All in Her House
"And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had…."
Joshua 6: 25
King James Version
EXPLORATION
"All In Her House"
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"It is a reverent thing to see an ancient castle or building not in decay; or to see a fair timber tree sound and perfect. How much more to behold an ancient and noble family which hath stood against the waves and weathers of time."
Sir Francis Bacon
What does the fact that "all" in Rahab's household were saved tell us about the kind of person she was?
INSPIRATION
"Life begins when a person first realizes how soon it ends."
Marcelene Cox
What if one day two men, you'd never met before, arrived at your front door and informed you that your entire city, and all the people in it were going to be destroyed. What would you do? Who would you warn? How would you prepare?
As Rahab watched the children of Israel march across the Sinai desert to the borders of Canaan, I'm certain an uneasy feeling began to arise within her. One of those ominous feelings in the pit of your stomach that keeps you up at night and makes you grab an antacid bottle in the morning.
What is so obvious from the life of Rahab, is that she didn't just worry about the million people march that was headed her way. Instead, she began to discern that Someone special was leading this rag-tag group of Egyptian slaves. As belief began to grow in her heart, it became apparent Rahab didn't keep her thoughts or feelings to herself. In fact, she shared them with those she loved, to the point that by the time the Israelites were ready to cross the Jordan into Jericho, Rahab had so effectively evangelized her family and friends, when she spoke, they listened.
We find in Joshua 6: 23 that Rahab's thoughts of rescue were not focused as much on herself as on those she loved, her parents, siblings and friends. And this fact alone should tell us a lot about the kindness in the heart of Rahab.
In fact, if you'll remember when we studied about Mr. and Mrs. Lot, angels had to literally drag them out of Sodom in order to spare their lives. And don't forget, these were supposed to be God's elect, His chosen ones. What's more, not all of Lot's family were willing to leave Sodom.
Now, just a few books later in the Bible, we find a "heathen prostitute" who not only willingly wanted to leave the confines of wicked Jericho, but she also brought all her family with her. Don't you love this part of Rahab's story? Her entire family was saved!
The great preacher for God, Charles Spurgeon, in writing about Rahab asks the question, "Could you leave your mother or father behind in Jericho?" Rahab couldn't and so she asked the representatives of the God of Heaven for one favor – the salvation of ALL who came within the safety of her home. You know, I couldn't find anywhere in the Bible where it said that ALL the people in Rahab's family were believers in the God of heaven and earth. No commentaries noted this fact either. But what we do find is that there was something so persuasive about Rahab, when she informed her family she believed in the God of heaven and earth and that she was going to follow where He led, her entire clan said, "We're coming with you!"
In her book, Womenfolks, author Shirley Abbott, in writing about her family observed, "Within our family there was no such thing as a person who did not matter. Second cousins thrice removed mattered; we knew who was buried where. We all mattered."
I ask you, "Does everyone in your family matter enough to you that you wouldn't leave Jericho without them?" Like Rahab, would your first thought be to save ALL within your house?
I recently read a prayer written by the Women of Thailand:
"Father of all,
we thank Thee for our families
and for all the joys and tensions
which are part of family life.
Give to us grace
to become more loving and more forgiving
that our homes may be places
where we may grow daily
into the likeness of Your Son, Jesus Christ
to whom be praise and glory."
May it be said about you and me, that the impression we leave upon ALL in our households is so profound that when the God of heaven and earth plucks us out of "Jericho," ALL within our households will be saved, too.
"Few are born to do the great work of the world, but the work that all can do is to make a small home circle brighter and better."
George Eliot
AFFIRMATION
"O Lord, bless our household;
grant us health and peacefulness,
fun and friendship,
a warm and welcoming spirit,
and the gentleness that quickly forgives,
now and always."
Angela Ashwin
Your friend
Dorothy Valcárcel
