Joshua 2 and 6 (NRSV) Open to it in your bible

Enable by Faith Rahab an integral part of His Story June 7 th, 2009 Faith Presbyterian Church Reverend Quinn Vaughn ****************************************************************** Hebrews 11:1-3, 7-8,11-13, 23-32,39(NRSV) 11Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith * our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. * 7 By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old and Sarah herself was barren because he considered him faithful who had promised. * 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. 23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king s edict. * 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh s daughter, 25 choosing rather to share illtreatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered abuse suffered for the Christ * to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king s anger; for he persevered as though * he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. * 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, * because she had received the spies in peace.32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets 39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect. Joshua 2 and 6 (NRSV) Open to it in your bible 1

There was a tightrope walker, who did incredible aerial feats. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Then he had succeeding acts; he would do it blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow. An American promoter read about this in the papers and wrote a letter to the tightrope walker, saying, "Tightrope, I don't believe you can do it, but I'm willing to make you an offer. For a very substantial sum of money, besides all your transportation fees, I would like to challenge you to do your act over Niagara Falls." Now, Tightrope wrote back, "Sir, although I've never been to America and seen the Falls, I'd love to come." Well, after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up, many people came to see the event. Tightrope was to start on the Canadian side and come to the American side. Drums roll, and he comes across the rope which is suspended over the treacherous part of the falls -- blindfolded!! And he makes it across easily. The crowds go wild, and he comes to the promoter and says, "Well, Mr. Promoter, now do you believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it." "No," said Tightrope, "do you really believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do, you just did it." "No, no, no," said Tightrope, "do you believe I can do it?" "Yes," said Mr. Promoter, "I believe you can do it." "Good," said Tightrope, "then you get in the wheel barrow." 1 That s faith! We just heard from what has come be to called the Hall of Faith, the list of legendary men and women who had come before them in the faith. I said women (plural) butin Paul s list there was only one woman, Rahab. I am surprised he left off Sarah, Hagar, Miriam, Tamar, Deborah, Dinah, Ruth, Naomi, Potifer s wife, Abigail and Noah s wife but I am grateful he included Rahab. Today, I am going to tell her story (recounted in Joshua 2) because it is an important page is Israel s journey into the Promise Land which we heard last week. 1 http://www.sermonideas.net/view/tightrope-walker---faith-vs-belief/?s=116 2

On the other side of the River in the Promise Land past the alter of stones they built to commemorate God bringing them thus far was a large fortified city called Jericho. The Cannanites lives there, the ones that 40 years earlier when Moses was at the edge of the Promise Land had been too intimidating to face in the face of such giants they tucked tail and ran unable to trust in God s promise. So, now 40 years latter Moses nieces and nephews faced them under Joshua s leadership. They didn t want to make the same mistake their parents did aren t we all like that. We set out to either right the mistakes of our parent s generation or we make sure to at least not make the same ones. Deep within us, we all long to really live into the promises of God (good, love, peace, justice) and set out trying to find our way. In preparing to face the Canaanites Joshua sent two spies into Jericho. Being undercover they went to the place where they could blend in best, be least noticeable a prostitutes house. I guess the house of a prostitute was a high traffic spot easily accessible from the outside, particularly because this one, which was run by Rahab, was located in the actual wall of Jericho. So, a person could easily slip into the city life and find out the news of the day all without having to enter the town square. These homes where obviously an issue of security for the local authorities (whose chief was the king) we know this because a Hammurabi law that created which states, If felons are banded together in a prostitutes house and she does not hand them to the palace she is to be put to death. 2 Rahab, well aware of this law, choose to not follow it this time when these two outsiders entered her home. Somehow the king of Jericho found out that these spies from Israel where there and he sent orders to Rahab to bring out the men who had come to her because they had come to search out the whole land. It s as if he didn t think Rahab knew their business she a lowly prostitute must not know of the plans of God s people. But, Rahab knew exactly what was going down. Rahab didn t see them as a threat, she saw them as a sign of the word of the God of heaven and earth being fulfilled. It wasn t her God by birth right, she was a Canaanite women, one of those whom God had told the Israelites was an enemy but she had heard of the promises and power of this God from the lips of her male callers over the years. After years of these stories, seeds of belief took root in her. She had seen people worship gods of iron and brass, but those statues had no power to her. She had to believe in something bigger, her life was too real to be given over to a statue that couldn t hear or speak. She needed a God who could hear and she her; a God who knew her and could deliver her like the Israelites were delivered. 3 So when the king s authorities came to arrest these spies, she hid them on the roof under stalks of flax that she had laid out and told the king s authorities, True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from. And when it was time to close the gate at dark, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. And then, in a voice 2 Tikva Frymer-Kensky Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories (New York: Schocken Books c 2002). 3 Rev. Nicole Massie, Positioned for Purpose, Rahab. Sermon preached at Princeton Theological Seminary, in Dr. Cleophas LaRue s corse Preaching, Spring 2006. Words adapted from personal to 2 nd hand. 3

