What shall we then say about Abraham? Romans 4:1-12.

 By the time you finish with Romans chapters two and three, you might wonder why God gave the law. It almost seems useless, but it is not, for it shows us the mercy of God. Those that choose not to figure out what the nature and character of God are, will never understand this statement.

What have we learned?

• That His law is righteous.

  If you only remembered one thing about the law, the idea that it is focused on love, starting with God and your relationship with Him would be crucial. Everything else lives in the concept of treating people right, based on love.

• His law is written on the heart of every human being; it always has been.

  We are told by scripture that there is no excuse, and there is nothing holding back God's righteous judgment from coming upon the nations and the Jews.

• Never let anyone tell you that God has cast away the Jews.

  Paul, in a sense, responds to this very thing when he tells us that the promise was made to Abraham and his seed. That promise has never been rescinded; and, if you will study Romans chapter 11, you will see that we Gentiles have been grafted into the good stock.

• No one is righteous.

  That sounds rather hopeless, but it is not because Jesus poured out His own blood to redeem us and sanctify us by that blood.

  Do you believe that? If you don't, then it is something that you have not acquired to yourself through faith.

  Perhaps the best way to understand this is to visualize that what happened with Adam in the garden was to modify his DNA to a damaged segment that gives us a propensity to sin, and that has been passed on to all humanity.

• And finally, the righteousness of God only comes through faith.

  As I pointed out above, the sanctification needed to make us righteous comes through faith alone. Jesus has done all that is necessary and will never go back on the cross for you. All you have to do is to accept that He gave you the opportunity for an eternal life with the Father, and all you have to do is believe and receive that life.

The authors segmented our Bibles into sections. This particular one opens with this line –

Abraham was justified by faith.

I am going to use the NASB, as it is my preferred translation (although it troubles me at times) for our introduction here.

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
(Romans 4:1 NASB)

Allow me to approach this idea of Abraham being my forefather. It was because of the promises made to Abraham that the Jews cling to their heritage, religion, and culture. Paul points out that these are not the things that make you righteous, it is the faith that Abraham had that made him righteous. Paul's letter to the church in Rome is a tedious effort to straighten that out.

I then am only a Jew because of God's adoption. How this adoption happened is central to the gospel that Paul preached.

• In Ephesians 1:4,5, Paul tells us that we were predestined to be adopted as Sons through Jesus Christ.

• To the church in Rome, chapter eight, verse fifteen, he writes that they have received a spirit of adoption.

• And, he informs the church in Galatia, chapter four verse five, that the price Christ paid allows us to receive the adoption as sons.

In case you did not notice, this adoption is available, but it is not automatic. This is where faith and acceptance come into play.

To make this interesting try to imagine going to an adoption agency and choosing a purple-haired teen, who is playing a video game they won't put down as you try to hold a conversation, that would not only establish their character, but you are trying to let them know what your character is, and what you can offer them.

In a sense, this is what God did with us, as He parks His vehicle in front of this global adoption agency. Having been given the tour, he has seen those living there and decides to adopt them all. He pays the fees - in this case the life of His own Son, and tells them all to jump into the bus. One young teen says, FINE!, I'll go, but I won't take out the trash. God just laughs knowing that in time, we all have to take out the trash.

The trash, in this case, is not only the junk we think we can't survive without, such as emotional baggage or habits we have developed because we thought they would help us survive; however, it is also bits of garbage that others have dumped into our lives through faulty teaching. In a simplistic way I have just buried volumes of theology into a simple statement; and, in time, the Holy Spirit that lives within you will teach you these things.

Romans 4:2 NASB For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

If Abraham was justified by works, what were the works?

God hoped the man would follow His instructions.

• God told Abram (he is not yet called Abraham), to leave this place and your relatives and go to a place I will show you. Rather open-ended, but, in time, Abram left.

  Genesis 12:1 NASB Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house To the land which I will show you;

  So many things happened along the way. There was the struggle with Lot's herdsmen; Lot is taken captive in a battle and Abraham has to rescue him; and then, Lot moves to Sodom – a horrible choice.

• Those instructions included circumcising yourself as a mark of this covenant he had with God. Circumcising yourself would have been monumental and painful, but then there was the request by God for Abraham to offer up his only son. This too would have been horrific and yet Abraham was within inches of killing his “only son” on the sacrificial altar. God stopped that process by “providing himself as the lamb.” Suddenly there appears a ram.

  “Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.” (Genesis 22:8-9 NASB)

  “He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.” (Genesis 22:12-13 NASB)

Ah, but Abraham was not justified by his works or actions, if I may. He was justified – made right by faith. We know this because we are told that Abraham believed God.

Romans 4:3 NASB For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Watch how Paul challenges the logic and religion, by pointing out that this righteousness is a gift and cannot be earned.

Romans 4:4 NLT  When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.

The problem is that, in some way, all religion makes you try to earn some aspect of your righteousness.

Romans 4:5 TLV  But to the one who does not work, but trusts in Him who justifies the ungodly, his trust is credited as righteousness—

This idea of gaining a righteous standing with God was understood by King David years before Paul came on the scene.

Romans 4:6-8 TLV  just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:  (7)  Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered.  (8)  Blessed is the man whose sin Adonai will never count against him.”

Remember earlier when I said that adoption is available to all, but it is NOT automatic. I had to restrain myself at that point because I wanted so badly to tell you your sin is forgiven and you did nothing to make that happen.

Look at what David says in verse 7. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered.”

The question then becomes, what are we to do with such freedom, and what does it imply?

Well, as the "Chrisitian" band, the Newsboys, said in their song “I Am Free”, you are NOW free, but to do what?

• to run

• to dance

• I am free to live for you

Some interpret this freedom as grace; however, many will tell you that this grace gives us the freedom to push the boundaries of sin, as though we are no longer subject to the law. How is that possible when the law is written upon our hearts?

Romans 4:9 NASB “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."”

Although I doubt you are confused, allow me to define who the circumcised are – the Jews.

Who then are the uncircumcised? The Gentiles.

In light of the fact that “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness,” Paul, in his Jewishness, gets a little saucy as he says.

Romans 4:10 NASB “How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;”

What was credited?

His righteousness.

Was he a Jew at the time?

The terminology, uncircumcised, would plainly tell you NO. So, Abraham was a gentile. The NLT translation states, “Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!”

And, he did this so that he might be the father of all, though they are uncircumcised. What's the importance of this? Abraham, an allusion to Jesus Christ, the Father, is the father to everyone who believes in Jesus.

Romans 4:11 TLV 

And he received the sign of circumcision

as a seal of the righteousness

of the trust he had

while he was uncircumcised,

so he might be the father of all

who are trusting while uncircumcised—

that righteousness might be credited to them as well.

But it is not just about the uncircumcised, as Abraham is the father of the circumcised who believe and walk in the steps of faith.

Romans 4:12 Moffatt NT “as well as a father of those circumcised persons who not only share circumcision but walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had as an uncircumcised man.”

No one is excluded, and under NO circumstance is God done with the Jews. He is, however, looking for the Jews to apply faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

Faith without works is dead. James 2:14-26.

James 2: 14 through 26.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

My friends, what good is it to say you have faith when you don't do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you? James 2:14 CEV 

My son in law will occasionally say, I am a Christian, but try talking to him about His relationship with the Father, and he will tell you that his relationship is private. I suppose, on an intimate and personal level, I can understand that, but then there is that admonition from Jesus.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NLT)

What does that say about your private and personal relationship?

Perhaps a lot, but who am I to talk, as I was a shy introvert most of my life. It was only the power of the Holy Spirit that changed me and gave me a boldness that I simply do not understand at times. I find myself scratching my head, and asking who was that guy because that was never who I was?

The NLT version of the Bible reads like this:

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?”

Let's examine this idea of faith for a moment.

Is it only a demonstrative faith that brings about your salvation?

Well, that was not the case for the thief on the cross. Pay attention to the conversational interaction between Jesus and that particular thief.

Luke 23:32-43 NLT

(32)  Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him......

(39)  One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

This is the first thing we have heard out of the other two. If they are of the same mindset, then it should not go well for them, but watch what happens.

(40)  But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?

The “other” criminal protested, by saying, don't you fear God? Now, where did he get that understanding from?

