Faith Active from the Red Sea to Jericho (Hebrews Sermon 58)

I. By Faith the People Crossed the Red Sea (vs. 29)

What an incredible night that was. We talked about a week ago, the Red Sea crossing as God led Israel through the Red Sea on dry land, how the pillar of fire lit their way, and how it kept Pharaoh’s mighty army, and the chariots, and the horsemen from devouring the Israelites as they intended. “By faith, the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land,” with the water walling up to the left and to the right. A night that could have been fraught with terror and bloodshed and death instead for them meant life and a picture of salvation. And by doing that awesome thing, God established a name for himself and a testimony that lives to this very day. And the reason for that is what I just prayed a moment ago, God never changes. The same God who did that at the Red Sea is alive today. And though he may do and will do different things in our generation than he did in their generation, still he’s the same.

Almost a thousand years after the Red Sea crossing, Daniel in exile in Babylon prayed concerning the restoration of the Jews back to the Promised Land; they had been deported because of their sin, their violation of the covenant of God. And Daniel prayed in this way, in Daniel 9:15, “Now O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.” You see, he’s going back in his mind almost a thousand years to the Red Sea crossing, and he says that God made a name for himself that day. From that moment on, the moment of the Red Sea crossing on, the Red Sea crossing would live and shape Israel’s identity as a nation. It would never be forgotten.

Later on in the Exodus, right before they entered the Promised Land, in Deuteronomy 11, God reminded them of what he had done at the Red Sea crossing. And then again at the end of Joshua’s life, as he’s reestablishing the covenant, he reminded them of the Red Sea crossing. In the Psalms, the Psalmists can’t get enough of talking about the Red Sea crossing. Psalm 66:5-7, “Come and see what God has done. He turned the sea into dry land.” Psalm 77:19, “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters. Though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Psalm 78:13, “He divided the sea and led them through, he made the water stand firm like a wall.” They just can’t get enough of talking about the Red Sea crossing. So also the prophets, Isaiah 43, “This is what the Lord says, he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and there they lay, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick.” Isaiah 43.

After the exile, Nehemiah returned back to it again. Nehemiah 9:10-11, “You made a name for yourself which remains to this day, you divided the sea before them so that they pass through it on dry ground. But you hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into the mighty waters.” Even on into the new covenant era, Stephen, as he stands on trial for his life before the Sanhedrin, returns to the Red Sea crossing. In Acts 7:36, “He led them out of Egypt, and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt at the Red Sea, and for 40 years in the desert.” This became part of Israel’s manner of speaking. God led us through the waters. Because God led us through the waters, don’t be afraid now of whatever trial you’re facing. Again, Isaiah 43, in verse 2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”

Later in Isaiah they return to the Red Sea crossing as if to say, God, you led us then, why aren’t you leading us now? You were mighty and powerful then, why not now? Isaiah 63, “Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them to gain for himself everlasting renown.” Who led them through the depths…Where are your zeal and your might? Your tenderness and your compassion are withheld from us.” God, what you did at the Red Sea crossing, do something like that for me now. The future restoration of Israel likened again to the Red Sea crossing in Zechariah 10: “Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands, they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon. And there will not be enough room for them. They will pass through the sea of trouble, the surging sea will be subdued, and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.” And so their restoration will be as a Red Sea crossing through the sea, the surging sea of trouble, God would restore them to the Promised Land.

And so the Red Sea crossing was a major part of Israel’s self-identity as a nation, but it was far more than that. As we have already said, it was by this that God glorified himself. It was by this that God made a name for himself that endures to this day. Three times in Exodus 14 he says his motive for the Red Sea crossing. He says, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, but I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and all the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” Again. Exodus 14-17, “I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army through these chariots and horsemen.” Exodus 14-18, “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh and his chariots and horsemen.”

So the point of the Red Sea crossing, ultimately, was that God would gain glory for himself and make a name for himself; why that? It’s so someone like Rahab would call on that name and be saved. It’s really that simple. That sinners to the ends of the earth would hear of these kinds of stories, and look to the God who did them, and trust in him for the salvation of their souls, that’s why.

Now, not everyone who passed through the sea as on dry ground was ultimately saved. Korah and Dathan and Abiram passed through the Red Sea as on dry land, they were not saved. Nadab and Abihu passed through the Red Sea as on dry ground, and they were not saved. And the 10 spies who came back and brought a bad report about the land and led Israel in rebellion against God, they were not saved. They passed through the Red Sea as on dry ground. Isn’t it amazing? Aren’t God’s ways strange, that in the cases of those men that I just listed, the actual physical experience of walking through the Red Sea as on dry ground did not save them, but an Amorite woman, a prostitute living in the Wall of Jericho, hears about the report, and by that she is saved. She’s not even there, just heard the report years later, believed it and was saved. Aren’t God’s ways marvelous? Isn’t the sovereignty of God and salvation a marvelous thing to behold?

II. By Faith the Walls of Jericho Fell (vs. 30)

And so, in our study in Hebrews 11, we come to beyond the Red Sea crossing to the city of Jericho at last. Now, you may wonder what happened from the Red Sea crossing to Jericho, and what happened was rebellion; the 40-year gap. We already covered this in the Book of Hebrews, we discussed it in Hebrews chapter 3, how he quotes psalm 95 and says, “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'”

Forty years, 40 lost years through unbelief, through unbelief. They weren’t converted by passing through the Red Sea as on dry ground. They get to the other side, and they soon complain about food and water. And they murmur and complain against God.

