REPAID FOR SACRIFICE
Today’s Scripture: “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 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” Joshua 2:12-13, ESV
Theme: Rahab was rewarded in many ways for her selfless acts on behalf of God’s people.
AN ACT OF DARING FAITH
After the death of Moses, Joshua was appointed by God to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. Joshua sent spies ahead to scout out the enemy and their fortifications. They came to Jericho and lodged with a prostitute, Rahab. Maybe it was like the Old West, where most hotels were associated with saloons and brothels. Maybe the spies thought strangers would fit in better there. In any case, they were discovered, and the king came to look for them at Rahab’s establishment. But she had already hidden them, and then she lied to protect them.
WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?
The minute Rahab lied to the king, she switched her allegiance. As the Israelite spies lay hidden up on Rahab's roof, they must have been both frightened and puzzled by Rahab's behavior. They probably thought, "Why would this woman risk her own life to protect us?" and "Are we going to be caught?" Soon after the king's men had left her house, they heard Rahab's footsteps. This foreign woman spoke the exact words they needed to hear to find courage and return to Joshua, giving him a favorable report! And they knew the actions she had taken to protect them were a real sacrifice. She risked everything; she could lose her life.
REWARDED
Since Rahab had sacrificed for them, she now asked that her family's lives be spared. What she was willing to give up, God gave back to her and even more. Her family was spared, and she became a hero of the Promised Land. She even became part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David!
Make It Personal: What area(s) in my life do I have yet to offer as a sacrifice to God? In what ways do I need to stop holding back and begin “stretching to a sacrifice?”
Pray: Lord, I want to live for You, holding nothing back. Help me to see the areas where I am more focused on myself, my safety, and my security than on You will. You have a plan and purpose for my life. Help me to go all in to be part of the bigger picture.
Read: Joshua 2:2-7; 6:22-23, 25; Hebrews 13:16; Matthew 1:1-5
Weekly Memory Verse: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1 (NIV)