In Joshua chapter 2 we read the story about Rahab the Harlot, who housed the spies Joshua had sent This was their report! Yes, God has given the whole country to us. Everybody there is in a state of panic because of us. Mission accomplished!! The spies were successful in getting the information Joshua needed to best approach the city and defeat their army. Thank you Rahab.
to Jericho to scout out the city they were planning on overtaking. The spies are welcomed into the home of Rahab and she takes it on herself to hide their presence and protect them while they are there. She also gives them a way of escape down a rope out her window to the outside and that was possible because her home was part of the city wall. She made a deal with the spies to protect her and her family when the army took over the city, by taking another rope that had a scarlet thread run through it and putting it outside her door so the army would know to spare her and her family per their agreement. The spies warned her not to let her family venture outside the protection of her home though, lest they be killed like everyone else. Thus the wonderful story of mercy for Rahab and her family that happened because she protected the spies when they needed her the most. Rahab knew that the approaching army was powerful and that they would win the city and her belief in that truth helped her anticipate the need to be spared when the overran the city. She did everything she could to distract the ones who were trying to find the spies and sent them on a wild goose chase that allowed the spies to escape and get back to Joshua with the information he needed. Their information was this:
Two different ropes come to mind here. First, the rope the spies used to escape the city. The rope was long enough for them to get out of the city and make their way back to the main army. That rope was redemptive for them and supplied the needed escape from being captured by the army of the city. The second rope was the rope with the scarlet thread in it that Rahab put outside her door, so her family would be spared when the army entered the city. That scarlet thread was important for her safety, because if she put just another rope outside her door, she would have lost her life and the mercy promised to her wouldn’t have been applied as promised. There is a need for ropes in the modern day as well, as we fight the fight we have been called to fight. Jesus is our escape from the coming judgment and he is our scarlet thread through His blood sacrifice for our sins. His blood covering us is our supply of mercy given by God in His great promise to those who accept His Son and turn to Him in faith. If we are ever going to be effective in our fight, we must combine in unity with other ropes (Christians) and trust in Jesus to be the scarlet thread that holds it all together in unity. The strength of this rope will be one that will help many others escape the coming wrath of God, when Jesus returns. We as “spared ones” need to be creative in our approach in sharing this message of mercy with everyone we can and trust the strength of our rope with the scarlet thread running through it to be enough to reach them. Modern day believers have backed away from helping God’s Army fight the fight, even though like Rahab, we know that God will be victorious. We need to get all we can into the household of faith for their protection when God does come in judgment, but for some reason we have quit participating in the main thing God called us to do. Share His message with a lost and dying world. We need to refresh our belief that Jesus is the only way to eternal life and burn brightly in our sharing that message to the lost world. A very popular TV show called Lost parralleled the struggle of a lost world as they attempt to find their way to security, but find out there is so much more to it than what they are seeing. A lost world doesn’t see Jesus, but the moment we share God’s Living Word with them that’s when God takes over through the Holy
Spirit and the chance for hope and mercy is so evident they come to a crisis of belief. Live on my own strength or live on God’s mercy. They will never get to this crisis of belief if we don’t share the message. Remember, Rahab had a crisis of belief. Help the spies or turn them over to the authorities of the city. She knew that God’s army would win, because that army was feared and respected because of their might and their past victories. She chose wisely when that crisis of belief came and her and her family were spared. There are individuals and families that must hear the good news and be given the opportunity to get the mercy God is offering because Jesus is coming soon and the judgment will follow and then it will be “too late.” God is calling us to allow the change in the look of our rope by allowing Jesus rope to be seen in us and heard through us as we trust His strong message of hope and share it with the world. That scarlet thread is the only hope for mercy when the Lord comes back and we are commissioned to share that message with everyone we can. The message needs to be relevant to our society without compromise. The power is in the truth of the Word, not in the messenger, so we might not think more of ourselves than need be. We must get back to the heart of that message by living a vibrant, passionate life of faith atht is centrered in the Word of God, and reviving the urgency of using each day as a day to share this message of hope. That is the Rope of God. His people joing hands to unapoligetically proclaiming that Jesus is the only hope for mankind and that God’s judgment is real and appoaching the gates of city, ready to rain down and conquer. We must never lose sight of the promise of God and trust the time is coming when we won’t be able to reach others because it is eternally too late. Time to grab a rope, don’t you think? The grab the Rope of God!!! NOW
The Pilgrimage continues….
David Warren
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