perfected by women of her trade to ensure repeat customers she said, Pursue them quickly, for you can overtake them. By faith Rahab was enabled to trust that true authority was not found in the law of the land but in the word of the God of heaven and earth. When the king s authorities left in pursuit of the men Rahab when up to the roof and said to the hidden spies, I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you 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 that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. As soon as we heard this our hearts melted. And there was no courage left in any of us because of you. And then here comes the most surprising statement of all where her heart is fully revealed, The LORD your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below. Rahab is not going against the king s authority simply to save her own tail she really believed in their God in effect, she got into the wheel barrow because she believed that this God would fulfill his word. Her faith freed her to see these two Israeli spies as an invitation from God to follow. She had faith in that God which enabled her to obey his word and find grace. For the two spies Rahab was also a confirmation of the LORD s word. 4 When they snuck out of Jericho and returned to their camp they told Joshua Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover all the inhabitant of the land melt in fear before us. Now, I am kind of jumping ahead, before they left Rahab s house, she made a pact with them. She asked in return for her kindness and secrecy that they spare her and her families life. The men agreed to spare her. She was to gather her family into the house and tie a red rope in the window as a sign of mercy so that when God brought down the walls of Jericho they would be passed over. 5 The spies warned her that if she told her people about them, this pact would be nullified and that if any of her family left the house their blood would not be on their hands. And Rahab said According to your word, so be it. You may not be aware of this, and neither was Rahab but another woman 30 generations later in the lineage of her family said these same words. She was a young virgin girl, visited by an angel who spoke the word of God into her ear saying that in her womb she was to carry and bear a son whose name is Jesus (Savior) He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High says the angel he will reign over the house of Jacob and his kingdom will have no end for nothing is impossible with God. And this girl, Mary, said Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. (Luke 1:30-38) 4 Trent C. Butler, Word Biblical Commentary: Joshua vol. 7 (Waco, Texas: Word Books c. 1983), 32. 5 Tikva Frymer-Kensky. Does this ring a bell for any of you hundreds of years earlier when God s justice was being brought upon the Egyptians who stood in opposition to his people he called all those who believe in His power and word to paint the red blood of a sacrificed lamb on their doorposts and those in these homes would be PASSED OVER (spared). 4

