Hebrews 11:31
"By faith (by just simply trusting then believing what she heard) the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace."
A woman of ill repute, and yet with what little bit she had heard, what did she do with it? She believed and trusted it. In fact, Rahab is one of my favorite subjects next to Esther for how little trust it takes for God to grab the person. How much did Rahab know? Very little. The only thing she knew was what she’d heard that this little nation of people coming out of Egypt had come through the Red Sea on dry ground. She had heard how they had defeated the more powerful enemies in the then-known world. And on the basis of what she had heard, she what? She believed it. Now she didn’t understand all of Scripture as to that time there was none. She didn’t understand the Sovereignty of God. Or did she? She didn’t understand the grace of God. There was no record of that, yet known. She didn’t understand all of the ramifications that we sometimes think people have to know. No, she knew precious little, but what little she knew, she believed it with all her heart, because she trusted the God that was behind it. And God did everything else.
Rahab is a perfect example of how God will save a person who doesn’t have an awful lot going for them. So Rahab, "perished not with those who believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." Well, why did she receive those Hebrew spies? Because – let’s go back and look in Joshua chapter 2, and see this is so simple. You know, mankind has made salvation so difficult. Religion and its theology has complicated what God intended to be so simple. My, we think we’ve got to put people through this and through that and then somehow or other, they’ll get there. No, that’s not God’s way. Joshua chapter 2 verse 9. Rahab hasn’t had any Bible School, she’s never been to Sunday School, she’s never been to church. All she has heard are things that had come through the grapevine in Jericho.
Joshua 2:9-11a
"And she said unto the men, (the spies) I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land (that is the land of which Jericho was the major city) faint because of you. (now here it comes in verse 10.) For we have (what?) heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things,…"
She didn’t even see the results of it. She wasn’t sitting on some high point watching down on the Red Sea to see it open up and Israel coming through - that would have been a little different wouldn’t it? She had merely heard that these things had happened. And what did she do with it? She believed it, see? All right, and so it says:
Joshua 2:11a
"And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt,…."
So, because of what she and those within the walls had heard knowing that behind it all was the God of Israel, God in turn responds to her trusting in what she had heard that He accounted as faith. Why? Because it pleased Him. All right, on your way back to Hebrews, let’s just stop at another portion of Scripture that speaks of hearing. It is in Romans chapter 10 and remember that this is within a parenthetical clause and speaks of the Israel nation as a whole. Even at the pen of the Apostle Paul this is the key word. And it’s all the same concept.
Romans 10:17a
"So then faith (faith, being able to take God at His Word) cometh by (what?) hearing,…"
Not seeing! But rather by hearing it. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Now does that mean with our ears, NO, for hearing through the renewed spirit. The spirit of man which has been re-birthed from Satan's spiritual influence to God's indwelling influence and this only comes about through a death of the spiritual evil influence. "IF" we based our salvation on John3:16 all we've done is to come into redemption. Because to enter salvation means there has to have been first a death, a spiritual death. That's why Paul tells us that we're to receive by faith, belief, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 in order to have put the evil spirit condition of our natural propensities to death by faith identification in Christ. Because when we've done so bring Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 2:12 into play within us. For even Jesus said, that we can NOT serve two masters. Now verse 18.
Romans 10:18-21
"But I say, (Paul says) Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias (Isaiah, see here we go back to the Old Testament again) is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people."
What was their problem? They couldn’t believe they had a hardness (coldness) of heart. That is why it says that God only had to give them over to a partial blindness (chapter 11 verse 25), because the god of this worlds order through Religion had already blinded them. Just as he does those who are within Religions hold even now. But for those who could believe God, God does everything that needs to be done. All right, let’s come back again to Hebrews, chapter 11. Now he’s going to make just a quick review of some of the Old Testament characters. Now verse 32, and Paul says:
Hebrews 11:32
"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:"
No comments:
Post a Comment