Faith Overcomes Insurmountable Barriers (11:29-31)

In a sense, it is easy to have faith when everything is going well. With regard to the Israelites, we would not be surprised if their faith was strong just when they left Egypt, having experienced the deliverance of the Passover, or later when they crossed the Jordan when the flow of the waters was stopped by a miracle. In such situations it is not surprising that faith seemed strong. These are not always the kind of situations that reveal the reality of faith – often it has to be tested in order for its genuineness to be realised.

Some of the experiences of the children of Israel remind us of this very important principle. The writer here points out that they were tested immediately after experiencing several great divine deliverances. And that is a reminder to us that spiritual highs may be followed by incredibly difficult obstacles to the progression of the life of faith.

Faith at the Red Sea

Mainly people will often think of a major problem when they read this verse describing the children of Israel at the Red Sea. The problem is that we know from later events in the desert that many of those who came out of Egypt were not genuine believers. Yet we also know that some of those who did not get to Canaan were true believers – the obvious ones are Moses, Aaron and Miriam. What can we say about both groups?

With regard to those who were not true believers, we can say that their faith is not being described here because they did not have any. So the ones here described as having faith at the Red Sea are those who later failed in one way or another later on. Their example should be a warning to us. Exploits done by faith today are no guarantee that we will retain a strong confidence in God tomorrow. Their subsequent experiences are recorded for us as warnings to keep an eye on how our spiritual graces are doing. Yet the author wants us to observe that they did have strong faith when crossing the Red Sea.

So let us consider some aspects of the incident when the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land. Firstly, they had faith despite their weakness (they were a group of disorganised slaves) and despite their powerful enemies (the Egyptian army). In a real sense, they were in a hopeless situation. Yet a situation is never hopeless if we can look to God to deliver us. No doubt, their faith should have been strengthened by what they had seen God doing previously on their behalf as he delivered them from Egypt. Nevertheless, they had to exercise faith in a fresh way. When we find ourselves hemmed in by circumstances, when everything seems to be against us, that is a very appropriate time to trust in God.

Secondly, their experience is a picture of a matter that troubles many Christians, which is that they are afraid that something in the past will rise up and destroy them in the present. Pharaoh and his army depict the devil and his hosts as they pursue after believers, determined to destroy them, and one common method is to remind them of their past. God has the power to remove the threats from our past. How did the Israelites obtain deliverance from this threat? By moving forward in the obedience of faith. The way we overcome sin is by pressing on in the life of faith.

Thirdly, this incident shows to us that there are some things that cannot be done without faith. The Egyptian army had many strong features and skills, but these talents did not equip it to go into a situation that only faith should enter. Similarly, we may possess natural abilities and good characters, but they don’t help us in situations in which faith in Christ is essential. For example, our natural abilities and our good characters will not help us when we die or when we stand before God’s throne of judgement if we do not have faith in Christ.

Faith outside Jericho

We can look briefly at the incident in which the walls of Jericho fell down. One lesson that we can learn from the occasion is that human means of defence are not able to resist God. No doubt the people of Jericho were confident that their walls would keep out the advance of God. In a sense, this is what our society is doing. It imagines that its walls of science that question the need of God, its walls of philosophy that dismiss the notion of a God, and its walls of pleasure that replace the enjoyment of God, will keep God out. But these walls cannot. When he chooses to, he will shatter them in pieces.

God could have two reasons for knocking these walls down. As with Jericho, one reason is to bring judgement upon those hiding behind the walls. We should remember that no matter how strong or how high our walls may seem, you cannot keep God out. You can keep out the pleas of parents or you can keep out the sermons you hear, but there will come a day when you will see your walls shattered and an angry God summoning you to judgement.

On the other hand, God could knock down the walls in mercy. This is what happened to Rahab and her family. He does this by convicting us of our sin by the Spirit showing us the sins of which we are guilty; he does it through the gospel when he knocks at our hearts offering forgiveness.

Another way of looking at the walls of Jericho is to see them as illustrating barriers to spiritual progress. The children of Israel were beginning their capture of the promised land, the location in which God had promised to bless them. In order to enjoy the blessings, they had to overcome cities and groups that were hostile to them. Jericho was only the first walled city they would face. Similarly, as we march on to discover our blessings, we come across entrenched opposition. This is sometimes a problem to a new convert – he or she is making good progress in the Christian life when suddenly they discover they are being tempted or providence becomes difficult. When that happens, they may be confused. What is happening is that spiritual conflict is beginning.