And they defied God, they defied the Lord at Mount Sinai by crafting a golden calf, which they bowed down and worshiped, despite the fact that they had heard the voice of almighty God forbidding them to do it, they did it anyway because their hearts were going astray. And then, as I mentioned, when the 10 spies came back, and there were 12 that went out, but 10 of them brought a negative report about the land, and said that the land devours its people. And we saw mighty warriors there, the Anakites, and we saw vast cities with walls that reach up to the sky. And “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own wyes, and we looked the same to them.” And they led Israel to rebel against God and to not trust in him, to not trust in his promises. And they led Israel to talk of stoning Moses, and to go back to Egypt and serve as slaves there. And so their punishment was 40 years of wandering.

But now the time has come, that’s over, that generation’s dead. They’re dead, all of them dead. Their bodies were scattered through the desert. Some of them died right away, some of them died over decades, but they were all dead except for Joshua and Caleb. But they’re all dead. Now, the time has come for their children to believe God and to trust in him and to take the Promised Land as God had promised. But there are some major obstacles that were facing them. The Jordan River was in front of them at flood stage, and on the other side of the Jordan was the awesome city of Jericho, of which it is said we saw city walls there that went up to the sky. They had no siege weapons to destroy those walls. Gunpowder hadn’t been invented yet. There were terrible obstacles, and they couldn’t just bypass the city, they couldn’t leave it in their rear militarily, and besides which it would dishonor God to leave any part of the Promised Land not conquered. It was part of what God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, it was going to be conquered. And so the city had to be taken, and so the city was taken, but it was done by faith. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around it for seven days.

Now, Jericho was prepared for a siege, it says in Joshua 6:1. “Now, Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites, no one went out and no one came in.” So they were ready for a siege. God commanded the people what to do, step by step he told them what he wanted done. Day one, first day, they were to march around the city in total silence. An armed guard would lead the way, the Ark of the Covenant would come next, seven priests carrying trumpets would come next, and then the people after that. And they would march around the city and not say a word. They would not raise up a war cry, they wouldn’t do anything, they would just march around the city and then go back to their camp. And so they would do the same thing on the second day, and the third, and the fourth, right up through the sixth day. Same thing every day. Finally, on day seven, they were to march around the city in the same pattern seven times, and then they were to shout to the Lord, for God would give them the city and they were to go, each man, straight into the city and conquer it. And by faith, Israel obeyed those strange commands, and by faith the walls of Jericho fell, and the people obeyed and by faith Jericho was conquered. What an awesome story, what an incredible thing, and again, unpredictable.

Well, what does this teach us about God and his ways? Well, first, God’s ways are radically different than ours, aren’t they? “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.'” You know what the direct corollary of that is? “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and let him direct your paths.” His thoughts are better than yours; they’re not just different than yours, they’re better. And so we just have to trust in him, stop relying on our own wisdom, and our own patterns, and our own ways.

Has anything like this ever happened since? Had anything like this ever happened before that? It’s an incredible thing. God has an endlessly creative list of different things to do in every generation. It’s just amazing, every generation something new and different. A baby born under a ban, put in a basket, and set afloat in a river grows up to lead God’s people in a mighty way, that’ll never happen again, not like that it won’t. A young shepherd boy goes out with a stone, five smooth stones, one stone and a sling against a nine-foot giant, the two of them representing their armies, they fight and he kills him without a sword in his hand. Friends, that’ll never happen again. It was just that one time. It’s incredible. A prophet ascends to heaven in chariots of fire while his successor watches on, and a cloak falls to the ground. It’s never going to happen again. God has lots of different things to do. He’s so creative. In every generation there’s something different. A Gentile general covered with leprosy comes and bathes seven times in a river, comes up clean. Incredible. Every generation, something different. So God tells his people do some strange things, to do them by faith, and he does different things in every generation.

Now, when they come to Jericho, they come to a walled fortress, a city with thick walls, no one going out, no one coming in. What do you do? You have to conquer it. Well, you have four options, at least that’s how it looks to military science. You can go over the walls by means of siege towers or siege ramps, you can go through the walls by means of siege engines; like I said, there wasn’t gunpowder, which kind of put an end to walled fortresses at that point. But there were catapults and battering rams, things like that. You could tunnel under the walls, or you could surround the walls and wait, and that would be a siege, and eventually running out of food and water, they would have to come out. Those were your four strategies. God said, in effect, none of the above. None of the above, we’re not doing any of those four options. Carnal wisdom will avail you nothing at all. We don’t have time for the siege, we’ve got other plans, we’ve got other people to conquer. And you don’t need any siege engines, just watch what happens to the walls. There’s no need to go over them because you can walk right on top of them when they come down. God’s ways are better than our ways. And so God does unusual, different things in every generation, this we learned from Jericho.

Secondly, we also learned that God is independent of all laws of nature. He created them, he set them up, but he is not bound by them. And we thank God for them. The sun rises in the east, it sets in the west, there’s a certain rhythm that God set up to the seasons, which he said would never fail after the flood. God set up that rhythm of the seasons. Gravity always takes objects in the same direction, and you know what that direction is. You count on friction every day; you may not think you do, but you count on it. I know that, because when our floors are incredibly slick, down we go. We’ve cleaned them with polish before, and that’s… It’s been exciting. It’s like walking on ice, you’re never sure what’s going to happen. So we rely on these things, though you may not have studied them, and you may not appreciate them the way some engineers or scientists do, but they’re just part of the physical world in which we live.

