the
city, and around and around, and around, again and again, until every
instruction of God was met with obedience. Then, and only then, would God bring
the victory He promised. This is why verse 30 qualifies the victory with,
“after they had been encircled for seven days.”
The obedience of God’s people as witnessed in this short
verse is also what qualifies Joshua for the hall of faith. Imagine coming to
your people in the briefing room in preparation for war in a foreign land and
disclosing these kinds of instructions! Your generals would think you had lost it
somewhere in the wilderness! Never had a battle been waged like that! However,
this is exactly why God commanded it—God wanted to fight this battle for His
people. Remember the definition of faith that has informed every story in this
hall of Hebrews 11:
Hebrews 11:1-“Faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Surely the people of God hoped for victory in their new land
and had to trust that the promise of this victory in spite of what they
saw—Jericho—God was capable of bringing this victory to pass. Joshua knew this
and believed it himself. In fact, his name—“Joshua”—means “God is salvation.” Given
these peculiar instructions, God would have to come through and prove to be the
Jews’ salvation in this episode.
In fact, while any other means of destroying Jericho may
have made more sense, God’s way, though peculiar, was the only way that would
result in victory and blessing. In this way, though some might have initially
thought that Joshua is the hero in the dynamic duo mentioned in this passage,
God ultimately is. It is His plan, provision, prompting, and power that brings
this victory and every following victory to pass for the Israelites. The same
is true for our lives.
As we look at the hero of this story we learn that God has
not called people to be the heroes in
their stories—He has called them to be obedient in His story. While any other
way of living, striving, succeeding, etc. might seem more popular, more
explainable, more comfortable, or easier, God’s way as found in His Word,
though peculiar, is the only way that guarantees victory and blessing in the
end. Though we kid ourselves into believing and our American culture goats us
into striving to be our own hero, God is ultimately the only hero. It is His
plan, provision, prompting, and power that brings us victory in anything.
The Sidekick-11:31
Every hero has a sidekick…right? Superman had Lois Lane;
Batman has Robin; even “the Lone Ranger” had Tanto! The same is true in this
story. However, this sidekick is quite unexpected. Her name is Rahab and aside
from the helpful and fruitful end of her life, she lived the majority of her
existence in the same sinful cesspool that Go dintended to destroy—Jericho. She,
herself, was a citizen of this God-forsaking city. If that wasn’t bad enough, three
times over Rahab is referred to as “the harlot,” and the Hebrew term zoonah and
the Greek word porne have at no time meant anything other than
a woman who yields herself indiscriminately to every man approaching her. In
the years leading up to her interaction with the people of God, Rahab indulged
traveling merchants that came her way and were housed in her small apartment
that was nestled in Jericho’s walls. However, the first thing that we are told
about this sketchy character in Hebrews 11:31 is, “By faith, Rahab, the harlot
did no perish…” (11:31). This much is clear from how the story is recorded in
Joshua.
Joshua 6:22-23-“ 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.’ 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.”
Therefore, one might say that the destruction of Jericho was
not totally total. Though it mentions in Joshua 6:24 that,
Joshua 6:24-”They burned the city with fire, and all
that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they
put into the treasury of the house of the Lord…”
Rahab escaped this fate because Rahab was not counted as
“those who were disobedient” (11:31b).
Joshua 6:25-“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,…”
Why?
Rahab proved to be an excellent sidekick of God’s in getting
His will accomplished in Jericho. Earlier in the story as it is recorded in
Joshua, she in her own special way contributed to the victory that God was
bringing about.
Joshua 2:1-8- “Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two
men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially
Jericho.’ So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was
Rahab, and lodged there. It was told the king
of Jericho, saying, ‘Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight
to search out the land.’ And the king of Jericho sent word to
Rahab, saying, ‘Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your
house, for they have come to search out all the land.’ But
the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, ‘Yes, the
men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. It
came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the
men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you
will overtake them.’ But she had brought them up
to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order
on the roof. So the men pursued them on the road
to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had
gone out, they shut the gate.”
Many have speculated as to why Rahab behaved in this way. Given
her background and profession, one wonders why she would give refuge to these
foreigners. However, some have speculated that she had come to learn the facts
of the Exodus of Israel, the miracle of the Red Sea, and other victories of the
people of the one true God in her interactions with travelers. Her curiosity of
this peculiar people was satisfied upon meeting a couple of their spies, Jewish
spies, and in her interactions with them God confirmed what she already
suspected. Here were two men that proved different from other men who came
seeking her favors. These were men of God, not idolaters. These were men bent
on one mission. Therefore, she planned their protection and escape. This is
what the Hebrews text refers to when it says, “after she had welcomed the spies
in peace” (11:31c).
Though a simple act, Rahab’s daring move was no small feat.
She gave up her own people for a couple of strangers! Though her safety would
have been assured if she had given these spies up, she instead takes a deadly
risk in directing the king’s men elsewhere. Every moment she hid those spies
was a moment the jig could have been up—a moment when the king’s men could have
discovered her secret and killed them all! She wasn’t perfect, but she, in her
own incomplete way understood that the God of these spies was special and that
the people they represented were to be given claim over Jericho. Surprisingly
and quite unexplainable, she had faith! Faith that risked it all so that God’s
will could be accomplished.
In exchange
for her daring act, she asks in the original account of the spies that she be
spared upon the city’s destruction. In their response they guaranteed her
safety.
Rahab’s life was spared because she proved an excellent
sidekick! The most unlikely person in the world was used in the most wonderful
way! God sure does know how to pick them doesn’t He? Here is a woman that the
Bible cannot help but call a harlot, a woman whose whole life up to this point
was lived in one of the most wicked cities in all of the world, a woman who had
nothing to lose but her own life. And yet, because of her simple faith, she is
not only spared here, she is praised throughout the rest of the Scriptures.
Three times she is referenced in the New Testament and once in a most unlikely
place—the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:5). Yes, Rahab was Boaz’s
mother—the same Boaz who was the grandfather of king David! Talk about a life
changed!
When we looked at the hero of the story we learned that God
doesn’t want people to be the heroes of their own stories; He wants people to
be obedient in His. Here, as we examine this unlikely sidekick, we learn that
anyone, yes ANYONE who is obedient to God can join His cause and be used in
incredible ways.
So What?
In this passage we have witnessed the awesome power of God
that brings total victory when people obey Him and join His story in faith. Against every comfort and
commonality, the people of God are those who follow HIs directions, no matter how
peculiar, and, as a result, experience His blessings. When this is done right,
God becomes the hero of one’s story. Can this be said of your life? Or, are you
too busy trying to prove something to the world around you or to yourself?
Anyone attempting to be the hero of his/her life story will soon be defeated by
the very world or foe that he or she intends to conquer. Instead, our energy
would be better spent enjoying our role as sidekicks. Truth be told, anyone,
that is, ANYONE can join God on mission and be used in amazing ways. All it
takes is fearing Him more than anything else. If He can use a harlot and is
pleased to include her in Jesus’ genealogy, He can use you and me.
So, what is your Jericho? What is standing in front of you
right now that needs to be destroyed or circumvented? Perhaps it’s a habit, a
toxic relationship, secret, illness, or vocational obstacle. This passage
instructs us that in the face of any difficulty we are not to try and save ourselves,
but be saved by following the Lord’s direction and joining Him whenever He
calls us to do whatever He asks. This is the kind of faith worthy of the Hall
of Faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment