Israel to the Promised Land

Part 3 of Conquest

I’ve got a friend named Reid.

In high school we were best friends.

We played soccer together and hung out as much as possible.

About 8 years ago, he almost died from blood clots in his legs.

Now, he’s a guy about my height, but much skinnier. He probably weighs 160 pounds.

He rock climbed and enjoyed anything outdoors.

After his blood clots though, he lost a lot of mobility in his leg and honestly he almost lost his leg completely.

Now days he walks with a pretty severe limp and certainly can’t rock climb anymore.

I am sad for Reid for a lot of reasons, but the biggest reasons is just because he can’t do the most basic things in life that he enjoyed before his ailments.

I.E. Rock Climbing.

It was a simple thing he loved that was taken away from him in a moment.

And it doesn’t seem fair.

Now honestly, I don’t know where Reid stands in his faith now days.

I think he still believes in Jesus, but I wouldn’t consider him a faithful man… sadly.

Here’s a question for all of us though

What would you do if you were in his position?

Trade rock climbing for anything else.

Would you still be faithful to Jesus after experiencing that?

The truth is, any of us at any time are moments away from all kinds of life-changing circumstances.

The truth is also, every day is a gift from the Lord.

God is gracious in all things at all times.

DO we really believe that?

Even when we don’t understand the circumstances, do we trust God in them?

That’s what we are going to talk about today through the lives of Rahab and Ruth.

Was God a Racist or wrong for removing people from the land?

No, because:

The land already belonged to Israel. God gave it to Abraham.

Exodus 12:38 “38 Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.”

God has already been saving many people from different nationalities and bringing them into the Israelite family.

Today, we will look at two individuals who were not Israelites, but God used them in mighty ways.

RAHAB:

Joshua 2:8–11 “8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land 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. 10 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 Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”

Rahab’s testimony here is very interesting.

She says in verse 9 that all who live in the land are fearful of the Israelites.

Why?

Because news had spread that God had saved them from Egypt and that God was with Israel.

She admits 3 key things:

God gave Canaan to Israel. It belongs to them.

God has supernaturally rescued and protected them.

Israel’s God is the true God.

Because of this, Rahab believes.

Because of her belief, she was saved from the destruction that was coming to Jericho.

But don’t miss what she said. “All who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.”

All people in Canaan know about Israel and their God.

Just as Rahab was shown grace, that same grace was available to all who would believe.

The problem wasn’t the people or their ethnicity.

The problem was idolatry.

The people who occupied those lands chose to believe in their false gods rather than the true God.

Because of that, Salvation is available to all who would believe, but at the same time, consequences and destruction were coming to all who would not.

But don’t get it twisted in your mind that God destroyed these people in Canaan without them knowing who He was.

The point is they knew, and they chose not to follow God, but instead chose their idols.

Another point on Rahab that is interesting.

Who likes to genealogies?

Admittedly, I’m really bad with genealogies.

I really should look into my family more to try and learn more about my family history.

Allison’s family is very big on knowing their family history.

Their family is also quite large.

I’ve been part of Allison’s family now for 17 years and I’m still learning new people in her family.

Part of Rahab’s family though included 3 notable people.

Boaz and Ruth (who we will talk about more in a second)

King David.

Jesus.

Tell me God was wrong for destroying the people of Canaan again…

No no no friends.

God used a pagan prostitute who lived in a land of people who utterly hated God and used her to be part of Jesus’ family lineage.

Nobody is too far gone to turn to Jesus.

Ruth also has an interesting story.

RUTH:

Ruth’s family history is very dark to be honest with you.

Ruth was a Moabite.

The Moabites were known through the old testament as haters of Israel who attacked Israel often and killed many Israelites.

The Moabites were so terrible to Israel, God even declared a law about them in Deuteronomy that they would not be participant’s with any Israelite practices for 10 generations.

Deuteronomy 23:3–6 “3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation. 4 For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. 5 However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. 6 Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.”

Clearly a lot of conflict between these nations and Israel.

