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When God Speaks—Be Quick to Obey! Summary: You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good—and that includes his good for you. Yes, he is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory, but he is also working out the details of your life for your good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise. You may be tempted to flee in fear, and God’s enemies may be fighting mad at you, but at the same time, God is repurposing even the most unlikely sources, the “Rahabs” in your world, as instruments of God’s inexorable plan.
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Joshua 2:7-11
So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut. Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
God is always at work, even when we cannot see it. God is always fulfilling his glorious purposes, which include perfecting everything that concerns you and me. Perhaps you should memorize, meditate on, and quote Psalm 138:8 as I have,
The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. (Psalm 138:8)
At times, God is working in visible, dramatic, and undeniable ways. We will see an example of that very thing a few chapters later, when in Joshua 6 the walls of the city of Jericho miraculously fall. Those kinds of stories are strategically placed throughout scripture to build our confidence in God. But between those faith stories, which are long stretches of time, God’s work is not so visible. He is not inactive, mind you; his work is just invisible. You see, most of the time God is behind the scenes, working in unseen ways, as is the case here in Joshua 2. The Israelite spies Joshua sent out to size up Jericho have entered the city, but word has gotten out, and now the authorities are looking for them. Their lives are at risk. They don’t see that God is at work—not yet anyway. For all they know, they’re toast!
Then Rehab rescues the day. Yes, Rahab—an idol-worshipping, streetwalking, “lady of the night.” At great risk to her own life and that of her family, she hides the spies and tricks the authorities, making it possible for the two deep-cover Israelites to make it out alive. What the two spies didn’t know at the time was that God was working on their behalf by working on a prostitute, whom he would use in such a significant act of faith that her bravery would land her in God’s Great Hall of Faith. (cf., Hebrews 11:30-31)
As she spoke with the spies, this lady of questionable character was laying down some unquestionable theology: the work of God on Israel’s behalf was striking fear in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. The mighty acts of deliverance forty years prior in Egypt and over the decades of Israel’s wandering in the desert had been sending shock waves into the unseen realm, and the principalities and powers that opposed God, and everything of God, were quaking in their boots. God had been at work all along on Israel’s behalf, and they didn’t even know it.
What is interesting here is how the different actors respond. The enemies of God are fighting mad. The men of God are fleeing in fear. The woman of the night is responding in faith. And over it all, God is at work, fulfilling his purposes and perfecting everything that concerns his people—redeeming a prostitute, rescuing the spies, and redirecting the bounty hunters.
That is true for you, too. You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good. He is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory and working out the details of your life for your good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise. You may be tempted to flee in fear, and God’s enemies may be fighting mad—at both God and you. But at the same time, God will be repurposing even the most unlikely sources, the Rahabs in your world, as instruments of faith.
What you see isn’t all that is going on. Never forget that. And learn to trust God’s unseen but unstoppable work on your behalf.
Choose You This Day: You may be facing forces today that are out to cause you harm. Take courage: God is also aligning a Rahab or two to work on your behalf. Take a moment to thank God in advance for the good he is bringing about, even though you don’t see it yet.
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When God Speaks—Be Quick to Obey! SUMMARY: We must remember that when it comes to sin, we are in a battle. It is an all-out war that we can and must win (and with God’s help, we will, since he is fighting for us!), but it is a war in which there can be no truce. It is total victory or utter defeat. Sin is your enemy, not your neighbor. Treat it ruthlessly!
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Judges 1:21
The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the people of Benjamin.
The tribe of Benjamin failed to drive out the Canaanites. So did the tribes of Judah (Judges 1:19), Manasseh (Judges 1:27), Ephraim (Judges 1:29), Zebulun (Judges 1:30) Asher (Judges 1:31), Naphtali (Judges 1:33) and while we are not explicitly told the tribe of Dan failed, apparently, they permitted their enemies to stay around the edge of their territory (Judges 1:24-26).
So basically, Israel failed to do what God commanded them to do when failure was not one of the options he gave his people.
And it came back to bite them! You see, pagan enemies always make bad neighbors. When Israel allowed the godless Canaanites to live in their midst, or even close in close proximity, over the 400 years time span that the book of Judges covered, early and often God’s people predictably fell victim to a variety of sinful influences these godless cultures embraced—sexual immorality, idol worship, child sacrifice, and if even worse, if that is possible. Let me say it again, because God said it over and over to his people:
Pagan enemies make bad neighbors!
Obviously, we are not commanded to literally drive non-believers out of our neighborhoods, our community groups, or our various governmental expressions—local, state, or federal (although the right to vote allows us to make those kinds of changes through legal means). That would be rather poor form these days, and, in reality, against the law. Instead, we are to witness to them of the grace of our Lord Jesus, model for them the redemptive love of God, and win over their hearts and minds to his kingdom.