More in everyday life, if it were not so, we couldn’t learn by experience, because every day would be something weird and new, it’d be like we’d be learning the universe new every day. But God hasn’t done that. God sets up things, and we use the term laws of nature, or physical laws because of their constancy. It is the basis of science, it’s why it’s even worth studying, because God is so consistent. I’m just telling you, God is not bound by any of them. He’s not bound by any of them, he can do what he wants. And there are no visible means for that wall, those walls to come falling down, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t come falling down, because God can do anything that power can do. That is the nature of God. God is independent of all laws of nature.

Thirdly, God loves to raise up mighty obstacles before his faith-filled people, and then conquer those obstacles by the faith of his people; he loves to do it. He loves to raise up difficult tests, and challenges, and obstacles so that he can gain glory for himself when his people trust him enough to get through them.

And fourthly, Satan can’t stop God. He can’t stop him. Satan’s powerful, far more powerful than any person in this room, or all of us put together. He is powerful, he is the God of this age, so called, but he is nothing compared to Almighty God and that Jericho, that was a walled satanic fortress of might, that Canaanite religion was wicked. It was wicked and it was evil. And God had given them time to repent. In the days of Abraham, in Genesis 15, he said, “The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” But you know what? This is just maybe a little allegorical, I don’t know, but I see with the 13 times that they traveled around that walled fortress, that satanic fortress, 13 times, that was the death knell of their Amorite religion. It was the final tolling of the bell when God would crush it for good. The time had run out, 400 years had run out. The time had run out, the time had come to repent, and it was done, and Satan can’t stop it. Now, you look at that Jericho like a walled armed satanic camp, a fortress.

And Jesus said it this way. He said speaking of Satan and his kingdom, he said, “When a strong man fully armed guards his own house, his possessions are safe, but when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.” Amen, Jesus is someone stronger than the strong man. Satan’s a strong man, Jesus is stronger. And Jericho could not withstand the power of Almighty God, Satan can’t stop God. And throughout history God has in his sovereign way, in his sovereign… For his sovereign glory and purposes allowed mighty walled fortresses to be erected by Satan himself against the advance of the people of God. And they’ve stood in our way, these walls. Jesus said these walls would be there. He said it, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” He knew about those walls, he just said those walls are coming down. So look at the walls of the Roman Empire, that pagan, luxurious, militarily unconquerable it seemed Roman Empire. The one that put Jesus to death through Pontius Pilate, with all of its mighty roads and all of its economic infrastructure and all that sort of stuff.

Mighty walls, but they came down into the steady onslaught of the Gospel. So that at some point, one of their emperors declared himself to be a Christian, Constantine. I mean, whether he was or wasn’t, matters to him a lot. But we cannot judge from the outside. All I’m saying is, look at the progress of the Gospel, by the blood of the martyrs it advanced. And so also, hundreds and hundreds of years later, the walls of false doctrine by the Medieval Roman Catholic Church were erected against the Gospel, all kinds of additions and subtractions from the Word of God, and human wisdom, and perversions, and traditions of men came in. But they could not stop the reclamation of the Gospel and the reformation of the church, those walls came down. Just how about the walls of paganism, of godlessness that have come down under the steady advance of the Great Commission in the last 100 years? Hasn’t it been beautiful to watch?

Really since the days of William Carey, and Adoniram Judson, and then, Hudson Taylor in China and Robert Moffat in Africa, Jim Elliot and the others in Ecuador, and Don Richardson in Irian Jaya. Just one missionary hero, after another, those walls of unbelief coming down, the Gospel advancing, fewer and fewer unreached people groups. God is awesome. And so, he erects these mighty walls and then by his sovereign power brings them down. Islam is such a wall. A walled satanic fortress with people who are held by a false view of God and they’re getting liberated every single day by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are our brothers and sisters, isn’t it sweet? And God has that kind of power in your life as well, by faith, though. All of these victories are won by faith. After the people had marched around the wall for seven days, it was by faith the walls of Jericho fell. So what do we learn about faith and its ways?

Well, first the daring of their faith, how daring were they? They were on the other side of the Jordan River, back at flood stage now, with it behind them, they’re in Palestine, they’re in the Promised Land on the side of the… With their enemies, but they don’t have any walls. They don’t have any city, they’re there on their own with only God to protect them, but isn’t that enough. One commentator, AW Pink, talks about the courage, the daring of their faith. He said there are three types, there are three degrees of faith. I thought this was insightful. There’s a faith which receives, like a beggar you go to King Jesus and you say, I have nothing. And like a beggar you receive what he has to give you, by faith you receive salvation, forgiveness, simply like a beggar, a faith that receives. There is secondly a faith, which relies or counts on God to fulfill his promises, by that you move out in your Christian life. But thirdly, there’s a faith that risks. A faith that risks, which dares something for the Lord, it puts earthly resources, earthly pleasure, earthly comfort on the line for Jesus.

I fear that many of us stop after the second. We’ve got that faith that receives and the faith that relies, but we don’t have that faith that risks. We’re set here in Durham, we’re set here in the Triangle area. We’ve got people to reach with the Gospel, but they will not be reached if we don’t risk. And so, look at the daring of their faith. Look at the obedience also of their faith. Did not God’s commands appear strange? What would walking around the city in total silence do? What would walking around it 13 times do? But they just obey, they simply did what they were told. How rebellious we are. How much we think our ways are better than his ways. But they were obedient. We see also the discipline of their faith. They were like well-trained soldiers, they did what they were told, they didn’t argue with Joshua saying, “Hey, you know, we built high ramps when we were building the pyramids, we could build a ramp up to the walls of Jericho, we could do that.” Carnal wisdom, carnal knowledge, they didn’t do that. They just disciplined themselves under their commanding officer. We see the patience of their faith.

