Word of Encouragement (06/06/2023)
“Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign 13that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." (Josh. 2:12-13).
This is Rahab’s plea to the two spies, who were sent by Joshua into Jericho to spy out the city. This, too, is not a direct prayer to God. As a Gentile, she might have thought that she could not pray to the God of Israel directly. We can easily see that this plea reflects what she wished from the LORD.
The urgency of Rahab’s request is shown in her demand for an oath from the spies: “...please swear to me by the LORD....” We can understand: she sensed the impending destruction of her city and its citizens, including her family. As far as she was concerned, this was the only opportunity she had to save herself and her loved ones. And she must have believed that it came from the LORD Himself—what was the chance that the spies should come to her house of all the places?
After making them swear in the name of the LORD, she proceeded to make her request to spare her life and the lives of her family. But she did not simply ask them to have mercy on her. She asked them to take into consideration what she had done for them—hiding them from the soldiers whom the king of Jericho sent. But this was not just a simple act of sparing their lives; it was an act of committing herself to the God of Israel as her God. She said, “And as soon as we heard [about Israel’s defeat of Sihon and Og], 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” (v. 11). This was her confession of faith in the LORD. Rahab was not simply asking the spies to repay her kindness to them; she was essentially asking them to accept her as one of their own.
This is an important distinction to make. Jericho was devoted to destruction. Not only all its citizens but also all its properties were to be destroyed. So then, the two spies did not have the right to spare any of its citizens' lives against God’s ban. But Rahab’s words and actions provided sufficient evidence that she was no longer with Jericho; she adopted the LORD as her God and stood with His people, Israel. This was why they could enter into a covenant with her and spare her and her family from destruction.
We can already see that a true Jew was not Abraham’s child according to the flesh but according to faith. Think about all the stark contrast between the Jews that perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief and Rahab, a Gentile woman and a prostitute, who was spared from destruction because of her faith! We, too, have been brought into the commonwealth of heavenly Israel through faith in Jesus Christ. God Himself has sworn by His holy name that He will save all those who place their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior. That is the infallible and unshakable ground of the assurance of our salvation! Even though this whole universe will collapse one day, we have no reason to fear because God will keep His divine oath and not disappoint us! Take time to praise the Lord now!