Rahab, an Unlikely Ancestor

 

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” (Joshua 2:1-14 ESV).

 

The genealogy of Jesus contains a very interesting figure, Rahab (Matthew 1:5). Rahab was a prostitute, a traitor to her own people, and an outsider. Even with those three strikes against her, God did not say, “You’re out!” Rather, she received a place among God’s people and is held up as an example of faith (cf. Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). Rahab had grown to recognize that the God of Israel was the Lord of heaven and earth. She trusted God and was willing to take risks to help his people. So, her life was spared, and she was incorporated into God’s people (cf. Joshua 6:25). This story serves as a lesson to God’s people that his love for them is not because they are so great or good; rather, God loves us because he is gracious and good. Rahab became an ancestor of David (cf. Matthew 1:5). So she too is in the family line of Jesus.

 

Today you might think you cannot qualify to be a child of God; but, the Bible has good news: all who receive Jesus have been declared children of God (cf. John 1:12). Christmas invites us to believe in Jesus and to look forward with hope to the day when he will come again to reign as the Lord of lords and King of kings forever. Jesus is the greatest gift of all!

The Sceptor Of Jacob

 

[Jacob said] “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (Genesis 49:8-10 ESV).

 

God works out his plans, but they are often mysterious to us. Consider the case of Judah, Jacob’s son. Jacob’s blessing of favor was not to Reuben, his firstborn, or to the next two eldest sons, Simeon and Levi. The blessing of kingship went to Judah. Jacob predicted that his other sons would bow before Judah. To him would belong “the scepter,” a symbol of kingship. This scepter would be passed down continually through his descendants. Jacob’s prophecy began to be fulfilled when David, a shepherd from Bethlehem in the land of Judah, was chosen by God to rule God’s people (cf. 1 Samuel 16; Psalm 78:67-72). He led them with a heart of integrity and with skill. Yet we know that despite David’s kingship, the people were seldom faithful to the Lord. They needed a new and better king.

 

God continued to work out his plan, eventually bringing Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. And Jesus came to give up his own life, to pay for all our sin, and to rise again so that we can have new life with God. That is why Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah (cf. Revelation 5:5), is the One who holds the scepter as King of kings. And he declares boldly, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).

 

It is a mistake to merely look forward from the birth of Jesus. It is rooted in the entire history of humankind. God began working His plan of redemption together so that at just the right time and in just the right way all things would come to pass to once and for all secure the redemption of God’s creation. Jesus had to come so that the ultimate right to rule would be placed finally in His hands. This secures eternal peace and life as god intended before the fall of Adam and Eve. While we often lose sight of this at Christmas we ought to be careful to reflect on the great plan and purpose of God even while we were still living in our sin and rebellion (cf. Romans 5:1-12). Hallelujah! We have a Savior! He is the Lion of Judah and holds the Sceptor of Jacob!

 

Jacob

 

The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh. (Genesis 32:22-32 ESV).

 

Jacob was in a difficult position, and it was mostly his own fault. After deceiving his brother, Esau, Jacob had fled for his life to go and live with his uncle, Laban, in Harran. Now, many years later, Jacob was on his way back home, and he was expecting to meet Esau again (cf. Genesis 27-31). Jacob plotted and planned how he might smooth things over with Esau. Finally, in desperation and fear, he cried out to God, “Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack” (Genesis 32:11).

 

The next night, as Jacob waited alone, a stranger came to wrestle with him till dawn. It left Jacob injured but blessed by God. God marked that event by giving Jacob a new name: Israel, meaning “he struggles with God.”

 

Are you wrestling with God and struggling sin in your life? You may be asking, “Does God really care for me?” Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God sees us; he sees our pride, our selfishness, and our lack of love for others. He also knows when we feel left out. What’s more, God knows who we are in Christ. Through Jesus we are forgiven and reconciled with God. We are given new life and called to be faithful. This is the conclusion of the birth of Jesus!

 

Sarah

 

The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:1-7 ESV).

 

Let’s pause today to consider someone who is not named in the genealogies of Jesus: Sarah. I have found it quite amusing how artists through the centuries have portrayed Sarah. Typically she is painted as a very young woman at the prime of her life. We should remember that she was 90 years old when she had Isaac. Mary and I are 73, seventeen years short of Abraham and Sarah. However, if God were to come to us and say, “y’all are going to have a baby” I’d laugh as they did. Even for those who might say that age wasn’t as much a factor for Biblical times such as when they lived, we cannot deny the truth that they had a very difficult time imagining how this promise of God could be true. She was well past the time of bearing children. But, all things are possible with God.