Day after day after day, walking around the walls, the seventh day 13 times, and the wall still didn’t fall. 13 times of walking, the wall’s still intact. Then they gave that war cry, and then the wall came down. They praised the Lord, and that wall came down. But they had to be patient. God exercises our faith so that we may develop perseverance, that we may develop patience. And we see also the anticipation of their faith. I love how they shout the victory before the walls come down. Isn’t that cool? They shout the victory, before the walls even show any indication of coming down. Trusting in him, that God’s going to act, he’s going to be faithful.

Reading about the missionary, Robert Moffat, early 19th century Scottish pioneer missionary in South Africa, the Bechuanas, he was reaching out to them. He labored for years without a single convert among that people. Some friends from England wrote to him and asked, they knew about his trials, his difficulties and they wanted to brighten his day. So they said, “We’d like to buy you a gift and send it to you. What can we buy for you?” They were thinking maybe a book or something that would bring some comfort or a consolation to him. He said, “Would you please send me a communion set? I have no set with which I may share communion with the converts.” He didn’t have a single convert when he wrote that letter. Before the communion set returned, he had 12 of them. Isn’t that a great story? The anticipation of faith. Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” So it was with the Jews at Jericho.

III. By Faith Rahab Was Saved (vs. 31)

But now let’s focus on a single individual. There was living in the walls of Jericho a woman. And her name was Rahab. Verse 31, “By faith, the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies was not killed along with those who are disobedient.” How did Rahab get in here? I mean, do you ever wonder that? This is the Hall of Faith. I mean, you have Abel and you have Enoch and you have Noah and you have Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, and Rahab? How did she get into the Hall of Faith?

I tell you, the salvation of Rahab is one of the four greatest salvations in the Bible. I’m just going to go on, you’re going to come ask me, what are the other three, aren’t you?  You’re interested, what are they? One of the four greatest trophies, shocking trophies of God’s grace. Nebuchadnezzar, Saul of Tarsus, thief on the cross, each for different reasons. Nebuchadnezzar filled with arrogance, the dictator, tyrant, murderer, animal for seven years and then lifted his eyes to Heaven and God restored his sanity and he wrote one of the most beautiful praises to the sovereignty of God you’ll find anywhere in Scripture. Saul of Tarsus, you know well, the morning breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples, converted by the evening, by display of the resurrected Christ in his glory. Thief on the cross, the most surprising to me, because Jesus had so little time to work with.

And at the beginning of the time on the cross, he’s reviling Jesus, by the end, he’s saying, “Remember Me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom.” And then there’s Rahab. And when you come to Rahab, you realize all of the obstacles. Again, we’re talking about obstacles. She was a Gentile, not a Jew, worse than that, she was an Amorite, about which I’ve already spoken. And they were under the wrath of God. They were set to be exterminated, to be condemned, every one of them. The Amorites had had 400 years to repent and they had not redeemed the time and now the wrath of God was about to fall. Not only that, but she was a notorious sinner, she was a prostitute. And there was a logistical problem, her house was in the wall, [chuckle] God intended those walls to come down. And you see in all of that, that God is no respecter of persons whatsoever. He chooses sinners who will most glorify him for his grace. What did Rahab have to offer? All of that mess by which she could glorify God for eternity for his grace to her.

There was nothing whatsoever in this woman that could have commended her to be chosen by God for eternal salvation, it was by the sovereign pleasure of God alone that she escaped the wrath for which the rest of her countrymen were destined. Amazing grace. And yet there were no visible means of grace. There were no Sabbaths, there were no reading of the Scriptures, there were no prophets, there was none of that. What there was, was a report from the Red Sea crossing, and then the killing of Sihon, king of the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan, that’s what they had, that’s what she had. Everybody had that, there in the city of Jericho. And evidently she was regenerated before the spies even came there. Before the spies even came there. Again, what was the point of the Red Sea crossing? It was that God would make a name for himself.

Why did God want to make a name for himself? Is he likes some praise-craving fading star in Hollywood that needs people around him, sycophants to say, “Oh, you’re so wonderful. Oh, you’re so great. Oh, you’re so amazing.”

No, God is very well-secured within himself, he has no needs like that, he’s fine, he’s not suffering from self-esteem problems, not at all. No, he makes a glorious name for himself that sinners like you and me will call on that name and be saved, for everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved. And so, he makes much of his name so that we will call on that name and be saved. It’s for salvation of Rahab that the Red Sea crossing happened and others too. And faith comes by hearing the message, and so, some messengers came to say what the God of… The Jews had done to the Egyptians. Rahab, living in the walls, as a prostitute was there, and she heard and believed, then Joshua was sent out two spies to scout out the land and this is what Rahab said to them, when they came to her house. “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, when we heard of it, our hearts melted, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the Earth below” Do you hear the faith in that?

Here is the true God. I know it’s true. Now, then please swear to me by the Lord, that you will show kindness to my family. All of Jericho was terrified of the Israelites, but only Rahab cried out for mercy. And frankly, she’s the only one that got the chance to do it. God sovereignly orchestrates both ends of that. And she had that faith established before they came, despise, it says in James 2:25, “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified or considered righteous, [the NIV has] for what she did, listen, when she gave lodging to the spies?” You see, she had faith before they came, so that she opened her home to them and took them in, that was a display of her faith at that point and then sent them off in a different direction. And her faith worked in her a hope. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. She actually has a hope that the God of Israel might spare her and provide a place for her. There might be life for her. Salvation for her, she has a hope based on that.

