Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
In Joshua 2, we discover the remarkable story of a conversion. We meet up with one who can only be described as a common prostitute—a woman name “Rahab,” who operated a brothel from her own home in the walled city of Jericho. By the providential working of Israel’s God she meets up with two spies sent into Jericho by Joshua, the God-appointed ‘general’ of the army of the Lord. What follows is simply amazing! You can read it for yourself in Joshua 2:1-24.
Embedded in this story of the salvation of Rahab and her family, and the eventual judgment and destruction of Jericho, are some beautiful and surprising components of the ‘Grand Story of Redemption’ we are currently investigating together on Sunday mornings. Among them are:
God’s unconditional, elective mercies for undeserving sinners,
Salvation for the Gentiles, in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant,
The power and efficacy of the Word of Yahweh,
The Lord’s delight in saving families,
The blessed fruit of saving faith,
And the mighty, historic deeds of the Lord that bring both conviction and terror, and foreshadow the ministry of the Incarnate Savior.
But then, there is that lie that Rahab strategically deploys against the wicked king of Jericho (2:4-6), an act of wartime deception that ensured the safety of the Israelite spies and the completion of their divine mission. What shall we think about this?
There is much to discover here as we probe this inspired story! Take some time to read the whole chapter, and then pray that as we explore it together over the next couple of weeks the Lord will build His Church and glorify His Name among us!
A Quick Word About Our Parent’s Seminar
Over the previous weeks we’ve shared in two great nights together looking at how God’s Word speaks to Christian parents about their duties and responsibilities, and the joys of raising children. And our children have been learning God’s truths from our Catechism under the leadership of Ashley Turnbull and her staff of dedicated teachers.
On this coming Wednesday night, February 17th at 6:00 PM in the Worship Center, Ken Burnett will be speaking to us about parenting and the practical insights he has gained from many years of working with teenagers. I hope you will join us from 6:00 to 7:00 PM for a wonderful time of teaching and discussion.
May the Lord bless you all, and I love you dearly and pray for you constantly!
Mike