LEARNING FROM RAABE

The fear of God brings salvation / Rahab a harlot who feared God

Basic text: Joshua 2:1-24

The story of Rahab shows us that the fear of God is fundamental for a person to bring salvation to his life, his home, his family.

Proverbs 14:27 - The fear of the LORD is a source of life, to turn away from the snares of death.

Furthermore, God supernaturally uses the lives of God-fearing people, no matter how insignificant, simple or complicated that person's life is, at any time, situation or place, God uses it as He wants and in the way He wants. , in favor of its purposes.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your house

                        Acts 16:31 

 By faith and God fearing Rahab showed that her life and the life of her family could be spared even before knowing what would happen, she believed that somehow God would be doing something very important in favor of her people, she heard about the signs and wonders that God was doing in his time, and that God was so powerful to carry out any plan on behalf of his people.

Proverbs 2:5 - Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and you will find the knowledge of God.

In order for us to understand Rahab's life, we need to check the text, step by step:

When Joshua was leading and preparing the people to enter the Promised Land, he sent two spies to examine the next city to be conquered: Jericho.

Being a spy was not easy at all, it was a cautious job, it took men of great courage, in the first attempt to spy on the land, when Moses was alive and still leading the people, the plan was not successful, among the 10 spies, eight of them did not give a favorable opinion, they were afraid to face obstacles, when only 02 of them did a work worthy of courage and hope, but most of the spies ended up frustrating and discouraging the people.

This time Joshua must have handpicked who were the men who should carry out such a task again of spying on the land to be conquered, so that the plan again would not be thwarted.

At that time the great cities were well protected by walls, and we see here that Jericho was a very prosperous city, and was the next target of conquest of the people of God, but for that, as usual, it was first necessary to ascertain the conditions of the city. , that is, it was necessary to spy to know what its defense strategies were and how its residents were preparing for an eventual invasion of enemies.

Well, in the face of all this, the 02 spies were sent, they should have entered the city as pilgrims, disguised in the midst of the people, but they immediately raised suspicions and soon the information reached the King, who mobilized soldiers to capture them - this represented a great risk for spies

Now the scenario of the story is Rahab's house, a house built on top of the city wall, with the window out, she was a prostitute, the spies using a lot of cunning, they must have thought: "let's enter this prostitute's house , being a neutral person, who works for money, maybe she can give us a lot of information, just pay and she can help us calmly.

But it didn't take that much effort, immediately God touched this woman's heart in a supernatural way.

Soon she realized that these 2 men were from God, that they were there precisely because God had sent them, she must have known the miraculous stories that God had made in favor of the Israelites, the whole story of conquests of God's people had spread among the nations at that time, and a fear of God was already in Rahab's heart.

Immediately Rahab began to position herself in favor of the spies, as soon as armed men appeared in front of her house, to capture them, right away, in the pressure of the moment Rahab lied, a beneficial strategy, to protect God's plan, the enemy appears and it is necessary to outwit him (no lie is beneficial, but in this case it worked in favor of God's purposes), perhaps at the moment no better idea came to Rahab, but by faith she used this resource...

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with the unbelievers, receiving the spies in peace.

Hebrews 11:31

if the spies were captured, it would interfere with Joshua's plans, but it was God who was in control of everything, and the fear of the Lord in Rahab's heart made all the difference (the fear of God in people's hearts makes all the difference, for the God's plans are fulfilled on earth)

When people fear the Lord, there is a principle of wisdom, people know exactly how they should proceed, how they should work for the good, they cooperate even if unconsciously, at the time of any pressure, knowing that what they do is the best they can do. and act with the heart

Everything the spies need to know, God used Rahab, right at the entrance of the city, he didn't need to go further to gather information, right there in that house, every spy report was carried out, all quickly and very easily, despite the imminent fear there be great, the spies should have panicked, and now, we are trapped, how are we going to escape this one, but God provided everything through that Lord fearing woman

She deceived the guards, hid the spies on the roof, informed them how they should escape the snares, the pursuit outside the city and most importantly, gathered the main information from the city: the residents were all terrified of their presence and feared the advance of the enemy. people of God in the plan to conquer those lands.

This information that the people of Jericho were afraid was enough to fill the people of God with courage, so whoever is afraid is an easy target to be defeated, a frightened people makes the enemy stronger, from there to the fall and surrender of those fearful people is only a matter of time.

Here we learn 3 things, that the fear of God in people's hearts facilitates their plans and facilitates the lives of those who fear the Lord, that a simple information that things are going to be easier than we think animates our hearts and that fear and the fear that is not of the Lord is fatal to lose any battle

Rahab was benefited in all the positive aspects of these facts, for fearing God and believing she was on his side, doing the right thing, she and her family were saved when the Israelites took the city, because they remembered everything she had done in God's favor...

The spies left safely, happy for the information of the city, that despite being very protected by the walls, there was a fragile people inside it, and it ended up unfolding once again an infallible plan of God, the city of Jericho was conquered and one more step in the conquest of all the promised land has been carried out, the plans of those who serve God always work out, but once God shows that he is in complete control of all things and everything works together for the good of those who serve him with fear and obedience

Psalm 111:10 - fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; good understanding have all those who do his commandments

Proverbs 19:23 - The fear of the LORD leads to life; he who has it will be satisfied, and no evil will visit him.

 

Rahab was a prostitute used by God, collaborated with the Lord's plans and saved her life.

Joshua 2:1-24

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

And likewise was Rahab (WOMAN WHO FEARED GOD), the harlot, also justified by works, when she gathered up the emissaries, and sent them away by another way? James 2:25

 

So Joshua gave life to Rahab the harlot, and to her father's family, and to all that she had; and she has dwelt in the midst of Israel to this day; because she had hidden the messengers that Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. Joshua 6:25

SOURCE: https://aprendendocomosgrandes.blogspot.com/2013/09/aprendendo-com-raabe.html?m=0

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