Daniel 1:3-4 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.
We spend way too much time in front of the TV. I think our family has a show for every n
ight of the week that is a "must see". Certainly not one of our more "Godly" pursuits. But then again, where would I get all these great analogies for my blog . . . Anyway. One of our favorites is a show called "Burn Notice". It's about a spy who's been kicked out of the spy field - but spends the whole season trying to get back into it, along the way helping those in need. Here's what I noticed. All the spies in this movie, good and bad, are all attractive, very intelligent, multi-lingual, strong and agile - everything one needs for a hostile take-over. This seems to be the same for most spies we see in Hollywood: James Bond, Mission Impossible, The Bourne Supremecy, etc.
The king is looking for spies, so to speak. The men he wants his chief to bring should be young. They would have no family (he took care of that - since he stole them from their country). They should be handsome. They need to be smart. They need to be physically fit. See. . . spies.
We look at this occupation as glamorous. Being able to sneak around and listen in on conversations, use a weapon, learn how to connive and persuade people, using beauty and brawn to manipulate.
The king gathered these 'men' together because he believed they had all the qualities that he thought one needed to possess to be successful on his team. He did not know that these young men possessed one extra quality: supernatural power. . .
Joshua 2:8-9 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.So Rahab gets rid of the guys who are after the men she was hiding and then she runs up on the roof to talk to them before they fall asleep. Did you catch that? Before they fall asleep! They've been sent into a foreign land to spy on the area to destroy it, they meet up with a ... prostitute ... who for some reason agrees to hide them - the king's men are looking for them, they are hiding under a huge pile of flax on a rooftop, they have no idea what Rahab has said to the kings men and they're about to fall asleep. Just like a man. The whole world is falling in around them and they just want to lay down and take a nap.
Now I know I'm poking a little fun, but the truth is - maybe these men finally have it together. They have taken the position to trust God and be strong and courageous and know that they are being watched over. They are not the ones in fear.
Rahab just confesses it all - she tells them the whole land knows that God has promised them Jericho and that everyone is afraid of them because God does what He says He will do and imminent death is afoot for the inhabitants of the city. If that's the case, why is it that the people of the city are not seeking out God???? Any parallels here?
We, as a country, can see the decline in schooling since they've taken prayer out. The destruction that has wreaked havoc on us because we have gone so far from the will of God many won't even say He exists. The writing is on the wall - it's so easy to see - yet people are not willing to give up their own ways in search of His ways. We have to be strong enough to stand up for what is true and courageous enough to boldly proclaim it to whoever will listen - but will we.......
Joshua 2:2-3 The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."Apparently Jericho has its own group of agents looking out over the city because word gets out to the king that the spies were in town and they were "staying" with Rahab. Now everyone knew that Rahab was a prostitute - it would not seem unlikely to the king that she would have men in her room and not know why they had come into the city. She was simply working. Which is why the king sends message to her doorstep and politely request she send the men out.
Rahab is faced with a situation. She could give up the spies - She could ask the king for money to give him the spies - She could blackmail the spies into giving her money not to give them up. If we were to watch a movie, and the character was a prostitute - wouldn't one of these choices be what we'd expect of a character with this background.
That's the problem we have as sinners. Satan is working hard for you to get discouraged as a Christian by either trying to live up to what people expect of you, or live down what people already know about you. If we let Satan make us think that we are not worthy to share God's gospel, then we will be beaten. The truth is, none of us are worthy, that's where Jesus comes in. It is only through Jesus that we can even begin to get through this time with any hope. So be Strong and Courageous - as God calls His people to be.
Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
Chapter 2 of Joshua introduces us to Rahab, but here is some background: Moses is dead, and Joshua is now leading the Israelites into the promised land. What does that mean exactly? God had made a promise that the Israelites would be given every place where they set their foot (see Joshua 1:3 - for the reiteration). If we were to look back, we can see that these people have had a time of it. Yet, while obeying God, they are able to make it through. God made it very clear that they either follow what Joshua says (because he is listening to God) or be put to death.
In verse 1 we see Joshua giving the command for two of his men to go into the next land - Jericho. They are doing surveillance work. Scoping out the battlefield. Here's the thing - God has promised them every land they set foot on, yet they still have to set up and prepare and actually go into battle - with God's call to be "strong and courageous". Joshua 1:18. These men do not stop and say "Joshua, God has already promised us this land, do we HAVE to go check it out? He's gonna give it to us anyway and we're kinda tired from all the walking." No, they do as they are told, they put in the work.
Aren't we like that today? God has promised us that He is preparing a place for us and that one day, our enemies will be gone and we will have joy everlasting - that does not mean we can slack off while we're still here on earth. We still have a job to do, God is still in control - no matter the situation - and He calls us to be Strong and Courageous! Along our journey of life, doing what we are called to do - we will be blessed by the people we meet from all walks of life - just like they were blessed when they met the unlikely: Rahab. . .
ight of the week that is a "must see". Certainly not one of our more "Godly" pursuits. But then again, where would I get all these great analogies for my blog . . . Anyway. One of our favorites is a show called "Burn Notice". It's about a spy who's been kicked out of the spy field - but spends the whole season trying to get back into it, along the way helping those in need. Here's what I noticed. All the spies in this movie, good and bad, are all attractive, very intelligent, multi-lingual, strong and agile - everything one needs for a hostile take-over. This seems to be the same for most spies we see in Hollywood: James Bond, Mission Impossible, The Bourne Supremecy, etc.
