SHE SAW THE PROOF

Joshua chapters 2 and 6 record the story of a woman named Rahab. From these passages we learn that Joshua dispatched two spies to survey the fortified city of Jericho prior to the conquest of Canaan. Unlike the venture of the twelve spies recorded in Numbers 13, the purpose of this mission was not to determine whether they should enter Canaan, but when and how it should be done.

Jericho, the ancient "city of palms" to which the spies were sent, was a prosperous and populous city surrounded by two great walls. These walls represented the city's greatest strength and it would be necessary to breach or destroy them in order to take the city. According to archaeological findings, there was a space of twelve to fifteen feet between these walls. Timbers were laid from one wall to the other and houses of sun-dried bricks were constructed to bridge the space between them.

Built over this gap between the two walls of Jericho was the house of a woman named Rahab who was a harlot. There was a constant stream of visitors in and out of her house and this may have influenced the spies to seek refuge there. They presumed that two strangers would not be noticed. These are reasons one might surmise that the men stayed there, but the real reason is that they were guided by the Lord. This heathen woman was about to become a true believer, a woman of faith, and an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The presence of the spies did not go undetected. The king of Jericho received word that the men had lodged at the house of Rahab and sent word for her to bring them out to him (Joshua 2:2-3). Instead, Rahab hid the spies and told the kings' messengers that they had departed. Then she told the spies:

I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For 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 the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (Joshua 2:9-11)

What caused this idolatrous, heathen woman to acknowledge the Lord as the true God? The proof was demonstrated by the miraculous. Does your life and ministry produce the proof that God is the one true God and is still in the miracle-working business?

PRAYER:

My FATHER, My God, this year let my life reflect the blessing of the Lord, I shall not be static, I decree PROGRESS, FAVOR, HONOR, AND INFLUENCE are my portion. My life is SALTED, My speech is SALTED, My Home and Business are SALTED in the name of Jesus.