Joshua 2:1-21 "One or the Other"

I hope that you will turn with me in a Bible to the book of Joshua, Joshua chapter two.

And we will be looking together at versus one to 21 today.

Joshua two versus one to 21 in our journey through what we often call the hall of faith.

In Hebrews chapter 11, we have arrived at probably the most surprising name in this entire list of individuals.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

We expect to see the likes of Abel Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah.

We expect to see people like Isaac and Jacob.

We expect to see Joseph in there.

We expect to see Moses, of course.

But when we come to verse 31, we read by faith, the prostitute rehab, because she welcomed the spies was not killed with those who were disobedient.

Wait, what, Rayhab the prostitute?

What, what is she doing in there?

How does she end up in this hall of faith?

Well, because she had faith.

And when you learn about Rayhab, you may think you have very little in common with her.

Maybe you think I've never lived a life like that.

I'm thankful she's in here, but I have very little in common with her.

We may think, but we would be wrong to think that.

Because what we need to see inhab is the choice that confronts every single one of us.

It's a choice that is staring us in the face right now.

And that choice is this, will we invest our lives in the world that is now, or will we invest our lives in the world that is to come the world, God has promised that's the choice and what we're going to see inhab is that when we trust and what God has promised, and we, we trust in the world that God has promised to bring about the more we will be prepared to see what we need to do in the world that is now.

and conversely, our failure to see what God has promised to do in the world to come, leads us, to fail, to see what God wants us to do in the world.

That is right now.

That's the choice.

How will you choose?

Let's read together beginning at chapter one of Joshua two, then Joshua's son of none.

Secretly sent two spies from Shaim go look over the land.

He said, especially Jericho.

So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

The king of Jericho was told, look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.

So the king of Jericho sent this message to rehab.

Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house because they have come to spy out the whole land.

but the woman had taken the two men and hidden them.

She said, yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from at dusk.

When it was time to close the city gate, they left, I don't know which way they went, go after them quickly, you may catch up with them, but she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stocks of flax.

She had laid out on the roof.

So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the Fords of the Jordan.

And as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, 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.

We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the red sea for you.

When you came out of Egypt and what you did to Saan and Aug the two Kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed when we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone's courage failed because of you for the Lord.

You're God is God and heaven above and on the earth below.

Now, then please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you.

Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters in all who belong to them.

And that you will save us from death, our lives for your lives.

The men asserted her.

If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.

So she let them down by a rope through the window for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.

She said to them, go to the hill.

So the pursuers will not find you hide yourselves there three days until they.

And then go on your way.

Erman had said to her, this oath you made us swear will not be binding on us.

Unless when we enter the land, you have tied this Scarlet cord in the window, through which you let us down.

And unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house, if any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads.

We will not be responsible as for those who are in the house with you.

Their blood will be on our head.

If a hand is laid on them.

But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath.

You made us swear.

Agreed.

She replied, let it be, as you say.

So she sent them away and they departed and she tied the Scarlet cord in the window.

These events are happening.

around 40 years after what we studied last week in exists, chapter 14, about 40 years after God brought his people, Israel out of slavery in Egypt, after he parted the red sea, he made a way for them, where there appeared to be no way.

He led them through the red sea and he provided for them in the wilderness.

But that generation was disobedient along with Moses their leader.

And so that generation was not allowed to enter the promise land.

This land presently occupied by people like the Amorites in the city Jericho.

So God's people have a new leader, Joshua, Joshua, the great general, and he has taken charge and he like any good general decides to scope out the terrain.

he decides to gauge the morale of the enemy.

And he does this by sending these spies across the Jordan river, into this fortified city of Jericho and what we're looking at Jericho, we're looking at a city that is armed and ready to defend itself, but we're looking at a type of city state.

This is not like Pharaoh.

This is not a great empire, but it is a powerful nation state, a place ready to fight seemingly impregnable, especially from people who have just been wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years, eating nothing but manana from heaven and quail from heaven.

But here they are, God has promised this land to them.

And so Joshua sends out these spies and they find refuge in the house of a prostitute named Rayhab.