I notice the breadth of her faith as well. She’s concerned not just for herself, but her family. And so, her family is extended grace because of her faith, they are blessed. I don’t know if they were saved. I know that they were safe from the sword at that time, I don’t know if they were spiritually saved. I have no idea. So, what was the effect of Rahab’s faith? Well, James’ point, James 2, is genuine faith always produces works, and so good works came from that genuine faith. She welcomed the spies. She sent them off in a different direction to protect them from their pursuers. She hung the little red cord in the window to identify her house as her own house, she did what she was told. In a minor way, I want to say we see the imperfection also of Rahab’s faith. Faith doesn’t make you a perfect person. She lied to the king of Jericho about the spies who she was hiding among the flat stalks on her roof. Now some of you are going to come to me and say, “Hey, what could she have done? What could she have done?” She could have told the truth, that’s what she could have done. Well then, she and they would have been killed. Maybe, I don’t know that.

But I just want to ask you a question, can you imagine Jesus lying to save his life? Can you imagine Jesus lying to save someone else’s life? Can you imagine that? So, she’s imperfect. But so are you, and yet you believe in Jesus, amen. And Hebrews 11 and James 2 doesn’t touch on those things. It’s in the Old Testament, we know about it, but it’s not a major feature. By faith, our sins are forgiven. By faith, our sins are covered. Now, if you want to come after it and talk to me about Corrie ten Boom, and all of that and what they could have or should have done, let’s have a lively discussion. I’m just saying the Scripture says it’s better to die than to lie. And not one of us has that commitment to truth, not the way Jesus did. Jesus, when he was charged on trial for his life, under oath by the high priest, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the living God?” He said, “I am.” He made the good confession. I am. And in the future you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven and then the high priest tore his robe, and condemned Jesus to death.

It’s Jesus’ way of thinking, he would rather die than sin. And what was the outcome of Rahab’s faith? Her life was saved, and I say to you, not merely her life, but her soul was saved too. For God, a genuine faith came into her life, turned her away from wickedness, sanctified her, made her yearn for holiness, she gave up the life of a prostitute. She was accepted into the congregation of Israel, she married Salmon of the tribe of Judah, and she gave birth to Boaz, whose story you can read about in the Book of Ruth, what a godly man Boaz was. King David’s grandmother. And amazingly then, this prostitute made it not only into the Hall of Faith, but into the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter 1. Incredible, by faith.

IV. Applications

So what? So come to Jesus. Come to Jesus, God has made a far greater name for himself at the cross and the empty tomb than he ever made at the Red Sea. By sending his son, a descendant of Rahab, by sending his son in the flesh to die on the cross in our place, he has made the only way through condemnation you will ever find. It’s the only way of salvation, faith in Jesus.

That’s why the author wrote Hebrews 11, that we would hear and believe and be saved through Jesus. Trust in him. And if you say to me, “Well, I have trusted him,” I say, “Keep trusting in him.” Keep believing in Jesus, feed on Christ, go to the cross again and again, you’re still a sinner, you still need cleansing. The cleansing is still the same way. There’s a fountain open in the House of David to cleanse you of all your sins, trust in him and maybe you’ve never trusted in Jesus. Maybe you were invited here today by a friend, maybe you had not yet made a commitment to Christ. Don’t leave this place unconverted, the rest of the sinners, the Amorites in Jericho they all died under the righteous judgment of God, all of us deserve it. But by faith, God calls out his chosen ones to believe. You say, how can I know if I’m chosen? Come to Jesus, it’s the only way you can do it. If God chooses you, you will come and I say come. It’s not hard. Just look to Jesus with eyes of faith, trust that God gave him for you, that his blood shed on the cross is to forgive you of your sins, look to Christ resurrected for your eternal life, your resurrection, trust in him.

And second of all, can I just urge you, stand in awe of God and the Red Sea crossing. Let’s talk about it, why not? Say, wasn’t God awesome at the Red Sea crossing? Like, well, that’s old news. It’s alright. It was old for the psalmists that were writing about it. God’s the same yesterday, today and forever, to say, “My God can make a way through the Red Sea.” And Zechariah 10 implies that we can kind of allegorize it to some degree. Don’t go wild, now, Bible teachers, don’t do it. But God can make a way through a sea of trouble for you. He can do it. He does the same thing in Isaiah 43. He said, “Look, I made a way through the Red Sea at that time. I’m going to make a new way, a better way in the future,” uses that kind of way of speaking. Walk through your troubles and don’t expect an easy life. Are you shocked by the trials that you’re going through? Medical trials, financial trials, are you struggling? God delights to raise up obstacles, and then have you by faith conquer them and overcome them. He’s set before us two infinite journeys. The internal journey of growth and holiness, Christ’s likeness. You cannot do it without suffering. You can’t do it without facing obstacles, you’ll only bypass them or conquer them by faith. And neither can we make any progress in the external journey, except by courage and faith. We’ve got to risk things, brothers and sisters, we will not make progress. Close with me if you would in prayer.

These are only preliminary, unedited outlines and may differ from Andy’s final message.

I.   By Faith the People Crossed the Red Sea (vs. 29)

Hebrews 11:29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

A.    God Established a Testimony and Made a Name for Himself

Daniel 9:15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.

B.    From this moment on, this would be the point of reference for Israel

1.    Later in the Exodus… right before they entered the Promised Land

Deuteronomy 11:2-4 Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; 3 the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country; 4 what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the LORD brought lasting ruin on them.

2.   When God recalled His history with the people at the end of Joshua’s life (covenant re-established)

Joshua 24:6-7 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.

3.    In the Psalms

Psalm 66:5-7 Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf! 6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot– come, let us rejoice in him. 7 He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations– let not the rebellious rise up against him.

