Joshua 2:1-14
► Do we always know how God will work things out?
► Are there times when God works through people who are not godly for a godly purpose?
► Are there times when God works through people who are not godly for a godly purpose?
Joshua sent two spies to check out Jericho in preparation for a take-over. The people of that town heard spies were there and guards went to the house of a prostitute by the name of Rahab. The guards told Rahab that spies were spotted going into her house. She immediately lied, telling the guards the men had left. In actuality, Rahab knew the men were still there. She even made the lie more convincing by suggesting where the men might be and to hurry that they might catch them.
When the guards left, Rahab made a deal with the spies that since she’d saved their lives, they were to spare the lives of her and her family when they took over the land.
Wasn't there a very, very special person who had the harlot, Rahab, as an ancestor? It has been said that Jesus, the Messiah, was born through Rahab's ancestry. If that is accurate, that shows how we as humans really do not know all of the ways in which God has, can, and does operate.
God sees a much bigger picture than we do. He has a much greater understanding. His plans and ideas are seldom the same as ours. If God wanted his people to take over Jericho, why didn't he just kill off all the people there with some disease or send a tornado or earthquake through the place--swallow them up or something? Why were so many steps needed? Why didn't God just tell Joshua and the spies who they'd meet, what she'd say and do, and what they were to do? Why use a lying harlot rather than some nice granny?
Why...why...why? Because God is God. He can do anything and his ways and thoughts are simply not as ours. He can work through whomever he chooses in whatever ways he chooses for the length of time he chooses. They couldn't dictate his actions and neither can we. They had to wait and trust and so must we.
Actually, that can be a really tough concept to grasp. Particularly in a time when we're frequently told that OUR words and thoughts can force and change the course of existence, it can be very difficult for some to comprehend that, in fact, we cannot "speak" ANYTHING into existence. That our name-and-claims are futile when they are not in line with Scripture and God's will, can be a shocking reality to some. We do not always know how God will do things but we can trust and obey with the understanding that he loves us and orchestrates his own plans for his own purposes.
God can do anything--even utilize spies, lies, and a harlot for his divine will.
God sees a much bigger picture than we do. He has a much greater understanding. His plans and ideas are seldom the same as ours. If God wanted his people to take over Jericho, why didn't he just kill off all the people there with some disease or send a tornado or earthquake through the place--swallow them up or something? Why were so many steps needed? Why didn't God just tell Joshua and the spies who they'd meet, what she'd say and do, and what they were to do? Why use a lying harlot rather than some nice granny?
Why...why...why? Because God is God. He can do anything and his ways and thoughts are simply not as ours. He can work through whomever he chooses in whatever ways he chooses for the length of time he chooses. They couldn't dictate his actions and neither can we. They had to wait and trust and so must we.
Actually, that can be a really tough concept to grasp. Particularly in a time when we're frequently told that OUR words and thoughts can force and change the course of existence, it can be very difficult for some to comprehend that, in fact, we cannot "speak" ANYTHING into existence. That our name-and-claims are futile when they are not in line with Scripture and God's will, can be a shocking reality to some. We do not always know how God will do things but we can trust and obey with the understanding that he loves us and orchestrates his own plans for his own purposes.
God can do anything--even utilize spies, lies, and a harlot for his divine will.