And what I want us to look at in studying rehab is the danger that we all face in having the present world and, and the affairs of this present world pull on us, tug on us and end danger us from investing in the world to come what God has promised to bring about.

And we need to see how saving faith must invest in the world to come.

Despite all these many dangers that we see threatening rehab, what are these dangers?

How can we trust and what God will do in the world to come so that we'll be better prepared to see what God wants us to do in this world right now.

Well, first and foremost, what is most obvious probably is Rahab's sinful lifestyle.

She's a prostitute and we have every reason to think she's continuing to engage in this life of selling her body.

Here she is.

And we may think, well, how is someone like that going to share in what God has promised to bring about for his people?

How can this, holy God, who has called his people to be holy as he is holy, how can he lead someone like Rahab leads, someone like rehab to share in this coming kingdom.

We may think that her past sin, her past shame about what she's done would keep her from obeying.

what God has called her to do now.

And you see this choice very clearly when she's hidden the spies here, and we don't have any reason to think that there's any kind of sexual liaison happening here.

Hebrew has a very specific grammatical form for describing those kinds of acts and those aren't here.

Likewise, it's true that the Bible doesn't have any hesitation whatsoever about describing such sinful acts.

We don't have any reason to think that that's what's happening here, but nevertheless, they find themselves in her household.

Maybe it's an in, maybe it's a place where many travelers would gather so that they wouldn't stand out from the rest of the people in Jericho.

That's where they are, but the king gets word of it.

And he sends his men to urge rehab hand over these men.

I know who you're hiding hand'em over and right here.

she may think, who am I to resist this king?

Who am I to defy this directive from the powers that be, look at what I do for a living look at my past, but that doesn't keep her from obeying.

In fact, she lies.

She says, I don't know where they came from.

Yeah, they were here, but they went out.

They're gone.

Maybe you can catch'em if you leave right now, all kinds of, of lies, intertwined in what she says, but she chooses.

And that's the thing we need to see.

She chooses to align her life despite her past, despite her shame with God's cause, and with God's people, anybody here have a past.

Anybody here have something you're ashamed of something.

You've said something you've done something you've thought we all have a past we all have fallen short of the glory of God.

We all have said things and done things and thought things that we should not have.

This is our story.

And the teaching here is that we cannot allow past sin and failure to keep us from present obedience.

We may think I don't have any right to be with these people.

Even if she is convinced that one day they will conquer this city one day, this land will be theirs by edict of God, but she may think I don't have any right to share in that.

Look at who I am.

Look what I've done.

I deserve to be with these people of Jericho no far from it.

She obeys nevermind her past.

Nevermind her guilt, nevermind her shame.

She acts now.

And that same calling is urged upon you.

And upon me right now, consider this parable from our Lord in Matthew chapter 21, beginning at verse 28, he says, what do you think?

Matthew 21 · chapter mention

There was a man who had two sons.

He went to the first and said, son, go and work today in the vineyard.

I will not.

He answered, but later he changed his mind and went then the father went to the other son and said the same thing he answered.

I will, sir.

But he did not go, which of the two did what his father wanted.

the first they answered.

Jesus said to them, truly, I tell you the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the king of God ahead of you.

For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness.

And you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.

And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him never.

Nevermind.

How many times you have said no to God in the past.

Nevermind.

How many times you have rebelled against him and defied him and said the things you should not say, no matter how much shame or guilt may weigh you down, God is saying to you right now, will you obey me?

Yeah, I know you said no yesterday, but will you say yes today?

Will you go work in my vineyard today?

Never mind yesterday.

Never mind a year from now.

Nevermind.

10 years in the past today.

What do you say.

It, it doesn't matter if you're a tax collector or a prosecutor, it doesn't matter what you've done.

It doesn't matter what you haven't done.

God is calling you to repent and to trust him and obey rehab did will you everywhere.

She's commended in the new Testament, we're told she was a prostitute.

This is part of her identity.

We're also told this in James chapter two verse 25 in the same way was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction as the body, without the spirit is dead.

So faith without deeds is dead.

Rayhab the prostitute by faith Rayhab the prostitute was saved because she hid the spies and peace.

This is part of who she is, but that doesn't keep her from obeying.