 

When we first meet her, she is called “Sarai,” which means “princess.” But God made a subtle change to call her Sarah, indicating that she would be the mother of nations and kings. When God told Abraham these things, he laughed to himself. So did Sarah (cf. Genesis 18:12). But a year later, their laughter was filled with joy. God kept his promise, and Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac, which means “he laughs.”

 

This wonderful story points back to God’s promise to Eve about the importance of the woman’s offspring. It also points ahead, for God said he would establish an everlasting covenant through Isaac. Much later an angel of the Lord appeared to a man named Joseph and said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife… She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (cf. Matthew 1:20-21). Some people might laugh at this and say, “Impossible!” But the Bible says it’s true and whoever believes in Jesus will be saved from sin and have eternal life (John 3:16). Put your trust in Jesus today so that your life may be filled with the joy that he alone can give.

 

Abraham

 

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:1-8 ESV).

 

As we continue through the genealogy of Jesus during our prelude to Christmas week we come to one of the most well known predecessors of Jesus, Abraham. It should be remembered that this patriarch of Israel was not always named “Abraham.” He was known as “Abram.” This was not merely a shortened version of the name. Abram translates “exalted father.” When God changed it, it became an amazing promise. The changed name translates “father of a great nation” and foretold of the great promise God made with him: “I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). Sometime later God also told Abram that his offspring would be as many as the stars (cf. Genesis 15:5). But many years rolled by, and Abram and his wife, Sarai, had no children of their own.

 

When Abram was 99 years old, God appeared to him again and doubled down on his promise. As a sign of this incredible promise, God commanded that all males in Abraham’s house­hold, whether born to him or bought by him, were to be circumcised. God’s promise was sealed in blood.

 

Abraham and his wife did have a son, and many descendants followed. So Abraham became a father of many nations. But that is not the end of the story. Years later, one of Abraham’s descendants, a child named Jesus, was born in Bethlehem. The blood of Jesus was the foundation of our redemption. The Apostle Paul says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7). And that forgiveness, we find in the book of Revelation, extends to every tribe, language, people, and nation. What a gift!

 

The Confusion of Peleg

 

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9 ESV).

 

Peleg, a great-great-grandson of Noah, was given an unusual name, which means “divided.” Our reading today explains that he was “named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided.” And what does that mean? The story about the tower of Babel in Genesis 11 may be the answer to that question. The people in that day wanted to build a city with a tower reaching into the sky in order to make a name for themselves. What a far cry from Noah, who “walked faithfully” with God! God intervened at Babel by confusing the language of the people so that they scattered throughout the world.

 

Wherever we look in the world today, we still live with the bitter results of division as we experience nationalism, tribalism, racism, prejudice, and warfare. Just as we begin making headway in one place, division rears its ugly head in another place. The only answer is the One God has provided… Jesus!

 

At Jesus’ birth, the angel announced, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people... A Savior has been born to you” (Luke 2:10-11). And in John 17 we see that before Jesus was arrested and crucified for our sins, he prayed that we would be one. Because of Jesus’ finished work, we can walk not only with the Lord but also together, and we can love one another. Let’s begin today.

 

Finding Favor with God

 

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 5:5-8 ESV).

 

The John Oliver Cabin in Cade’s Cove is the perfect backdrop for our meditation today. This photo was taken by the National Park Service in the Great Smoky National Park. As I was browsing some of the many collected photos from the park, this one reminded me of the truth within the story of Noah and the ark. Many people have heard this story. It’s an exciting drama from beginning to end. The Bible tells us that all the wickedness and evil on the earth grieved God, and he was sorry he had made human beings. Human sin was so devastating that it had infected all of God’s good creation. That precipitated the Great Flood destroying all humans and wildlife except those that were saved by God in the ark.

 

The one person who “found favor” with the Lord was Noah. Noah was “a righteous man”; he “walked faithfully with God”; because of that he and his family were spared. However, it was not as easy as it at first sounds. Noah was called on to build the ark and preach the coming judgment. Can you imagine Noah’s patience as he worked for many years, possibly several decades, to build the ark while other people probably mocked him? (cf. Genesis 5:32; 6:10; 7:6; 11:10; 2 Peter 2:5). Of course, the lead actor in this drama is God. God is the one who told Noah to build an ark. God is the one who saved Noah and his family and all the animals on the ark from the flood. Noah was called “righteous,” but he was still infected by sin (cf. Genesis 9). God’s restoration work wasn’t finished.

 

Many years later, God sent Isaiah to call his people to repent. The situation reminded him of the days of Noah, but God would never stop loving his people. A little earlier, in Isaiah 53, God also promised that his righteous servant would come and take on himself all the people’s sins. That servant was Jesus. By his love, God has made a way to rescue us and remove our sins forever. Through Him we find favor with God!