All fall short . . .

 

When it comes to being a sinner, the term applies to everyone. That means a deeply evil person who exploits others, kills, steals, etc. and a person who steps over the line and lies one time or who gossips once or who is full of pride at his own goodness are both sinners. Sin is sin and I’m either walking in the Spirit or walking in the flesh. Sin does not have a scale making one sin worse than another except in the way it affects me and everyone else.

God makes a point in the story of the Israelites when they conquered Jericho. They first sent two spies who were in peril and wound up at the house of a prostitute.

(She) said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. (Joshua 2:9–11)

Her confession of faith and the protection offered to the two spies was a God-thing. He used her faith, as imperfect as it might have been, for his purposes. She risked her own life to hide the spies. MacArthur points out that because Rahab lied to protect them, we might question the validity of her faith thinking that genuine believers wouldn’t lie like that. However, Abraham did. Sarah did. Isaac did. Jacob did. But the important thing to understand is that God honors faith, not deception, and not ever any ‘good’ deeds we do apart from faith.

The NT says: “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” (Hebrews 11:31) In this, she illustrates the depth and breadth of God’s amazing grace, but also that no matter what we are or were, have done or not done, God’s saving grace is about faith in Him, not about our performance. This is not an excuse to sin but a reason to trust Him!

Not only was Rahab a prostitute, she was not an Israelite but a Canaanite. Her people were idolatrous, barbaric, debauched, infamous even among pagans for their immorality and cruelty. Yet amid that exceedingly wicked society, Rahab came to faith in the Lord God. Her faith wasn’t perfect, nor was her knowledge of God’s moral law, but because she trusted God, she was spared during Jericho’s conquest, and then was given an even greater honor — she became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth, the great-great-grandmother of David, thereby becoming an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. (see Matthew 1)

PRAY: Jesus, I know there are people who say their lives are so horrid that God cannot forgive them. Rahab’s story illustrates that His grace is for all, those who appear ‘good people’ and those we would consider great sinners. You do not measure us like that. Your word says:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Romans 3:21–25)

To You all praise be given for Your great salvation which You offer to all, even to those we consider ‘vile sinners’ for Your Word says:

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. (Isaiah 64:6–7, italics mine)

PONDER: How do I feel when reading about this woman and about the truth that God isn’t impressed by any ‘good’ that I do apart from Him?

 

 

God, You want me to do what?

 

It is so easy to rely on what I see, to walk by sight. Most people do. They read a story in social media and believe it, passing it on to others. The news on television shows the aftermath of a storm and because that one scene is devastated, we so easily assume that the entire city is in shambles.

Some children know that “everybody is going” will gain them permission to go too, so we easily rely on hearing too, things like rumors and gossip, stories told by others, a verbal news report, even the claims made by politicians and many posts in social media. Try to imagine what went through the mind of Joshua when God told him what to do with Jericho.

The Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land. Forty years they wandered in the wilderness. That unbelieving generation had perished and Joshua was given the task of leading a new generation into the land God promised them. The first obstacle was Jericho—a well-fortified city that was near the mouth of the Jordan River.

In those days, some city walls were wide enough at the top to allow two chariots to run side by side. Jericho’s walls could have been like that because of its location near enemy borders. This city also had a well-trained army. For the people of God, overpowering this city was an impossible challenge. They were fewer in number and untrained in warfare.

Imagine how they felt when God asked them to march around that fortified city once a day for six days, then on the seventh day, march again with the priests blowing their horns and at their final blast, the people shouting. This seemed ridiculous, not only to them but to us who read the story.

However, as the NT says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” (Hebrews 11:30) From this story, the devotional writer affirms that faith is the key to spiritual conquest. What seems impossible, what looks and sounds impossible for us, is easy for God. In this event, He reveals His power and His people demonstrated their faith and humility.

I can imagine a bit of how they felt. At times, I’ve expressed faith in a particular thing and received looks of “really?” with raised eyebrows, or a look of pity for ‘this poor fool’ as if I am out of my mind to think God is going to do what I trust Him to do.

The Hebrew people were called upon to do something so odd, far from any typical military strategy. Yet the story reports what happened on the seventh day, after marching around the city seven times, with the priests blowing their rams’ horns, the priests gave one final blast, the people all shouted out loud, and the walls of the city collapsed. Faith reduced a formidable obstacle to a crumbled ruin and . . .

As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. (Joshua 6:20–21)

I remember a time when God gave me ‘odd’ directions. Our son was being bullied at school. He was popular with the girls but the two other boys in his class were angry and threatened him. God told me what to do and I instructed him to “invite them to come and fight at our home, in the garage, with boxing gloves.” He replied, “But mom . . .” and I added that we were to offer them milk and cookies before going to the garage. He smiled in understanding. Those two boys soon became his friends.

Since then, confidence in the power and love of God keeps growing. Formidable walls come down. Satan’s strategies turn into victories for God’s glory as He teaches me to trust Him, no matter what others say, no matter what life looks like, no matter how thick the barriers. God is enough.

PRAY: Jesus, right now I’ve some responsibilities in front of me that are not enemies but still make me feel inadequate and unable to overcome. I need to remember Joshua and listen to what You say, not be intimidated by what I see on that to-do list. Your advice to him is also for me:

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

PONDER: Think about the power of God and the reality that He never lets me down. He gives me great challenges at times, but also wants me to know that “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)