Joshua 2

I hope that you are enjoying this rainy and cloudy week with good family, friends and maybe even a good book. I hit a gold mine at the library this week with some good pleasure reading, so I am grateful for that!

Thank you for the warm welcome of Tom Fagan as our new associate pastor. He is truly grateful and so excited to get started! He and I met for three hours over this past week to catch up and begin to plan and dream a bit. The Lord has been so gracious to lead Tom here and I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with him. Also, thank you for welcoming his fiancee, Kori also. She is also delighted to be here and looks forward to getting to know all of you. Tom’s official start at FCCB will be on August 1st. Between now and then, he will be transitioning out of his work at Free Christian Church in Andover, so the next two Sundays he will be there, saying goodbye, etc. He’ll preach here for the first time on Sunday, July 30. I hope you can all be there to support him that Sunday for his official launch into his journey with us! 

 This Sunday I’ll be in week two of preaching through the Book of Joshua. I will not be preaching every chapter in this book, as that would take like two years :)! There will be some high level themes and maybe 6 to 7 of the chapters in Joshua. I am planning to preach through mid-September.

Joshua 2 focuses on the narrative of two Israelite spies entering the promised land of Canaan to investigate the land for entry. To do this, they need cover and they enter the house of a woman named Rahab. Rahab is a prostitute and an unlikely person to be involved in any redemptive plan of God. Yet, as so often happens in God’s work, He uses unlikely people and unlikely places for His work. Rahab in the land of Canaan, would be case #1 as evidence of the plan of God. Meanwhile, the king of Jericho gets word from someone (v. 3) that spies have entered the land. The king requests that Rahab turn over the spies immediately (v. 4). Rahab acknowledges that the men came to her (v. 5), but then describes a different story of their departure soon after. Meanwhile, Rahab continues to retain them in her home. This deception is not applauded by the Bible, but rather is reported as it unfolds. What Rahab is commended for specifically, is her faith, which is to come. But in verses 5-7 she shares a tale to try to keep the Israelites safe and to ward off the king. Verses 8-10 are three of the most amazing faith statements in the Bible. Rahab said to the spies, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you” v. 8-9. 

She then goes on to describe God’s hand that so clearly led the Israelites through the whole journey. His power and work manifested so visible to her in every way! Verse 11 then states that “when we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”  

At times, God’s grace is so extreme that it can almost seem too much. “Lord, why Rahab?!” The same could be said of us….. “why us Lord?” Why would you choose us to carry out your redemptive plan and call.

The reason is simple:

so that He would get all the glory and

so that we can point to His work alone for achieving His purposes!

“The God of second chances” demonstrates His love in amazing ways. Verses 12-16 continues this amazing story, but I am going to stop here.

Think about these verses and truths and

how it relates to our own lives and

how God has chosen to use and will choose to us to accomplish His redemptive plan, often despite ourselves.

How amazing! See you this Sunday!