The thief's addendum, “even when you have been sentenced to die”, alludes to the idea that he has an understanding that there is a God to fear.
Assume a couple of scenarios:
1. They don't know God. If that is the case, how would anyone perceive or recognize that there was a relationship between this man in the middle of them and God?
That is a great question, and the only thing that would change this equation is that the one doing the protesting is a Jew. (Another assumption we make, is that the Jews are so constrained by the laws of God that they would never do anything wrong; this is, an illogical assumption, for we are ALL broken by sins effects.) We might make an assumption that the thief saw the traditional garment worn by all Jews, the one with the blue tassels, but that would not have happened as Jesus was stripped of His garments, beaten to look like hamburger, and a purple robe was draped over him. The Roman soldiers did gamble over a piece of clothing he had been wearing. But this could have been thought of as a common undergarment.
2. We can make the assumption that the protesting thief had seen and heard some of what Jesus said and did, but then, what do we know about Jesus that might best respond to that assumption? He went about doing good and healing all who were oppresses of the devil, and that should be enough to change any life.

(41)  We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

At this point, what has this thief done that demonstrates faith?
He acknowledged that Jesus was God, and then makes the most remarkable assertion, “this man has done nothing wrong!”
Is it possible, that he said this by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because in saying that, hasn't this thief just openly declared that Jesus is God's perfect son? 

(42)  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Here is another piece of acknowledgment, that would only come out of traditional Jewish training – that there is a kingdom that is expected and it is coming.

(43)  And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

In response to those three things, in which Jesus saw faith in the man, this man was guaranteed an eternal place with Jesus in paradise.

If I base my comprehension of what faith looks like upon the thief on the cross, then salvation is rather simple and non-dramatic, and yet, even if it is too simple, there are components within the man's declarations that are earth-shaking; and, if you were honest, you would probably have to admit that you know very people few people with that kind of depth or understanding of God.

Now remember that James is writing to Jewish converts, so don't let your Gentile mindset creep in here, as these people held tightly to traditions, the Holydays, and the law of God, just as James did.

“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?”(NASB)

Works is the Greek word ergon, and means that which one undertakes to do.

Since we have only been given one job - to be His witnesses, telling people about Him, what is He expecting us to do?

Simply that, tell people about Him. For those that struggle with this whole concept of demonstrably showing Jesus to others, James offers these words.

James 2:15-16 NASB If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, (16) and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

Once again, the mindset of James, as he seems to keep it in the family.

If we ignore the Jewishness of James for a moment, what can we see here?

Helping people in need:

• “ If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,”

Where else do we find some substantiation for feeding and clothing the needy?

In Matthew 25; there, Jesus, as the final judge, brings all the dead before Him; separates them into two groups, the sheep and the goats; and then, extends His invitation to the sheep to enter “the kingdom prepared for you.” Well, of course, these are shocked because they did all the religious things, we the pious, expect to see. But what was Jesus looking for?

For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. (Matthew 25:35-36 MKJV)

They saw the hungry and those without clothing.

What if these ignored what they saw?

Then they would hear some ugly words, like what we see when He addresses the crowd referred to as the goats.

Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; (Matthew 25:41-42 MKJV)

So what are we seeing so far?

Faith demands some action. For some it's words; for others it is actions; perhaps doing both is good.

I love how the Contemporary English Version conveys this next verse.

James 2:17 CEV  Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!

Many of you can see a pattern here, as some, it seems, are working and gaining God's favor, while others have faith. The standard assertion: Isn't faith a mandatory method of gaining entrance into the kingdom of God?

Well, that is certainly what I was told, but then I saw these passages in Matthew 25 and they made me start rethinking what I had been taught. Paul, in writing to Philemon, said,

And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. (Philemon 1:6 NLT)

So, there can be a generous action generated by faith. However, Paul also makes this statement:

We are Jews by birth and are not sinners like Gentiles. But we know that God accepts only those who have faith in Jesus Christ. No one can please God by simply obeying the Law. So we put our faith in Christ Jesus, and God accepted us because of our faith. (Galatians 2:15-16 CEV)

If I skimp on my reading and merely glance at the passage, I might only see, “God accepts only those who have faith in Jesus Christ.”

Now that is a true statement; but, it does not explain, for me anyway, Matthew 25 and the sheep; and, it seems a little short-sighted – let me explain. The passage continues to explain, “No one can please God simply obeying the Law.” Paul was writing to Jews just as James did, so he has to deal with some deep-seated teachings and traditions, one of which conveyed that keeping the law (and making a sacrifice) was the path to righteousness. Jesus, however, became our righteousness; having learned that, I put it into action and accepted Jesus as my salvation, and therefore, my righteousness.

I am so glad that the sentence continues to say,

“ So we put our faith in Christ Jesus, and God accepted us because of our faith.”