And you see how God's grace shines.

So clearly here, if God can work even through rehab, what can he do through you?

Now?

We may also say, well, didn't she lie is God's word condoning, lying here.

And it's lie upon lie.

It's not just one.

She says, I don't know them.

I don't know where they came from.

I don't know where they are now when all the, while she's hidden them on the roof, what are we gonna do with this number one, remember that our actions, even our best actions are mingled with sin.

Sometimes even when we're doing the right thing, we're doing it for the wrong reason.

Even when we're doing the right thing, sometimes we're thinking something we should not be thinking.

We all are subject to this in this life.

It's part of living in a fallen world that even our best actions always have a tinge, maybe more, but at least a tinge of sinfulness in them.

So don't wait for perfection to obey.

Don't say when I, once I get my life together, then I'll obey.

No obey.

Now, even our best actions are mingled with sin.

And number two, remember this, God can use in the use any sin without excusing sin.

This is part of God's sovereign governance of our lives and of the world.

He's not condoning this.

God is a God of truth.

And he demands that his people be people of truth.

The Lord Jesus never lied.

And if we follow the Lord, Jesus, we should not lie.

So we're not excusing.

Rahab's lies here in her sinfulness, but we're seeing how God can use even our lies.

Even our sinfulness to accomplish his purposes.

This is part of how God works in this sinful messed up world.

So do you appreciate how God can use even the worst things in this world?

The worst, the most heinous, the most horrible things without excusing them or condoning them.

That's the kind of God Rayhab chooses here.

Don't let your past, don't let your lack of perfection.

Now keep you from obeying God's call.

Don't let those things keep you from choosing.

the world to come next.

We could see how Rayhab may see an opportunity here.

We see what she does for a living.

Think of how she might be rewarded.

If she were to hand over these spies could be a pretty good bounty on their heads, right?

And why wouldn't she take it?

There's an opportunity for advancement here.

And this is the pool that we all feel in our lives.

We want to be comfortable in this life.

We want to be applauded by people in this life.

Do we not?

We love getting a plaque.

We love getting an award.

We want people to clap, want people to think highly of us.

And she could see an opportunity here to rescue herself from her reputation.

All she has to do is say, yeah, they're up on the roof.

That's all.

And just think of the, the power that's bearing down on her, who is she to defy the king?

And yet she protects these spies.

She chooses the world to come.

Why?

Because Rayhab because rehab knew what really lasts and what doesn't.

Again, the Lord Jesus helps us see this very clearly in Matthew chapter six, verse 19, he says, do not store up for yourselves, treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but stored for yourself, treasures in heaven, where MOS and vermin do not destroy.

And where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there.

Your heart will be also.

And he goes on to saying, verse 24, no one can serve two masters.

Either.

You will hate the one and love the other, or you'll be devoted to the one in despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money one or the other.

Either you will live for this world and you will accumulate for yourself, treasures of this world, or you will live for the world to come and you will store up treasures in heaven.

You've gotta make a choice.

You can't live for both.

We want to try to straddle the fence.

Don't we, we, we want our comfort in this life.

We want our, our degrees and the prestige of life in this world, but we also want heaven too.

And Jesus is saying your heart has to choose.

Doesn't mean you have to get rid of all your possessions or all your money, but your heart needs to be clear on where your real treasure is.

If you lost all your possessions.

If, if you went bankrupt, Tomorrow, have you lost at all?

Or do you have treasure in heaven?

Rayhab knew where real wealth was to be found and it wasn't going to come from the king in Jericho.

It wasn't going to come from anything that the people around her could give to her.

It comes from God.

So do you know what really lasts?

It's one or the other, are you storing up treasure for the world to come then look at how she chooses allegiance to God over allegiance to her nation state.

She says in verse nine, 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.

She's saying, I know who's going to win in the end.

I know how this story goes.

I know which side the momentum really is on despite present appearances, but see how she is choosing to forsake her own nation, her own people for the sake of this, God, how astounding is, is how shocking is this?

That Rayhab the prostitute is someone who confesses faith in the God of Israel.

This is something only God can bring about in someone.

And here we need to say a word about our allegiance to our nation state.

