Mix the Word with Faith and Trust God <> Part 2 - Unexpected Intelligence Agent

Mix the Word with Faith and Trust God <> Part 2 of 3 

Unexpected Intelligence Agent

In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11 is often dubbed the “roll call of faith.” It describes several people, in the Bible, who are commended for their faith. If you haven’t read it for a while, I highly recommend you do and be encouraged.

One of my favorite people honored for her faith is a woman named Rahab. She was an Ammonite who lived in the city of Jericho. Rahab began to trust God just on hearing about Him.

She had heard about the God of Israel and the mighty things He was doing for His people. We’re introduced to Rahab in the second chapter of Joshua. 

For the Israelites, the forty years of wandering was finished. Moses was gone, and Joshua was leading the Israelites into the Promised Land of Canaan. The very first city to conquer was Jericho. So, Joshua sent two spies into the city to scope things out.

The spies went to the home of Rahab for lodging. She was a prostitute. Our first thought would likely be, “How unseemly! —that they would go to such a place.”

But…think about it. Men would come and go from her place consistently. And over-riding that fact, God knew the heart of Rahab and He had already handpicked her to enter into His plan. 

She had heard about Yahweh, the God of Israel, believed in Him and trusted Him. So, Rahab agreed to hide them in her home.

She said, “for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death” (Joshua 2:11c-13 KJV).

“So the men answered her, ‘Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you’” (Joshua 2:14 NKJV).

When the authorities came, looking for the Israelites, she hid them and told the pursuers, “They went that-a-way. Hurry, go catch them!” So, they left.

The spies promised to spare Rahab and her family. Then when the walls of Jericho came tumblin down, she and her household were rescued from destruction. 

Like Rahab, because we have put our trust in the God of Israel and His Son, Jesus, we have been rescued from destruction. 

It excites me to know the story of Rahab does not end here. In her ensuing story, we see a beautiful picture of God’s redeeming power. 

Was it not enough that the lives of Rahab and her family were spared? No—not where God was concerned. God is so good and His grace so amazing! Rahab went on to marry an Israelite named Salmon and her name turns up in the genealogy of Jesus, our Savior.

Salmon and Rahab were the parents of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, who married Ruth. Their son was Obed, who was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the most famous and beloved king of Israel.

As we continue through the descendants of David, we come to Jesus Himself. So, Rahab, the former prostitute, is in the family tree of our Lord. 

Here we see redemption. Rahab put her trust in God and was saved. The people we read about in Scripture didn’t have a Bible like we do today. 

They had the Word of God as it was given to Moses and as they witnessed God do mighty works. Rahab heard the Word of the Lord second hand and believed. She mixed the Word with faith and made a decision to put her trust in God. 

We must remember, God knows more than we do. He knows every minute detail of every thing and every one. He knows what the outcome should be. And He’s trustworthy.

Bottom Line:

“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them: but the word that they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2 NKJV).

In other words—They heard the Word preached, but it did not benefit them because they didn’t mix it with faith. So, when we mix God’s Word with our faith we have what we need to trust God. 

In the comment section below, please tell of a situation in which you needed to trust God this week.  Thanks so much.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford

God’s Far-Reaching Redemption

God’s Far-Reaching Redemption

Have you recognized God’s redemptive power working in a specific situation in your life—other than your salvation? We could coin a new term and call it situational redemption.

I’ve seen it in others and experienced it in my own life. If you are born-again, you’re probably personally familiar with it as well.

There are many examples recorded in the Bible. One which comes to mind is God’s redemption after the sin of David and Bathsheba. They each experienced shame and drastic consequences as a result their sin of adultery. But through it all, they repented and allowed God to work things out for their good and the good of the nation of Israel.

We see evidence of God’s grace toward them when King David announced that Solomon would inherit his throne. Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba and he was not the heir apparent nor the heir presumptive. He was but one of many sons from David’s several wives.

Replica of Michelangelo's David
Photo by Connie Wohlford

This account is recorded in the first chapter of 1 Kings. In verse 28, David instructed, “Call Bathsheba to me.” She approached her husband, the king, and he proceeded to tell her of his decision to pass the throne to their son, Solomon. David’s decision was ordained of God and Solomon was soon crowned and went on to build a new Temple to Yahweh, the Lord God. 

Generations back, in the family tree, God had graciously shown redemption and favor. David’s great, great grandmother was a former harlot. She was Rahab, wife to Salmon and mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. Among these four people we find a couple more of my favorite redemption stories. The interweaving of God’s redeeming love and power is truly fascinating and a thing of great beauty.

By the grace of God, the very bloodline of Jesus Himself runs through this branch of the family tree.

God does not hold grudges. When we join His family by receiving Jesus, our Heavenly Father eradicates our sin. All consequences may not be erased though. As I mentioned, David and Bathsheba agonized through severe consequences.

 

In my own somewhat similar experience, the consequences of sin for my soon to be husband and me, were not removed. I was still pregnant and had to face the shame and embarrassment—not to mention subjecting my dear parents to that as well. To this day, I’m still embarrassed by my sin which could not be hidden for long.  I’d like to mention that I’m grateful, beyond words, that I did not get an abortion, as was suggested by a friend at the time. I honestly didn’t consider it, but the thought makes me shudder.

 

By the amazing grace of God, my husband and I have experienced God’s redeeming love and unmerited favor. I gave birth to our first son some months later. This son of ours is living proof of God’s redemption. He excelled in good character, academics, and sports in school. He graduated from the US Naval Academy, served our country for twenty years as an aviator in the Navy and Air Force, is currently a high school science teacher, and with his wife, has given us four amazing grandchildren, whom they are raising in a Christian home.

Our God loves to redeem—because He loves.

A definition of redeem is to compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something.* Another definition is to reclaim and restore to the original state or even better than the original state. I have experienced this many times in my journey with God. I know other people can tell their own stories as well—many of which are much weightier than mine.

 

How about you? I’d love to hear about your own experiences in a comment below. If you prefer not to write it, at least talk to our Redeemer about it and express your gratitude to Him—again.

Special note: In the 45 years since our first son was born, this is just the second time I’ve publicly mentioned this sin of my past. Because of shame and guilt I have chosen not to talk about it but I believe the Lord wants me to open up and be more vulnerable. Perhaps, in doing so, someone will be encouraged or helped in some way.

Thanks for reading my post and may God richly bless you as you and I continue in His amazing grace.  

©Connie Wohlford 2016

*https://www.google.com/#q=define+redeem