Paul, more than any of the others, would have been considered the expert among this lot, therefore we see what I, the Gentile, see as brutal, “We are Jews by birth and are not sinners like Gentiles.” I suppose this is where my grace kicks in because I know NONE of them to have an exclusive any more than I have with the Father – Thank you, Jesus, for that.

The Complete Jewish Bible reads:

Thus, faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions, is dead. (James 2:17 CJB)

I put actions to my faith and gained His righteousness, and therefore a promised home in His kingdom.

This next verse reminds me so much of the world right now.

James 2:18 CJB  But someone will say that you have faith and I have actions. Show me this faith of yours without the actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions!

Eugene Peterson makes this so clear.

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. (James 2:18 MSG)

If you take away one thing from this passage it should be this:

“Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.”

You can't have one without the other. After a speech like this, you would think that much of this argument would be obvious; I guess not, for James has to throw in the concept of one God.

James 2:19 CJB  You believe that "God is one"? Good for you! The demons believe it too—the thought makes them shudder with fear!

As you can see above, the Complete Jewish Bible comes across rather sarcastically, maybe the CJB reflects what many of us pick up on, that the Jews tend to be blunt. The Moffatt translation conveys this a bit differently.

You believe in one God? Well and good. So do the devils, and they shudder. (James 2:19 Moffatt NT)

Perhaps this too could be perceived as sarcastic, as what follows comes across harshly.

The demons believe it too—the thought makes them shudder with fear!

Stop for a minute and ask yourself, what did he just say?

• That there is only one God.
• The other thing that James gives acceptance to, is the fact that there are fallen angels/demons ever-present and battling about us in the spiritual realm.

Moving on.

James 2:20 NET. But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless?

Don't be this person. May of 2020, the year of infamy and quite probably the Lord's return, we remembered that the Thunderbird aerial demonstration team would possibly be flying nearby. Calling to the children to come outside quickly, one of them responds back with, “why!” To which, I responded, in your case, you can just stay in the house. Go back to whatever you were doing. Where is our sense of adventure?

While the Bible is filled with acts of faith combined with works, James only focuses on two.

Abraham

James 2:21-24 NLT  Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  (22)  You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.  (23)  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.  (24)  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

In Genesis 15 God spoke to Abram in a vision. A vision happens when you are awake and it is very much like watching a movie about your life or someone else's. In this vision, God spelled what He would do with and to Abram, and in Genesis 15:6, it tells us, that based upon what Abram saw, that:

“.. Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Genesis 15:6 NLT)

So God spoke words unto Abram's life, and Abram believed it, accepted what God had to say, and therefore demonstrated faith. This belief was counted as righteousness.

Righteous, according to Webster's dictionary = Just; accordant to the divine law. Applied to persons, it denotes one who is holy in heart.

What we saw in Abram's life were faith and actions. James refers to Abram, now called Abraham, and his offering of Isaac on the altar, as being the thing that brought about God's righteousness, but obviously it was much earlier than that, and the works that James speaks of, were not so evident that day when God showed him the vision.

Our other reference is Rahab.

James 2:25 NIV  In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

I will tell you straight that I hate this because it demeans her when it calls her a harlot/prostitute, but when I look up the words, in both the Hebrew and the Greek, it is an unavoidable ugliness. In the church I grew up in, prostitutes were merely sinners destined for hell unless God changed them, and most of the old ladies in the church held little hope for such women.

The story of Rahab comes from the book of Joshua chapter 2, and has Israel in attack mode and headed toward Jericho. Spies were sent out by Israel and they entered the town. Within a very short period of time, they entered the abode of Rahab and tell her, under the penalty of death, who they were and what is coming. Watch what happens as she demonstrates faith and then the associated action.

Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted 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 utterly destroyed. "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. "Now, therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." (Joshua 2:8-13 NASB)

Because of what she knew and the fact that the Israelites were here in her home, she exhibited faith and then action by her bartering.

“Now, therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”

As you know, the walls fell and Israel attacked, but all those in Rahab's home were spared. Considering that she was prostitute, do you think her family held her in high regard? Just that thought alone changes so many things about this woman, as she went to her, told them what was coming, and they followed her explicitly.

"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." (Joshua 6:17 NASB)

One other thing about this amazing woman. Matthew chapter one spells out the lineage of Jesus through Joseph.

Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. (Matthew 1:5 NASB)

And Jesse was the father of King David. And God, to show His righteous ways and cause, brings this woman into the line of Christ.

James ends this chapter with this:

James 2:26 NASB For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Put your faith into action. What's the most predominant thing we can do? Pray and withstand this evil plot of the enemy.

Rahab - a character study. Part of the Dispelling myths series. Chapter one.

I am not so sure there are myths involved, as it is more a case of suppositions. My interest in Rahab started long ago, as I heard the stories, but rarely ever read the story for myself. If you follow my posts, then you would know that I have gone through some dark times. I suspect that the sentence, "train up a child in the way that they should go" played a role in this freedom and understanding that I now have, for I knew that I needed to plant my heart and mind firmly in God's word. Sadly, when I started doing that, I found myself bored and confused; it was difficult to focus, and I kept hearing this voice in my head, saying, I have read this before. Anguished by this lack of motivation I talked bluntly and plainly to God about the situation, and I asked Him to make Himself real to me. I don't remember when my attitude changed, but it was shortly after that prayer. Soon after, I found myself seeing these Bible characters as real, with flesh and blood. Things quickly changed and I could see them struggle just you and I do.

Rahab was one of those characters. It has been several years since I last looked at Rahab, but my interest resurfaced recently as our men's group watched and listened to Francis Chan teach on the book of James, a book that references Rahab and her faith.

Look at what James had to say about the dear lady.

James 2:25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

As typical with men, there is the subtle laughter as they try to adjust their thinking to accept the fact God would use someone like a whore. I cannot remember the question asked, but I immediately began talking about this amazing woman and what she did. I then asked, how would I know any of those things, because I read through the Bible; that, and I have studied these characters multiple times as they are integrated into our lives as believers, at every turn.

This story of Rahab, like most everything else in scripture, has a background, and for us, that background comes primarily from the camp of Israel. So let's quickly look at that.

Moses has died, and the leadership role is now being passed to Joshua.

The entire first chapter of Joshua is essentially a directive to be strong, but there is an astounding statement that seems to make them invincible.

Joshua 1:3 CJB I am giving you every place you will step on with the sole of your foot, as I said to Moshe (Moses).

The connotation is, in battle. Consider how they, through the ten spies, step on the land of Canaan. Did they completely take the land God spoke of? No, and yet, in the long run, God's word is still valid, for the ground has been given to Israel. (Still today, there is bitter disagreement and fighting over this.)

Chapter one ends with a uniform agreement on the part of Israel's fighting forces.

Joshua 1:17-18 NASB "Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses. 18) "Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous."

I am not sure how to perceive this. Would the fighting men kill anyone that resisted one of Joshua's directives? The next plan we see is this,

Joshua 1:10-11 NASB Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11) "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, to possess it.'"

I always assumed that Jericho was one of the first cities Israel conquered, however, when you look at a map which indicates the traditional path that Israel took into the promise land. The chart shows them traversing north along the Eastern side of the Jordan and then crossing above the Sea of Galilee and then dropping down south on the Western side of the Jordan, into Jericho.

As a visual learner, I now have the placement of Jericho square in my thinking, and it is the next stop.

Joshua 2:1 NASB 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.

This ugly tale is where we first meet Rahab. Without a doubt, our introduction leaves something to be desired, as she is a harlot. What are the problems with this introduction? We immediately start assigning personality traits, personal habits, and a lack of intelligence and integrity; all of which are things we cannot discern as yet.

Let's start dissecting this.