And this is especially pertinent on this 4th of July weekend.

no one is more grateful than I am to be an American citizen.

No one is more grateful than I am for the inheritance that we have received.

And we should praise God that we live in a country where we don't have to choose allegiance to Christ over allegiance to our country, usually, but be clear about where your heart is.

Recognize the allure of thinking that if we can perfect this country, if we can elect the right politicians, if we can legislate the right laws that we can bring the kingdom come, of course, we never put it that way.

We, we know there's a difference, but look how invested even people who profess to be Christians can get in the things of this world.

Even when our Lord said, my kingdom is not of this world.

So does that mean we don't get involved in politics or we don't care?

We don't vote.

No, no, no.

But the more you realize that God hasn't promised that the United States is going to last forever.

The advance of God's kingdom does not depend upon the United States of America.

The more you realize that, and the more you realize that what we're looking forward to is not the perfection of the United States of America, but the perfection of God's kingdom, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, the more you realize that's what we're living for.

The more you can engage and what needs to be done.

Now, you can know your duty to your country now without having your heart get too invested in the things of this world, where you suffer disappointment.

When you're a candidate doesn't get elected, or when things don't go the way you want them to go in this country, our investment is not in this world.

Where your treasure is there.

Your heart will be also, let's be very clear about that.

That's the choice that confronted rehab and she chose the God of Israel.

So we see, she did not allow her past or her shame to keep her from a bang.

She did not allow the prospect of advancement to keep her from obeying.

She did not allow her allegiance to her nation state to keep her from obeying.

And she does not allow the present weakness of God's people to keep her from obeying look at how unlikely it is that Israel is going to conquer the city state.

The Israelites have been in the wilderness for 40 years.

of course there's a new generation.

Yes.

But what do they know about tactics on the battlefield?

What do they know about siege warfare?

What do they know about establishing a kingdom?

Nothing look at where they are now.

They're across the Jordan river.

They're not really clear on how they're gonna get across yet.

This is a well fortified, well armed city.

How in the world is it going to be conquered?

And yet what we see inhab is an illustration of the truth expressed in Hebrews chapter 11, verse one.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

This is what the ancients were commended for.

Confidence, what we hope for and assured about what we do not see.

She doesn't see Israel in power now.

She doesn't see exactly how they're going to conquer Jericho, but she has assurance that they will.

And that's the nature of saving faith.

It's not relying on what things look like now, but trusting and what they will look like one day, not in what God is allowing now, but in what God has promised to do eventually.

And she says, I know that the Lord has given you this land, that a great fear view has fallen on us.

And what is the basis of this?

Look at what she's heard.

And remember faith comes by hearing faith comes by hearing.

We have heard verse 10, how the Lord dried up the water of the red sea for you when you came out of Egypt and what you did to cyan and Aug the two Kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.

we heard of it.

Now, all the people in Jericho have heard of it, but it's Rayhab who responds, who obey, who says it's true because God has done that in the past.

I know what he will do in the future.

And I'm gonna bank my life on what he's promised to do.

Nevermind.

What things appear to be now.

And we need to feel this pull because we're so tempted to base our feelings, to base our actions, to base our expectations on what we can see.

Are there a lot of people in worship must be going great.

Not a lot of people.

Oh, what's wrong.

Is the church growing?

If not something must be wrong.

Is the nation in trouble?

something must be wrong.

We base everything on what we can see and that's not saving faith.

Saving faith is trusting in what God has promised to do.

She sees what God is going to do before her eyes can see it.

She sees with the eyes of faith.

And here's what I hope you've heard.

You may not have heard about how the Lord dried up the water of the red sea or what the Israelites did to cyan and Aug.

But here's what I hope you've heard.

I hope you've heard that this same God that God who brought his people into the promise land is a God who sent his one and only son Jesus Christ to live a righteous, perfect life in your place to die on the cross in your place to shed his blood in your place to die as your substitute and.

To be raised to new life so that we know there is a day known to God alone when he will judge this world.

And it's going to be far more devastating than what God did to Jericho.

And he's given evidence that the basis of judgment is this one man, whom he has raised from the dead.