Only God can do something as crazy as use both a prostitute and a virgin to bring about the most amazing good for the world salvation and hope the fulfillment of a promise from the beginning of time. After a few days of waiting the walls of Jericho were encircled by Israel. Literally this odd procession of seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams horns followed by the arch of the covenant followed by the mini army of dessert warriors walked around the walls of Jericho once a day for six days. Then on the seventh the priests blew their trumpets, all the peopled shouted a great shout and the all of the city fell down flat just as God had told them it would. Only God would come up with such an absurd plan that calls on total faith in Him. Can you imagine Rahab s family up in the window peering out at such a spectacle?! Joshua immediately told the two spies to go into the prostitute s house and bring the woman Rahab and her family out. Her family was incorporated into Israel s family. It is said that she married a man named Solomon with whom she bore Boaz and the family tree goes on to include Ruth, King David, and Joseph (Jesus father). Rahab couldn t have imagined in her wildest dreams that she was such an amazing, integral, part of His Story. But she was, not because of how fabulous she was, not because she had found the right path for her self, but because by faith she could say and step out on the truth that The Lord your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below. One of my friends from Seminary, Nicole Massie, once charged us in her sermon on Rahab with these words, Our position on the path has little to do with where we are in the world and everything to do with where you are in God. 6 If you can dare to trust in the word of God, you too are positioned in His Story and you can t imagine, in your wildest dreams what part you are playing. That brings us back to the story of the Tightrope walker The word believe, in Greek means "to live by". To believe is to live by what we know is true of God, to have faith in God. What is faith? How can you be sure you ve got it? And once you ve got it what do you do with it? Rahab made the Hall of Faith (as read earlier in Hebrews 11) because she obeyed the word of God, she lived by the word of God. She, like the beginning of Hebrews states, lived being sure of what she hoped for and confident in what she did not see. It doesn t always look like solid ground. It won t feel like you can do it. It will seem like the odds are against God. And in those situations; faith is not a magic force we employ when we get in trouble like Harry Potter s wand. Faith is not an blind hope we wrap ourselves in when all reasonable options have been exhausted. Faith in the God of heaven and earth is also not just a cognitive belief, it is putting your weight down upon what God can do despite the lack of evidence. 6 Rev. Nicole Massie, Positioned for Purpose, Rahab. Sermon preached at Princeton Theological Seminary, in Dr. Cleophas LaRue s corse Preaching, Spring 2006. 5

How can you be sure you ve got it? You ve got it when the authority of God is more true for you than any other authority in heaven or on earth. This starts in small measures entertaining the idea of getting into the wheelbarrow but it grows, starts sounding less absurd and more obvious. Once you ve got faith, what do you do with it? You get into the wheel barrow. You step out on it as if the future promises of God are already present so convinced that God could and would fulfill what He has promised. Now may we, like the women and men of faith that have gone before us, take God at his word and direct our lives accordingly... 7 Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely (that hinders us from getting in the wheelbarrow), and let us walk this journey of faith that is set before us (not looking to find the right path ahead on our own but) looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Like Rahab dare to take God at His word and direct your steps accordingly. You can t even imagine what integral part you are playing in His Story. - Amen ******* Next Step Questions on next page Next Step Questions to Consider... 7 F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Epistle to the Hebrews Revised ( Grand Rapids Michigan: Willam B. Eeramns Publishing Company c. 1990), 276. Also gained insight from Donal H. Madvig, The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Joshua ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House c. 1992) 6

~ Do you have any famous or surprising people in your family? (like Abraham and Rahab for Jesus). ~ What does it mean to (or for) you that Rahab, a prostitute, is in the lineage of Jesus? ~ What mistake(s) of your parent s generation do you think your generation is making up for or working hard to not repeat? (like Joshua s generation aiming to not repeat their parent s mistake of not trusting God and running in fear from the Canaanites) ~ Who is in the Hall of Faith for you? A biblical figure, a more recent historical person or a present day person that walks by faith. ~ Before this Sunday, had you ever heard the story of Rahab or ever heard about her as one of the Hall of Famers? If no, why do you think that is? ~ In your life have you been enable by faith to see things in your story as invitations to join His Story? (people, circumstances, chance happenings ) (share with the group because it might help others to see their story more clearly). ~ What is faith? How do you know you have it? Once you ve got it what do you do with it? Creative Question ~ What is faith? Rewrite Hebrews 11:1in your own words. How would you explain it to someone if they asked you? Transformation Question Are there beliefs you cognitively hold about God that you have a hard time putting your weight down on. (i.e. you know it s true but it is hard or scary to get in the wheelbarrow.) ~ Bonus Life Group Scripture: Read Hebrews 11 out loud. Out of the list of the hero s of faith in Hebrew s 11 who do most identify with? If you don t know their stories take time this week to read some of them (they are surprising!) Suggested Scriptures for the Week: Monday : Hebrews 11 into 12:2 By faith they play a part in His Story Tuesday : Matthew 28:19-20 obey the word of God. Wednesday : Psalm 119: 9-16 believing = by living Thursday : Proverb 3:5-6 Friday : James 2:14-26 Faith is shown in action Saturday: Meditate on the meaning of our Mission Statement A community, loving Christ, building disciples and serving all. How are or aren t we living into this mission as a faith community? 7