How to we cope with walls when they appear? We do so by continuing to obey God’s commandments, even if we may think obedience to them is pointless. Probably, some of the Israelites wondered at why they had to march round the city for seven days. They knew that God could knock the walls down in a second. When we are going through difficulties, we may wonder at the point of reading the Bible or going to church or praying. Yet it is obedience that will bring about victory. If God had merely removed the walls, there would have been no way for the Israelites to see that they had the obedience of faith. And it is the same with believers in every age. We are aware that some Christian authors and preachers suggest that we should receive victory from God immediately. Their suggestion is wrong because often believers have to wait before God fulfils his promises.

            

Faith inside Jericho

This is not the only time in the New Testament where Rahab’s faith is commended. She is also mentioned in James 2:25: ‘And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?’ In the story of Rahab, we have an example of a great sinner sharing in the salvation of God’s people.

From one point of view she was an unlikely convert, a Gentile, not a member of Israel to whom divine promises had been made. Further she was a Canaanite, under the judgement of God. He had told the Israelites to punish the Canaanites for their horrible sins. In addition, she was immoral, although it is likely that this was not the worst sin of which she was guilty. One has only to read the details of Canaanite religion to see what sins she may have been guilty of. Yet God showed great grace to her, in fact she is the first convert in Canaan. She is not remembered because of the greatness of her sin but because of the greatness of her faith.

In the case of Rahab, we have an example of how God works secretly in the lives of people before they may even meet one of his people. She is also an example of how God loves to surprise his people by giving them converts from where they would not expect them. I don’t think it would have crossed the minds of the Israelites as they crossed the Jordan that there was a fellow believer living in the city they were preparing to attack.

Here are some aspects of the faith of Rahab. First, she had been informed about the great things that God had done for his people. She told the spies that she knew about what had happened forty years previously when God had delivered his people from Egypt. She had also realised that the arrival of the Israelites at the city meant that it was going to be destroyed by God. This points to an obvious feature of faith, that it has to based on information. A person does not become a Christian without first knowing details about what Jesus said or did. They may come across this information by reading an article in a newspaper or a book in a library; they may come across it on the internet or overhear a conversation; they may hear it in a church. In whatever way the information is conveyed, they become aware of who Jesus is (the Son of God who became a man) and what he did (bore the penalty of sin on the cross).

Second, Rahab became interested in deliverance by God. Her words to the two Israelite spies reveal that she was frightened of the power of God and aware of God’s promise to give the land to Israel. Perhaps it was desperation that cause her to ask the spies for safety. Or maybe she knew that others had joined the Israelites and shared in their deliverance (Exod. 12:38). She may have known that some Kenites had also joined God’s people: ‘And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the L ord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the L ord has promised good to Israel”’ (Num. 10:29). In any case, she asked for safety.

This is what occurs with many who hear about Jesus and what he did. They know that part of the message is that God will judge sinners but they also know that Jesus showed mercy to sinners. That encourages them to ask for mercy themselves. Yet, as with the vast majority in Jericho, many who are aware of these details about Jesus refuse to ask for mercy. Like the majority in Jericho they will perish when God’s judgement comes.

Her faith also included a desire to identify with the people of God. Rahab realised that the future belonged to the Israelites. She did not wish to remain with those who were heading for destruction; instead she wanted to be with those who were to inherit the promised land. Though she had not met any of them, she wanted to be with them. This is also true of each one who becomes a Christian. The new Christian realises that believers have a wonderful future and wants to share it. Even although the new Christian has not met many of them, he wants to be among them.

Further, Rahab’s faith was imperfect. This is obvious from the lie she told. I suppose her action can be mitigated because her intention was good. It is inevitable that believers will come into situations that will reveal the imperfection of their faith. But these imperfections do not mean that they have a false faith. If their desire is to be forgiven and to be with the people of God, then their faith is true although imperfect.

Rahab through her faith in the God of Israel eventually came into great blessings in addition to escaping from destruction. In due course, she became the wife of Salmon, the prince of Judah (Matthew 1:5: ‘Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse’). She was brought into a princely family and became an ancestor of King David. She was raised from the gutter and made to sit with princes (Psalm 113:8). This is a picture of the exaltation that all believers have when they are given the status of children of God.  

There is one more detail about Rahab’s faith that I would mention. She had an intense concern about her family. Through her faith they were delivered when they heeded her advice to come to her home when the judgement came. Similarly, believers desire that others would join them in the safety that Jesus provides.

The fact that Rahab became an ancestor of David means that she was also an ancestor of Christ. This means that, in Jericho, in delivering this sinful woman, God was fulfilling his promise to bring a Saviour to Israel – and to us. God’s grace is wonderful!