12.8.24 Sermon @ Tulip CC - Hope Found in Rahab’s Redemption

Introduction

Advent Series

The Eager Expectancy of the coming Messiah, that to us a Savior is Born, God’s Grace came in flesh to rescue us from the sins of our flesh.

Core of Advent is the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love we receive in Jesus.

Though you have likely heard many ways Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are presented during the Christmas Season I am hopeful the look we will be taking the next few weeks will lead us over some unfamiliar ground.

This Advent Season we are going to take a look at The Mothers of Jesus…

Genealogies are important…recent funeral…not much reference to those who came before or after, not much communication from the family, and thus hard to relate and comfort.

Ancestral Decent

Messianic Heritage…Line of Abraham, Line of David

Inheritance & Ownership

Military Assignment

“Matthew may have included these women in order to emphasize that God’s choices in dealing with people are all of His grace.” - The Bible Knowledge Commentary

Gentiles vs. God’s Chosen (Jewish Counterparts)

Tamar vs. Judah

Rahab vs. Israelites

Ruth vs. Judges

And finally…in Mary, an unlikely mother of Jesus in human perspective, but the perfect example of God’s love and grace

Hope Found in Rahab’s Redemption

DT: God will use even those who are disobedient when they turn to Him…even if they turn in desperation and fear

Sermon Notes

Joshua 2:1 (NIV)

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.

Rahab was a prostitute - “one who yields herself to defilement for the sake of gain”

Careful, lest we judge…we don’t know why Rahab had chosen this lifestyle…

She, and all who lived in Jericho were condemned

Joshua 2:2–7 (NIV)

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 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.”

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

Rahab lied to the king…did that honor God…motives of the heart make all the difference

Before she spoke a word she had already made a decision…hiding the spies

Joshua 2:8–11 (NIV)

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 knew the Lord…and feared the Lord…the Lord of Heaven & Earth

Proverbs 9:10–12 (NIV)

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For through wisdom your days will be many,

and years will be added to your life.

12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;

if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

Rahab seeks a sure sign…and it is a sign of Hope for us

Joshua 2:12–16 (NIV)

12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”

To save us from death….took Three Days

Joshua 2:17–21 (NIV)

17 Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. 20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

Rahab agreed…

Rahab took immediate action…she didn’t wait or delay

Blood of a lamb on the doorposts…Scarlet Cord in a window…Crimson Blood of the Lamb…all of this our Hope in the Grace of God as His wrath and judgement pass over us

Notes from Others for Reference

Rahab Stood Condemned

Rahab was a sinner - a prostitue, a harlot - “one who yields herself to defilement for the sake of gain”

Rahab was condemned in her condition

Rahab Knew No Hope

Rahab Knew the Fear of God

Proverbs 9:10–12 (NIV)

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For through wisdom your days will be many,

and years will be added to your life.

12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;

if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

Rahab Accepted God’s Power Over Her

Rahab’s Hope was Rewarded

Rahab rescued the spies by a faithful response

Scriptures

Matthew 1:1–17 (NIV)

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

4 Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

6 and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

14 Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Joshua 2:1–24 (NIV)

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.

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 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.”

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

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.

12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”

17 Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. 20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22 When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. 23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”

Hebrews 11:31 (NIV)

31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

Notes & References

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 1:2–17

Another interesting fact about Matthew’s genealogy is the inclusion of four Old Testament women: Tamar (Matt. 1:3), Rahab (v. 5), Ruth (v. 5), and Solomon’s mother (v. 6), Bathsheba. All of these women (as well as most of the men) were questionable in some way. Tamar and Rahab were prostitutes (Gen. 38:24; Josh. 2:1), Ruth was a foreigner, a Moabitess (Ruth 1:4), and Bathsheba committed adultery (2 Sam. 11:2–5). Matthew may have included these women in order to emphasize that God’s choices in dealing with people are all of His grace. Perhaps also he included these women in order to put Jewish pride in its place.

When the fifth woman, Mary (Matt. 1:16), was mentioned in the genealogy, an important change occurred. The genealogy consistently repeated, the father of, until it came to Mary. At that point Matthew changed and said of whom was born Jesus. The “of whom” is a feminine relative pronoun (ex hēs), clearly indicating that Jesus was the physical Child of Mary but that Joseph was not His physical father. This miraculous conception and birth are explained in 1:18–25.

The Chronological Life of Christ Mt 1:1–17

Another striking feature of Matthew’s genealogy is his inclusion of women. It was pretty uncommon to include women in genealogies, but not unheard of (cf. 1 Chron 1:32; 2:17–21, 24, 26). However, you would expect them to be exemplary. The inclusion of these particular women is simply scandalous. Tamar was guilty of prostitution and incest (Gen 38:6–30). Rahab was apparently a foreign harlot (Josh 2:1, 3; 6:17, 23, 25; Heb 11:31). Ruth was a foreigner. And Bathsheba was an adulteress (2 Sam 12:24) and perhaps considered a foreigner by her marriage to a Hittite. Each of their stories highlights the faith of a Gentile over against Jewish counterparts: Tamar vs. Judah, Rahab vs. Israelites, Ruth vs. judges generation, and Uriah vs. David.

These gals did not belong in the lineage of the Messiah! Yet, there they are, as a neon reminder of the grace of God. When Mary was accused of being raped (or worse) and ostracized by her family and friends, each of these women could have stood next to her and said, “Honey, I know how you feel.”

At the same time, Matthew describes Mary differently than the others. All five women give birth to a son in the lineage of David. The first four use an identical linguistic structure—“Out of” (ek tēs). With Mary, however, the structure changes to “Out of whom was begotten” (ex hēs egennēthē). It would appear that Matthew is making a subtle statement about the virgin birth of Jesus.