Psalm 77:14-20 You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. 15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah 16 The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. 17 The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. 18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. 19 Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. 20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78:12-13 He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall.

As in many cases this Psalm contrasts God’s power and faithfulness with Israel’s faithlessness and rebellion

History is cited to show who God is, and to show how wicked and sinful Israel has been

Psalm 106:9-12 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert. 10 He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them. 11 The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived. 12 Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.

13-22 But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. 14 In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test. 15 So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them. 16 In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD. 17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram. 18 Fire blazed among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked. 19 At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. 20 They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass. 21 They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, 22 miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

Psalm 136:13-15 to him who divided the Red Sea asunder His love endures forever. 14 and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever. 15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.

4.    In the Prophets

Isaiah 43:16-17 This is what the LORD says– he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick

5.    By Daniel in the Exile (as we saw above)

6.    By Nehemiah

Nehemiah 9:9-11 “You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea. 10 You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters.

7.    In the New Testament, by Stephen and in Hebrews

Acts 7:36 He led them out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert.

Hebrews 11:29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

C.  This Became Part of Israel’s Manner of Speaking: God Led Us Through the Waters

1.    So therefore don’t be afraid now

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

2.    God led us in the past… why has He forsaken us now??

Isaiah 63:11-15 Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people– where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them,12 who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for himself everlasting renown, 13 who led them through the depths? Like a horse in open country, they did not stumble; 14 like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the LORD. This is how you guided your people to make for yourself a glorious name. 15 Look down from heaven and see from your lofty throne, holy and glorious. Where are your zeal and your might? Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.

3.   The future restoration of Israel likened to the past even of the Red Sea

Isaiah 43:16-19 This is what the LORD says– he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick. 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Zechariah 10:9-12 Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. 10 I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. 11 They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away. 12 I will strengthen them in the LORD and in his name they will walk,” declares the LORD.

D.  Making a Glorious Name for Himself… so that Lost Sinners will Call on the Name of the Lord

1.  He says it three times in this chapter

Exodus 14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So the Israelites did this.

Exodus 14:17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.

Exodus 14:18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

Joshua 4:23-24 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”

2.    The result: Rahab’s salvation… more in a moment!!!

A.  The Most Celebrated and Powerful Event of the Old Testament

1.  This became the single most mentioned and celebrated event in Israel’s history

Daniel 9:15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.

2.  Again and again it is celebrated in the Psalms

Psalm 66:5-7 Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf! 6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot– come, let us rejoice in him. 7 He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations– let not the rebellious rise up against him.

3.  It was by hearing about this that Rahab believed in God and was saved

Joshua 2:10-13 We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt… When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family

4.  Later Jews, when praying to God, would frequently remember the Red Sea crossing and refer to it… Nehemiah did, so did Isaiah, so also Daniel and many others

B.  It was ONLY BY FAITH, However, that Israel Passed By!!!

C.  But for the Faithless, nothing but Devastation!!

“… when the Egyptian tried to do so, they were drowned!” Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God

Hebrews 10:38-39 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” 39 ¶ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

II.   By Faith the Walls of Jericho Fell (vs. 30)

Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

A.  The Faith of Israel… Forty Years Later

1.  Notice the forty year gap in Hebrews 11

2.  Verse 29… the Red Sea crossing

3.  Verse 30… the conquest of Jericho

4.  In between: the faithless generation that refused to trust God and enter the Promised Land

Deuteronomy 1:28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.'”

Hebrews 3:7-11 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'”

Convicting!!! Forty years of faithless silence… I wonder how many of my days are spent in faithless, fruitless disobedience

5.  But now… their children have grown up and are ready to take their place… trusting in the power of God to lead them into the Promised Land

B.  Obstacles Facing them

1.  The Jordan River at flood stage

2.  The Awesome city of Jericho… the very one with “walls up to the sky”

3.  They had no siege weapons… these were the days before gunpowder… so massive city walls like this were impenetrable by any but the most powerful, well-equipped army

4.  This city HAD to be taken

a.  If they had bypassed it, they would have given courage to all the Canaanites living in the land

b.  They would have had a powerful armed foe at their rear always ready to pounce on them… and that foe would believe they could win

c.  Worst of all… they would be forsaking a part of the Promised Land, believing God could not take it for them

d.  UNTHINKABLE… the city had to be taken

5.  So… the city WAS taken… by the most improbable means imaginable

a.  Jericho was prepared for the siege

Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

b.  Through Joshua, God commanded the people very plainly what to do… detailed instructions step by step

c.  Day 1: march around the city’s circumference in total silence… an armed guard leading the way… the Ark of the Covenant next… seven priests carrying trumpets next… the people after…

d.  Same thing for Day 2… and Day 3… and Day 4, 5, and 6

e.  Finally on Day 7: march in the same way around the city SEVEN TIMES… after the seventh time, then shout to the Lord for the city will be given into your hands and every man will go STRAIGHT IN

f.  On the seventh time… the walls of Jericho fell flat by the power of God and the Israelites rushed straight in and conquered it with ease

C.  Lessons About God and His Ways [credit to A.W. Pink!!]

1.  God’s ways are radically different than our ways

Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

a.  Has anyone ever heard of a mighty fortress like Jericho falling in such a strange manner?

b.  God has an endlessly creative list of new things to do in every generation:

i)  An infant set adrift in a basket, rescued, grows to become the leader of his people… NEVER AGAIN REPEATED

ii)  A giant warrior over nine feet tall felled in single combat by a shepherd boy wielding a sling… NEVER AGAIN REPEATED

iii)  A prophet of God taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire… NEVER AGAIN REPEATED

iv)  An enemy general covered with leprosy bathes in a river seven times and is instantly healed… NEVER AGAIN REPEATED

c.  God tells His people to do some strange things and then blesses their obedience and faith!!