And what you say about him, what you do with him, what you believe about him will determine whether or not you are spared in that judgment to come in the world, to come when God cleanses this fallen world of all that ails it.

When there is no more violence, when there is no more disease, when there is no more injustice, there is no more poverty or hunger or thirst.

When all is, as it should be when God restores the conditions of Eden to this world.

And there is a new heaven and a new earth that all comes about on the other side of a judgment Rayhab is spared and see how she not only casts her lot with these people.

She advocates for her family show kindness and mercy to my mother, my father, my brothers, my sisters, and everyone in my household.

And this is what we can be doing too.

We're not guaranteed that God's going to save any one of them just because he's given us faith, but we can ask and we should ask, are you praying for the salvation of your loved ones?

Are you praying that they will live for the world to come and not be so heavily invested in the world?

That is now father, please save my son, save my daughter, save my family.

There's a judgment coming.

I want them to flee from the wrath to come.

And I praise you father, that you've given an escape through your son, Jesus, and the sign that she trusts.

And this means of escape is this Scarlet chord, this red emblem, that that is so like what God told his people to do during the Passover.

He told them smear the blood of lambs on your doorpost.

And with the death angel comes, he will pass over your households, stay inside.

Don't go out.

There's no safety out there.

Stay inside, gather all your friends and loved ones in the household.

Tell them that there's safety under the blood.

And so also rehab is told.

That her household will be spared from this coming judgment.

If they do exactly what they're told and this points to the sign that we will be spared.

Are you trusting in what Jesus has done for you?

Are you trusting that when the world to come comes, when it arrives, that your only grounds for being there is the blood of Jesus made available to you through God's grace, what's keeping you invested in this world today.

What's keeping you from stepping out boldly like Rayhab is it your past some guilt?

are you, are you so enthralled with the things of this world you want to advancement?

When you, you realize I'm, I'm really living more for my career.

I spend more time thinking about my career.

I spend more time thinking about the affairs of this world than I ever spend reading God's word or praying to God or with God's people in the church.

Can you be honest with yourself today?

To what extent is your obsession with politics in empire, building crowding out your ability to live for the world to come?

To what extent are you allowing the present weakness of God's people now of God's church to keep you from a bang?

The church really?

I I'm gonna side with these people.

This is God's chosen means.

To redeem his people in a push back darkness in this fallen world.

And Rayhab could have said these two spies, this is it.

They're the ones that are gonna conquer this great city.

Yes, yes.

That's faith.

So whatever that is today, whatever you need to repent of.

And we all have something we need to repent of something.

That's keeping us from being more fully invested in the world to come so that we can see what our duty is in this world.

What is that for you?

I pray that the power of God's grace would overshadow all of those things so that what you would see most clearly is your need for his grace, so that you would see just how amazing it is to save a retch like you and like me all because of Jesus.

May you see that clearly today, whatever else you may see in your life, Whatever else may be bringing you discouragement and frustration and anxiety and worry and fear.

May you see Jesus above it all?

And may you find salvation in him and in him alone.

As we go to the Lord in prayer father, you are so gracious to make it so clear to us what we need to do.

We tend to make things more complicated than they need to be.

We have a craving for novelty.

We have a craving for what is big and spectacular.

We have a craving to see the fullness of your kingdom.

Come right now.

We have a tendency to want what we want when we want it.

We have a tendency to fail to wait on you.

So father, by your spirit lead us to repent.

Of those temptations, Lord, we need you.

It's not just that you're an option.

Well, no, we need you Lord.

And we praise you that you have done everything that is necessary to bring us back to yourself, by sending Christ, your son, our Lord, we thank you father, that you've done everything in his death and in his resurrection to justify us in your holy presence.

And so father, I pray for anyone who has yet to turn to you.

I pray that today would be the day of salvation.

And for anyone who may be wandering for anyone who may be tempted to allow the things of this world to crowd out their obedience, I pray that today would be a day of repentance that you would bring them back.

That you would enable them to see clearly what you are calling them to do and that by your spirit and by your grace and for the sake of your kingdom, we would all be more obedient to your son, Jesus Christ.

And so we pray these things in his name.

Aw, amen.