Chapter 11 of Hebrews are just cliff notes of what has gone on back in the Old Testament. To understand, one needs to know what happened in the men and women’s lives we read about in Hebrews chapter 11. We now come to a young man named Joshua. But without knowing and reading about a place called Jericho you would not have a clue to what is being said about walls of Jericho falling down.
Hebrews 11:30 (KJV) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
Who is Joshua? In the sixth book of the Old Testament we find the book Joshua. In chapter 1 and verse 1 we read Joshua 1:1 (KJV) Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, V-2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
Moses goes the way of all mankind. Now Joshua who was mentored by Moses; God now puts Joshua in the leadership place of His servant Moses. But you wouldn’t know that unless you have read about Joshua for his name is not mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11. But you know who’s name is mentioned? Hebrews 11:31 (KJV) By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. What? Rahab a harlot! That’s right, don’t you just love the way God wrote His Book? Joshua the man that sat and learned under Moses didn’t even get his name mentioned. But this woman of the night who worked the red light district goes down in the Holy Scriptures. There's two things we know about her. Number 1- her profession, a harlot! #2- by her faith in what she heard and believed; not only that she goes down in the bloodline of Jesus Christ. I have never heard anyone say I have come from a long line of coal miners and my great great grandmother worked as a harlot in the coal mines. She was well known. Oh no, we may know that but we aren’t going to tell anyone about her and what she did. But God all the way through His Book, the Bible is telling us that no matter what you have done He still loves you and wants you in His family. So much so that His servant Joshua is not even named in Hebrews 11 the great chapter of faith. God is in the saving business and all He saves are sinners. Until we realize that we are sinners, heaven is only a word we use in hopes that we might see one day. Joshua 2:11 (KJV) And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Read it for yourself in the book of Joshua chapters 1-6 Moses steps off the pages of Scriptures and Joshua steps on. Two men are sent to Jericho as spies; they enter Rahab the harlot’s house. O boy, did these two men add a little selfish pleasure to their business trip? Not so, keep reading and you’ll find out a much different story than that. As these men entered, Rahad said to them “we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea.” Rahab the harlot trusted in the God she only heard about and by faith walked away from the rubbish of Jericho unhurt. Sounds like me. I heard about God who loved me and by faith I walked away from the rubbish that was in my life to a new way of life I had never known. What we were is not important but who we put our trust in is. Oh what a mighty Gospel we serve!
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