d.  In facing any mighty walls back then, you had FOUR OPTIONS:

i)  Go over the walls by means of siege towers or siege ramps

ii)  Go through the walls by means of siege engines like battering rams and catapults

iii)  Go under the walls by means of tunneling

iv)  Surround the city and starve it out over months

e.  In effect, God said “NONE OF THE ABOVE!!! I have my own plans for the conquest of this city… How about it the walls simply fall down after you walk around them?”

f.  God’s ways are truly not our ways

2.  God is independent from all “laws of nature”

a.  Certainly God created the universe and set up consistent patterns by which the universe usually runs

b.  The sun rises in the east and sets in the west; the order of seasons is established: spring, summer, fall, winter; gravity makes things fall in the same direction every time

c.  If it were not for this, there would be no point in science, and we could never learn by experience…

d.  BUT God is INDEPENDENT of these “laws of nature”!! They serve Him;

He doesn’t bow to them

e.  So, the walls of Jericho fall down for no apparent reason whatsoever!

f.  There are no visible means at hand, and yet it happens anyway

3.  Formidable obstacles and powerful oppositions face every advance of faith

a.  There would be no story to tell if the walls of Jericho were not so imposing

b.  God delights in giving His people strong faith, and then testing that faith by such imposing obstacles

c.  Easy paths of advance do not glorify God; overcoming obstacles of faith does

4.  Satan’s strongholds CANNOT withstand a people fully relying on God

Luke 11:21-22 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

a.  Canaan was Satan’s kingdom… he had dominated it with its dark, blood- thirsty religion of child sacrifice and sexual perversion

b.  Jericho was the citadel of Satan’s empire of Canaan… he was not going to give it up lightly

c.  But in the end, Satan’s most powerful strongholds are no match for the power of Almighty God unleashed through the faith of His people

d.  Examples abound

i)  The awesome walls of the Roman Empire, with its pagan shrines, luxuries, aqueducts, impeccably well-designed roads and buildings, and undefeatable legions could not withstand the steady advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ over the first three centuries of church history

ii)  Again, the awesome walls of the Roman Catholic false doctrine, with all its political might and luxury and dark ignorance of God’s word could not withstand the advance of the true gospel of Jesus Christ during the Reformation

iii)  Again, the awesome walls of unreached people groups for the last three hundred years could not withstand the steady advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ under the humble hand of missionaries who have gone to India with William Carey, to Burma with Adoniram Judson, to China with Hudson Taylor, to Africa with Robert Moffat, to Ecuador with Jim Elliot, and to Irian Jaya with Don Richardson…

iv)  SATAN’S WALLS KEEP TUMBLING DOWN!!!

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

5.  All of these victories are won BY FAITH… that’s the whole point of Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

Saphir: “Israel’s history is the history of God’s omnipotent saving grace and of man’s faith. From heaven descend miracles, from earth ascends faith.”

D.  Lessons About Faith and Its Ways

1.  The daring of their faith

a.  Crossed the Jordan River by the miraculous power of God… a symbol that God was every bit as powerful now as He had been under Moses and at the Red Sea crossing

b.  BUT NOW… they were on the other side, in enemy territory, with the Jordan at flood stage behind them… their “bridges were not burned…” there never HAD been any bridges… they were totally committed to the conquest now!!

c.  No houses, no walls of their own, naked and exposed to the Canaanites

d.  A.W. Pink: three degrees of faith

i)  A faith which RECEIVES… coming to Christ like an empty-handed beggar and accepts Him as Lord and Savior, and accepts what He has promised to give

ii)  A faith which RELIES or counts upon God to fulfill His promises

iii)  A faith which RISKS, which dares something for the Lord

e.  Too few of us ever RISK anything by faith… too few of us stand up like Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal, or like David going single-handed to face Goliath, or like the Apostle Paul, going from one hostile city to the next to spread the gospel

f.  These Jews risked their lives on their faith

William Carey: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

2.  The obedience of their faith

a.  I have already recounted the detailed commands and instructions God gave them to follow

b.  These commands they DID follow, they obeyed them down to the detail

c.  They were to march in a certain order, at a specified hour, around the city a certain number of times…

d.  At the command of the Lord they were to be silent, and then at the command of the Lord they were to shout

e.  God’s commands may have appeared STRANGE, but they obeyed them nonetheless

3.  The discipline of their faith

a.  They were under God’s discipline in this detailed obedience

b.  They were like well-disciplined soldiers

c.  They did not venture their own opinions about how to conquer the city; they did not say “Why don’t we try a battering ram?” or another expert say “We could build a high siege ramp and get over the wall”

d.  No, they quieted themselves and like good soldiers, they did what they were told

4.  The patience of their faith

a.  Notice how patient they had to be

b.  God ordained that the walls should not fall on their first trip around the city, neither on their second or third

c.  As a matter of fact, even on the seventh day, God further exercised their patience to the extreme… they had to walk around seven times

d.  All in all, the people walked around the walls THIRTEEN TIMES!!! And on none of those did the wall fall

e.  They were being trained to wait upon the Lord

f.  Then, at the right time, when God willed, the walls simply fell

5.  The anticipation of their faith

a.  Notice they shouted BEFORE the wall fell down

b.  It was the shout of faith, trusting God to do great things through them

Robert Moffat, early 19th century Scottish pioneer missionary to a very difficult people group in South Africa, the Bechuanas…