Theres another story from Numbers 25 also that also talks of the horrible practices of the Moabites and how they caused Israel to fall into their idolatry.

All the way back in Genesis 19:30-38 though, the Moabites were the offspring of Lot’s daughters.

After the evil and corrupt cultures of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, God rescued Lot’s family which was Abraham’s nephew.

However, Lot’s daughters, still corrupt from that culture, became pregnant from their dad and the result was the Moabites and Ammonite peoples.

I mean this is horrible stuff guys.

Now the point here is not to shock, but it is to show how evil humans can be.

How could God ever use a Moabite or Ammonite to accomplish his purposes?

Well if you read the book of Ruth, which is only a couple of chapters, you will see that an Israelite man went to moab and married Ruth.

However, over time, Ruth’s husband, her father-in-law, and her brother-in-law all passed away.

It was just Ruth, her mother-in-law, and her sister-in-law left.

Now in this time in history and culturally, this was terrible.

Typically, if you were a woman and your husband died, your husband’s brother or father would take care of you.

But for these ladies, all of those men died around the same time.

Ruthe’s mother-in-law told the girls to go back and marry other men so they would be taken care of.

but Ruth refused to leave.

She didn’t want Naomi to suffer.

Ruth 1:15–16 “15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

Here, it’s clear Ruth was abandoning the false gods of the Moabites and instead was a worshipper of the true God.

This situation led Ruth and Naomi to move back to Israel and there Ruth met Boaz.

Boaz was the son of Rahab.

Ruth’s great-grandson was king David.

God used a cursed people (Moabites) to eventually lead to the blessing that was King David.

I tell both of these stories to show us clearly that God did not discriminate who would be saved based on ethnicity or race or anything else… but on the faith of those who believed in Him.

If you read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew you will notice 4 women mentioned in Jesus’ family line.

Tamar (Canaanite)

Rahab (Canaanite)

Ruth (Moabite)

Bathsheba (Hittite)

God’s intent has always been that through God’s people, all people of every nation and language would come to know Him.

God used the worst of people even as a part of Jesus’ family tree.

Why would he do that if God hated certain people groups?

Because God doesn’t hate people groups…

God hates idolatry.

God hates sin.

In Romans 1:5 “5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.”

When God called for the destruction of the Canaanites it was not because they were good people.

It was not because they were innocent.

These were evil people who were far from God.

And yet we see from the Exodus of Egypt and today through Rahab and Ruth that if any individual places their faith in God…

God is quick to save them

Not just save them, but use them mightily for Him!

God can use anybody.

APPLICATION:

Romans 11:33–36 “33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” 36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

It is grace, and grace alone that any of us are here today.

It is God’s grace that any of us have life.

It is not right for us to question why do bad things happen to good people… because friends… separate from Jesus, we are all terrible people.

No one is deserving of grace.

Yet grace is offered all the more.

Why would I question whom God’s grace? Why would I think God made a mistake?

He is perfect and just and something we have talked about many times is that He is always quick to offer grace before judgment.

Through Rahab and Ruth we have seen that today.

For anyone who knew who God was, and chose to reject Him, friends, they had their moment of grace.

So do we!

If we die, and we’ve never responded to God’s grace, friends, that time of grace will end for us as well.

For our friends that we love so dearly, the same is true of them!

How are we showing grace to those around us that we love?

Revelation 5:9–10 “9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.””

Lastly, you can see in this verse that at the end of time, there will be people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

I think this includes all possible people groups.

Jesus will come back when everyone has heard about Him and had a chance to respond.

The question will not be about the people who didn’t hear about Jesus.

Everyone will hear and everyone will have representation.

2 Peter 3:9 “9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

This is the heart of God.

That EVERYONE will see His grace and respond in faith.

No matter how hard life gets for you, for me, let’s be faithful people.

Quick to trust God at the first sign of confusion.

Quick to credit God for every gracious day He gives us.

Quick to who others that God deserves all the credit for our lives.

It’s always Jesus.

How are we thanking Him for his grace today?