JOSHUA 2:1-24
This is the other “Spy Story”, involving “two” spies. I remember from back in the 1960s watching “Man from U.N.C.L.E” on TV, involving two spies. Yehoshua sends them out to spy out “Jericho” they arrive at the house of “Rahab” a prostitute, she hides them and expresses her faith in the “unseen God of the Hebrews” from verses 9 to 13 we read of her faith.
She hid the spies because the king of Jericho somehow found out that they came to her. She risked her own life and the life of her family by hiding them on the roof.
“Our lives for yours” were the words of the spies when they left through the window by a rope. (vs 14) but faith needs action, (faith without works is dead) to show her faith, she needed to tie a scarlet cord in the window, so that when the Israelite army came, Rahab and her family would be saved.
This reminds us of Passover. When the angel of death saw the “red” (blood) on the doorposts, the angel would “pass over” all who were in the house. In the case of Rahab and her family, they were saved from destruction, by obeying the mandate “bind this line of scarlet cord in the window…”(2:18). We read in Hebrews 11:31; "By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies with Shalom." We also note that Rahab is in the line of Messiah Yeshua!
. Read chapter 6:25. Rahab and her family were taken from Jericho to the Israelite camp, just like the Israelites were taken from Egypt to (eventually) the promised land. Once she was rescued from Jericho and went to live with the Community of Israel, she met and married Salmon. They had a son named Boaz. Boaz met and married Ruth the Moabitess, who abandoned Moab to follow Adonai. They had a son named Obed, and Obed's son was Jesse. Jesse of course was the father of David, and the rest is history. In the line of David is "Yeshua Ben David".
In our case, Yeshua is saying “My life for yours” what do we have to do? “Just believe and accept his one-time-only sacrifice” for all of our sins, past, present, and future. And we pass from the “camp” of sin to the “camp” of Adonai.
LUKE 17:1-18:43
Yeshua teaches here that “stumbling blocks” are inevitable, they will come in our lives, we will fall, yet we will get up again, that is part of the life of a believer. Our lives are like riding “roller-coasters” at times we are “up” and at times we are “down” because we are in our sinful bodies, yet it will only be “up” when we get into our “new bodies” in Heaven. Yeshua also speaks of forgiveness, which at times seems hard to do, especially when a person commits the same sin against us time after time, after time. YET we are COMMANDED to forgive. This can not come from the carnal man, only from the spirit-filled man (and woman).
Kefa (Peter) once asked Yeshua; "How many times should I forgive, seven times?" yet Yeshua answered; "Not seven but seventy times seven." Does that mean we should stop at 490 times forgiving someone? We would understand this is not to be taken literally, but what Yeshua is saying is that we should not stop forgiving a person. I know this sounds hard for someone who has received harm from someone, especially a family member. But in extreme cases, we should "forgive" but also practice "tough love"
Yeshua also speaks of “servanthood” why do we do the things we do? To get special treatment or rewards? Or…because that which we do is expected of us from the Master? Yes, we are HIS servants, and because we ARE we do what we do using our spiritual gifts. YET Adonai has already promised rewards in heaven, but we shouldn’t do what we do because of the future rewards, but out of love for what HE has done for US on Calvary’s Tree.
Shalom
It was dark and the ship's captain saw a light up ahead; "change direction, I'm a battleship!' A voice from the light responded; "YOU change direction battleship captain, I'm the lighthouse."
This is the other “Spy Story”, involving “two” spies. I remember from back in the 1960s watching “Man from U.N.C.L.E” on TV, involving two spies. Yehoshua sends them out to spy out “Jericho” they arrive at the house of “Rahab” a prostitute, she hides them and expresses her faith in the “unseen God of the Hebrews” from verses 9 to 13 we read of her faith.
She hid the spies because the king of Jericho somehow found out that they came to her. She risked her own life and the life of her family by hiding them on the roof.
“Our lives for yours” were the words of the spies when they left through the window by a rope. (vs 14) but faith needs action, (faith without works is dead) to show her faith, she needed to tie a scarlet cord in the window, so that when the Israelite army came, Rahab and her family would be saved.
This reminds us of Passover. When the angel of death saw the “red” (blood) on the doorposts, the angel would “pass over” all who were in the house. In the case of Rahab and her family, they were saved from destruction, by obeying the mandate “bind this line of scarlet cord in the window…”(2:18). We read in Hebrews 11:31; "By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies with Shalom." We also note that Rahab is in the line of Messiah Yeshua!
. Read chapter 6:25. Rahab and her family were taken from Jericho to the Israelite camp, just like the Israelites were taken from Egypt to (eventually) the promised land. Once she was rescued from Jericho and went to live with the Community of Israel, she met and married Salmon. They had a son named Boaz. Boaz met and married Ruth the Moabitess, who abandoned Moab to follow Adonai. They had a son named Obed, and Obed's son was Jesse. Jesse of course was the father of David, and the rest is history. In the line of David is "Yeshua Ben David".
In our case, Yeshua is saying “My life for yours” what do we have to do? “Just believe and accept his one-time-only sacrifice” for all of our sins, past, present, and future. And we pass from the “camp” of sin to the “camp” of Adonai.
LUKE 17:1-18:43
Yeshua teaches here that “stumbling blocks” are inevitable, they will come in our lives, we will fall, yet we will get up again, that is part of the life of a believer. Our lives are like riding “roller-coasters” at times we are “up” and at times we are “down” because we are in our sinful bodies, yet it will only be “up” when we get into our “new bodies” in Heaven. Yeshua also speaks of forgiveness, which at times seems hard to do, especially when a person commits the same sin against us time after time, after time. YET we are COMMANDED to forgive. This can not come from the carnal man, only from the spirit-filled man (and woman).
Kefa (Peter) once asked Yeshua; "How many times should I forgive, seven times?" yet Yeshua answered; "Not seven but seventy times seven." Does that mean we should stop at 490 times forgiving someone? We would understand this is not to be taken literally, but what Yeshua is saying is that we should not stop forgiving a person. I know this sounds hard for someone who has received harm from someone, especially a family member. But in extreme cases, we should "forgive" but also practice "tough love"
Yeshua also speaks of “servanthood” why do we do the things we do? To get special treatment or rewards? Or…because that which we do is expected of us from the Master? Yes, we are HIS servants, and because we ARE we do what we do using our spiritual gifts. YET Adonai has already promised rewards in heaven, but we shouldn’t do what we do because of the future rewards, but out of love for what HE has done for US on Calvary’s Tree.
Shalom
It was dark and the ship's captain saw a light up ahead; "change direction, I'm a battleship!' A voice from the light responded; "YOU change direction battleship captain, I'm the lighthouse."