The Bechuanas’ reception of Moffat’s ministry ranged from stony indifference — to steeled intolerance — to incorrigible rejection. Moffat, who had now married an English sweetheart, “saw no reward for untiring work.” That work, by the way, consisted of being a builder, a carpenter, a smith and a farmer all in one; while at the same time preaching… for years he labored with no visible results, no converts at all

Some of his friends in England wrote to him and asked him what present they could buy for him. I think they meant some book or some article of clothing or something to make him happy or more comfortable; he wrote back asking for a COMMUNION SET!! At the time he asked for it, there was not a single convert with whom he could take communion… when it arrived a few months later, there were TWELVE CONVERTS

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

So it was with the Jews at Jericho… their faith was vindicated powerfully when the walls fell down by the supernatural power of God

III.   By Faith Rahab Was Saved (vs. 31)

Hebrews 11:31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

A.  It is AMAZING that this woman makes it into the “Hall of Faith!!”

1.  Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and now Rahab or all people

2.  The salvation of Rahab an astonishing act of sovereign grace by God

a.  Not only a Gentile, but an Amorite… under the curse of God, ready for destruction… the Amorites had been given 400 years to repent, and now the wrath of God was about to fall

b.  Not only an Amorite, but a notorious sinner… a prostitute, an immoral woman

3.  It is so obvious from this story that God is NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS whatsoever, but He chooses those who will most glorify His sovereign grace

4.  There is nothing whatsoever in this woman that could have commended her to be chosen by God for salvation

5.  It was by the sovereign pleasure of God alone that she escaped the wrath for which the rest of her countrymen were destined

B.  Amazing Grace… but no Visible Means of Grace

1.  What possibility did this woman have of faith?

2.  There were no means of grace! No Sabbaths… no public reading of Scripture… no prophets to proclaim God’s word

3.  Yet it is evident that she was regenerated and converted to faith in the God of the Jews before the spies ever visited her house

C.  What Was the Point of the Red Sea Crossing?

1.  God desired to “make a name for Himself” that would be proclaimed to the end of the earth

Exodus 9:16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Daniel 9:15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.

2.  Why? Is God like some vain movie star who wants everyone to know them?

3.  No… it is out of compassion for lost sinners! Because this is the only way of salvation

Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

D.  Rahab Had Heard Reports… and She Believed Them

1.  Faith comes by the word… always

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

2.  Rahab was a prostitute living in the wall of the city of Jericho… her house was actually built into the wall! The very walls that God was intending to destroy

3.  Joshua sent out two spies to scout out the land

4.  These spies came to Rahab’s house and she took them in

5.  She then spoke to them and revealed the faith that God had already worked in her

Joshua 2:10-12 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 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

6.  Notice that, though all of Jericho was terrified of the Israelites, only Rahab was crying out for mercy… and only Rahab had the opportunity to do so

7.  The sovereign providence of God brought the spies to the elect woman to save her

8.  And as I said, she had faith BEFORE they came:

James 2:25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

9.  It was BY FAITH that she gave them lodging to begin with… the faith was there before they came

10.  And her faith worked in her a HOPE… a possibility that, because she had given lodging to the spies, that God might show her kindness and not destroy her with the rest of the city

Joshua 2:12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family

11.  And notice the BREADTH of her faith… reaching out also to protect her family

E.  The Effect of Rahab’s Faith: WORKS

1.  James’s whole point: true faith always produces certain works

2.  Rahab’s faith was shown to be genuine by her actions

3.  These actions were plain evidence of the faith God had worked in her by the reports

4.  She also sent the spies off in another direction to elude their captors

5.  AND she hung the red cord from her window in obedience to the spies to identify her to the Israelites and to protect her family

F.  The Imperfection of Rahab’s Faith

1.  She lied to the King of Jericho about the spies she was hiding on her roof

2.  This shows that her faith did not make her a perfect person

3.  Simply put, the Bible’s view is that it is better to DIE than to LIE

4.  Can you imagine Jesus lying to save Himself… or anyone else for that matter

5.  Some have wondered about Corrie Ten Boom and other Dutch Christians who hid Jews from the Nazis… should we lie to save them?

6.  Notice, however, that both Hebrews 11 and James 2 only celebrates her success and her faith!!!

G.  The Outcome of Rahab’s Faith

1.  Rahab’s faith SAVED her life

She was not destroyed with the DISOBEDIENT

2.  AND Rahab’s faith SAVED her soul

3.  Her faith SANCTIFIED her and made her yearn for holiness; She gave up the life of a prostitute; she was accepted into the congregation of Israel; she married Salmon, of the tribe of Judah, and eventually became the mother of Boaz, grandmother of David… amazingly, then, this prostitute made it not only into the Hall of Faith but also the genealogy of Jesus Christ Himself

IV.   Applications

A.  Come to Christ: The Exodus He Accomplished is Infinitely Greater and more glorious that what God did through Moses

B.  Stand in awe of the power of God in the Red Sea crossing… and though God will never do it again, He still deserves worship for it

C.  Trust in such a God… a God like this can do ANYTHING!!!

D.  Learn the spiritual lessons from the Jericho Event

1.  Understand the mighty obstacles that still face us… and trust God to tear them down

2.  Be willing to RISK things for the advance of the Gospel of Christ

3.  Know that Satan’s walls can never stand in front of God’s power working through faith-filled people

4.  Be willing to obey God’s commands, even if they seem strange to you

E.  Praise God for His mercy in saving Rahab!!

F.  Allow your genuine faith to be displayed by obedient works