Yet the spiritual application from Judges 1 is quite clear: Just as God commanded Israel to drive the pagan enemies out of the land that he had promised as their homeland, we have been called to deal just as ruthlessly with spiritual enemies in our homeland—our hearts and homes. Failure to do so will result in these worldly influences harassing us until the day we die. They will be a constant source of irritation at the very least, and at worst, perhaps even trainwreck our relationship with the people we love and with God. Moreover, when we allow godless influences into our homes, especially through the unfiltered and unchallenged consumption of media, we are exposing the vulnerable minds of our children and ourselves to these destructive pagan influences.
We must remember that when it comes to sin, we are in a battle. It is an all-out war that we can and must win (and with God’s help, we will, for he is fighting for us!), but it is a war in which there can be no truce. It is total victory or utter defeat.
That is not just because I say so; it is due to the nature of the conflict. The reason Jesus came, died, and rose again was to defeat the Enemy:
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work….Jesus shared in our humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” (1 John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14)
On the other hand, while Jesus’ purpose was to kill that which would steal, kill, and destroy us, the devil is committed to our utter defeat. He is not looking just to gain territory; he is not hoping that we coexist; he will not be satisfied with establishing a demilitarized zone with us; he wants to destroy us. He hates God, and everything of God, which includes you and me:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
That is the nature of the conflict. C.S. Lewis rightly described it thus: “There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” And your life is ground zero in this cosmic conflict. So take note, stay alert, be armed, and get ruthless with sin. And be encouraged, because you were made to win:
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
So just remember, spiritually speaking, pagan enemies make bad neighbors.
Choose You This Day: What are the “pagan enemies” that have moved into your “neighborhood,” that is, the worldly influences that you have allowed to hold sway over your mind, to infiltrate your home, to exert influence through your relationships, and/or who have input with the people over whom you are responsible? It is time to call them out and then kick them out. And why wouldn’t you? God is ready to help you.
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When God Speaks—Be Quick to Obey! SUMMARY: Happy New Year! May this be the best year ever for you moving forward in the most important aspect of life: Your walk with God. So, here’s some advice: We ought to learn from the past, both our mistakes and successes, but our focus needs to be on the future. As Christ followers, we are always standing at the edge of new opportunities that God has set before us, and the thing that will keep us from possessing our Promised Land is not menaces in front of us but memories of what is behind us, both good and bad. We’ve got to let go of the past to grab hold of the future!
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Joshua 1:1-2
After the death of Moses, the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses, my servant, is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.
Sarah Ban Breathnach offers sage advice for living in victory each and every day of our lives:
You’ve got to make a conscious choice every day to shed the old—whatever ‘the old’ means for you.
Think for a minute about the very first thing God said to Joshua after the death of Moses: “Moses is dead!” Obviously! Do you think Joshua didn’t know that? Joshua knew pretty much everything about Moses; he had been Moses’ right-hand man for most of the forty years the Israelites had wandered through the desert. In passing the leadership baton, Moses had just laid hands on Joshua and commissioned him to lead the people into the Promised Land in Moses’ place. Joshua was well aware that God had just taken Moses up the mountain to take his breath away for the final time. Obviously, Joshua knew Moses was dead.
So there is something more going on here than meets the eye. God isn’t revealing new information to Joshua. Rather, he is telling him that he is going to do a new work in a new way with a new person. In other words, Joshua needs to bury the past and get on with the future—starting now. In other words, “shed the old.” As someone has wisely pointed out, you cannot set sail for new horizons in your life if you are still tethered to the shore. You’ve got to let go of the past!
That means a couple of things: one, don’t lean on past successes, and two, don’t limit yourself by past failures. Don’t get stuck in the past—either good or bad! Moses represented both: unequaled successes in bringing Israel out of Egypt and unmitigated failure to get Israel into the Promised Land. I suspect that Joshua could have thought, “If Moses, the greatest leader of all time, couldn’t get the job done, what makes anyone think I can be successful?” So God says, “Hey Joshua, Moses is dead. Let it go. Don’t get caught up in the past; catch a new vision for what is ahead—I’m going to do a new thing in a new way through you.”
The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ… Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (4:7,13-14) Shed the past; let it go. Catch a vision for the future and move resolutely toward it.
That is a good word for you and me—especially as we stand on the front edge of a brand-new year! We ought to learn from the past, both mistakes and successes, but our focus needs to be on the future. We are standing at the door of new opportunities that God has opened for us, our Promised Land, if you will, and the thing that will keep us from attaining them is not the menaces in front of us but the memories of our past, both good and bad.
What is it from your past that you need to let go of? Perhaps you are resting on your laurels from some past accomplishment, and you are thinking, “They’re good enough for today!” Maybe you are relying on a spiritual experience from years ago, but honestly, you have never moved on from it into a deeper dimension with God. Don’t make the mistake of assuming a good start ensures finishing well. On the other hand, maybe you are entangled from the guilt, fear, and condemnation of sin. Maybe a failure last year, a mistake that you made years ago, keeps you in bondage emotionally, relationally, or spiritually.