• “then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
  Jericho was not the only thing on their list. The more they moved through the land, the greater their chances of being seen. The idea that Jericho was the top of Joshua's list was evident.
  Secretly is the Hebrew word cheresh, and can also mean silently.
  Webster's dictionary tells us that secretly is defined as: Privately; privily; not openly; without the knowledge of others.
• “So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab,”
  You are a stranger, in a strange land, and, you may not speak or read the same language, yet, you come into the house of a harlot. Think about that for a moment. I brought this up before the men that morning. A short time later, one of the men pushed his electronic pad at me. On it, was an etching found in stone, in front of a building that had been dug out of the ashes of Pompeii. It was overtly sexual and easily identifiable. It required no additional explanation, and the implications could easily mean a house of whoredoms.
  Working from the premise that we have no other information to build this story on, there is NOTHING in scripture that defines how the spies would have known this.
  If we lack documented, historical information, then all we have is conjecture, and sadly, inference opens the door to Rahab pandering these new men in town. Taking this debauchery one step further; what is there that explains why the two spies were going into her house? I want to believe that they were above self-indulgence, but it cannot be ruled out.
  You should be thinking along the same lines as I am, about now. While finding a friendly voice in a strange place might be considered a Godsend, the spies still need to investigate, and this would allow them to move about freely for a short time. Quickly, they explained the grave nature of their business and how quickly they could kill her. But then, they are trying to gain an ally and temporary safety.
• “and lodged there.”
  Lodge is Hebrew word shâkab and means to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose.)
  The intent is not to pass on more twisted thinking, but to make a point. We have sterilized God's word to the point that we cannot see that these were people, with frailties, just as we all have. If you follow the scriptural text, you will not see judgment coming from God about their actions. However far this went is none of our business, but in our quick judgments and condemnations, we dispatch people, like Judas Iscariot, to hell, while condoning the actions of these men. After all, it was war.

Joshua 2:2 MKJV And the king of Jericho was told about it, saying, Behold, men from the sons of Israel came in here tonight, to search out the country.

Apparently, someone had seen them and knew where they came from. What was even worse, is that the Israelis had been seen going into Rahab's house on the wall.

Joshua 2:3 MKJV And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring out the men that have come to you, those who have entered into your house. For they have come to search out all the country.

The king has sent messengers, probably armed guards, willing to kill. The demand is to bring out the men that come to you. Okay, here is where things get a little confused.

Joshua 2:4 CJB However, the woman, after taking the two men and hiding them, replied, "Yes, the men did come to me; but I didn't know where they had come from.

Think about what just happened. Messengers, capable of killing you, demand that you bring out the men that came into the home.

You want me to believe that the guards just stood outside and waited for her to return?

But if she was aware that this entourage was coming, wouldn't she hide them before they started knocking?

So, she, knowing that they want these men, hides them and lies about where they are. Her statement, “ Yes, the men did come to me; but I didn't know where they had come from.” To some degree this statement was right It wasn't long before they revealed their mission to her. Consider how she with minimal information, made a life-changing decision to believe the Israeli spies.

She continues the deception.

Joshua 2:5 CJB “The men left around the time when they shut the gate, when it was dark. Where they went I don't know; but if you chase after them quickly, you will overtake them.”

The Israelis were still in the house.

Joshua 2:6 CJB Actually she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax she had spread out there.

Does it make sense that they would merely take her word, No, or why else would she hide them under the flax?

Joshua 2:7 CJB The men pursued them all the way to the fords at the Yarden; as soon as the pursuit party had left, the gate was shut.

Not finding them, the king's messengers go in pursuit.

Joshua 2:8 CJB The two men had not yet lain down when she returned to the roof.

As we wandered through the book section at our local warehouse store, I looked at a devotional journal that focused on women of the Bible. Rahab was listed, as she should be, but the author's version of the story was what we come to expect when tradition rules our thinking; as it conflicted with what the Bible says.

How easy it is to twist a story.

Joshua 2:9-11 NASB and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10) "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 utterly destroyed. 11) "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

Without this information, we could never adequately understand what transpired that made her heart turn toward the God of Israel.

What did she tell us?

• I know that the LORD has given you the land.
  This statement is a verbal demonstration of her acceptance.
• That the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.
  We see terminology like this all throughout the Bible. And yet, when you read the biblical stories, you come to find that in reality, it means quite a few. The number is significant enough to be on the alert for spies.
• For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt.
  Consider how many, choose to dispute or deny, the Red Sea crossing. Here is this woman, whom many would disregard, spelling out a common understanding and belief about Israel's passage through the Red Sea, on dry land.
• What you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon, and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
  And lastly, the most impactful statement of all of them.
• When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
  When it comes to making a confession of who God is in your life, this would be it. Having written recently about Jonah, one of the things we learn of, is that Jonah was a sign. Can you see that God's guidance and actions have been signs?

Many of you are aware of Rahab already. You may also be mindful that she becomes an integral aspect of the lineage of Jesus, our King.

In spite of your ugly titles or bad reputation, the God who knows the beginning from the end will find a way to draw you into the kingdom. You could not convince me that this woman did not have a changed heart; a change we like to call salvation.

Soon, the action will get more intense as Israel, following God's directions, marches around the wall. This amazing woman will continue to play a miraculous role.