Bible Heros: Rehab part 2
Do you have people in your world that you would love to see in a relationship with our loving God? This week we will learn what Rahab has to teach us about our own faith and whether it is actually alive or dead and guess what?
A dead faith does not activate the power and authority of the Holy Spirit!
Last week we began a discussion about Rahab, who bravely hid two spies sent by Joshua into Jericho. If you haven’t read it yet you can catch up here.
Part of the agreement that was made between Rahab and the two spies after she hid them was that she was to release a scarlet cord from her window. This cord would be a message to Joshua and the Israelites that she lived there and that a promise had been made that her and her household would be saved from the destruction that was to come on the city.
This story has remarkable similarities to the deliverance that took place in Egypt with Moses and the final plague. Do you remember the story? It was the night before the Israelites were finally set free by Pharaoh and God sent the Destroyer into Egypt killing the first born son of every house hold.
Every household that is except where the blood of a lamb was placed on the door posts as had been instructed by God to the Israelites. This blood, this scarlet blood, would be a message, a decree, a sign of promise that those in that household would be saved from the impending curse of death.
The blood was a sign that the household would be protected
The scarlet cord out the window of Rahab’s window was also a sign that the household would be protected.
Not only was the scarlet cord a reminder of what had happened in Egypt but it was also a foretelling of the ultimate Scarlet Cord that was to come. A Scarlet Cord that would offer salvation to ALL who would come under its protection. That is, the precious scarlet blood of Jesus.
As Christians in the 21stCentury when we read of the life of Rahab, or any of the Old Testament, we read it through the lens of the cross. We read the Old Testament with a New Covenant perspective which incorporates the question ‘in light of Christ, what does this story now tell us?’
When we read for example about Rahab and ask the question, ‘in light of Christ, what does this story now tell us’ we can see that there is a striking lesson to be learnt in regards to the scarlet cord. We can see the echoes of Christ and His life, death and resurrection in this story. That through the death of Jesus and the shedding of His blood we too like Rahab had faith in God and have been saved! We have been redeemed from death and destruction and brought into the family of God.
The scarlet cord calls to us through history and signifies the grace that is found in Christ. A magnificent promise of a life in all its abundance. A life with a future and a hope!
What’s more, it wasn’t just Rahab that was saved! Rahab, full of faith was used by God to bring her family into the redemption plan (Joshua 6:22-23). If we will activate our faith, like Rahab we too will influence our family and those nearest to us.
As we allow faith to rise up in us, as we live a life under the blood of Jesus, in His resurrection power, our life will impact those we love with the same grace that found us.
The key is to have active faith
What good is it sisters if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a sister or brother is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him “Go I wish you well, keep warm and well fed” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. James2:14
So you see – there is a faith that is alive but there is also dead faith.
Let us be women, who like Rahab have active, alive faith! Faith with deeds, with action!
Lord we ask that you would guide us this week to extend our faith through the good works that you have pre-planned for us to do. Help us through our faith to live out our relationship with you in the light amongst those that don’t know you. May we like Rahab draw all those we love into Your redemption story.
In Jesus Name, Amen
I hope you are enjoying this Bible HERoes Series. Let me know how you are going with it? I’d love you to email me back so I can hear your feedback.
I just wanted to let you know also that the De Michiel’s are on the move! And so over the next two weeks I will be packing up our unit and moving into a house!! YAY!!
This means that you won’t be getting any Hump Day #Inspo’s over the next two weeks. But I will be back on the 31stAugust and we will look at the life of Deborah.
Buckets of love