Hebrews 12 talks about the weights and sins that so easily beset us in our life’s race. So identify whatever it is that is holding you back from running a great race, good or bad, and declare over it, “Moses is dead!” In Joshua 1:11, Joshua says these words to the Israelites that I would encourage you to personalize, and say to over your past before you take another step: “I will cross my Jordan right here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord my God is giving me for my own.”
Let go of your past. Remember, you cannot set sail for new horizons if you are still tethered to the shore of yesterday. Today, God is going to do a new thing in a new way with a new person—you. So be strong and courageous, for your God will be with you each step of the way. (Joshua 1:9)
Choose You This Day: Make a list of both the mistakes and victories in your life from this past year. Carry that list with you and look at it throughout your day. Then put an “X” through the list and write over it, “Moses is dead!”
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God is God - Now God Tell the World Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this! (Psalm 107:1-2)
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I like the way The Message version of the Bible renders the psalmist’s call to gratitude: “Oh, thank God—he’s so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God, tell the world!”
God is good—all the time! That truly is the testimony of my life—and I have a feeling it is true of your life as well. Certainly, I ought to be proclaiming God’s goodness to anyone who will listen—and even to those who won’t—much more than I do. Add to that the fact that I am, on my best day, not so good, and on my worst day, frankly, pretty bad, only adds to the brilliance of God’s overwhelming goodness.
The New King James translation of the psalmist’s words are even more meaningful to me: “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Mercy—I can really relate to that. Now don’t misunderstand what I’m saying: I’ll take either enduring love or enduring mercy—I can’t live without either one. Love and mercy are simply different facets of the same diamond we understand as the goodness of God.
But God’s mercy really speaks to me, and I’ll bet if you thought about, it, you would say the same. Someone said that mercy is not getting what you deserve. The truth is, you and I depend upon God’s mercy every single moment just to draw in the next breath, since the holy and righteous God has had every reason and right to annihilate us from the planet because of our sinfulness. Jeremiah said it well in Lamentations 3:22-23,
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
The entirety of Psalm 107 is simply giving one example after another of how God in his faithful love and enduring mercy has freed his people from what they deserve. And at the end of each example, the psalmist expresses the call to gratitude:
Oh, thank God, he is so good! His love never runs out!
I’ll bet you could write your own Psalm 107. In fact, that might be a good assignment for you on this Thanksgiving Day. And then, like the psalmist suggested, we should go tell the world. Now that’s a pretty tall order, so how about starting with the people with whom you will enjoy the holiday meal today? Write your psalm and share it with your spouse, your family, and your friends.
I am not sure how they will feel about it, but you will certainly feel pretty good. That’s what heartfelt gratitude to God for his faithful love and enduring mercy does.
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“We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.” (C.S. Lewis)
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A Limitless Pursuit Of The Manifest Knowledge Quotable: “Lord, come and get us soon! We want more!”
Getting Closer to Jesus: The Apostle John ends his gospel account of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus with this remarkable commentary: “What I’ve written here about Jesus, well you don’t know the half of it! In fact, since I’ve been with him night and day for three and a half years, I’ve gotta tell you, this is just the tip of the iceberg!”
Wow!
As you read through the four Gospels, it is hard to imagine that much more could be added to what Jesus did and said. I suppose the Holy Spirit limited the inspired thoughts and pens of these men in order to present to us only what our finite minds could absorb. Even then, we have trouble getting our brains around Jesus:
- How do you top the incarnation, the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary to conceive Jesus, and his miraculous birth at Bethlehem?
- Then there is his sinless life—what do you do after that?
- What more can be added to the Sermon on the Mount? Can anyone illustrate Christianity better than Jesus did with his parables?
- What about his miracles—how could you improve upon the feeding of the 5,000, walking on the Sea of Galilee, calming the raging storm, the deliverance of the Gadarene demoniac, the healing of the blind man, or the raising of Lazarus?
- Is there any “wow factor” left after the crucifixion—and the empty tomb?
Even though we would love to know more, mercifully, we have been given Jesus in bite-sized chunks. And just with that, we will spend a lifetime in wonder, awe and gratitude for the life, love, death and resurrection of this marvelous Savior and Lord. Even if all we ever had of Jesus was John 3:16, you and I would have enough to keep us undone with love for all eternity—and then some.
Wow!
So what do you do for an encore with Jesus? Only one thing remains, which John alluded to back in John 14:3, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”
It is probably a good thing that we didn’t get any more details than that, because there is only so much the redeemed mind can absorb this side of heaven! But once we get to eternity—of my goodness! We will spend unending days in limitless pursuit of the manifest knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Son of God.
Wow!
Lord, come and get us soon! We want more!
Take the Next Step: S.D. Gordon wrote, “Jesus is God spelling Himself out in language that men can understand.” To as much as our finite minds can handle, the incomprehensible God has made himself comprehensible in Jesus. Get to know Jesus and you will get to know God. Spend some time meditating on John 3:16 today—I think you will appreciate God a whole lot more.
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