Tag: Old Testament

Someone is Fighting for You

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
 

Take a peek into Joshua chapter 5 with me, starting with verse 11. I’d like to share the nuggets of treasure I’ve found.

The Israelites have just miraculously crossed over the Jordan. Not a creek, a river-a swollen overflowing river.

God has instructed that the men should be circumcised. And the Manna they had been eating for 40 years in the wilderness has gone away as they’ve eaten for the first time the fruit of the land.

Now Joshua walked out some distance, looking toward Jericho. Maybe he was thinking of military strategy,  or the fact that the Manna had ceased to yield provision. Surely, the responsibilities of being the new leader were weighing on his shoulders. But as his eyes looked up toward the horizon, in front of him, he saw a Man. A Man with His sword drawn.

It was right after the Manna had ceased that this interesting occurence took place. Joshua walks to the Man with the drawn sword, (Joshua 5:13) and he asks if He is for them or against them.

The Man gives a reply much like the Man in the New Testament often gives. He answers a question that really doesn’t matter, with an answer that does. You see, who this Man was for wasn’t the real question. He answers with, “No, but I have now come. I am the Commander of the Lord’s army.” What’s important is who He is. And who He is requires bowing and worship.

In the OT when you see the “Angel of the Lord” and the “A” is capitalized it is referring to Jesus PreIncarnate. If your version doesn’t capitalize the “A” a good way to tell if it is Jesus (before He came as flesh =PreIncarnate) is He is the only Angel that accepts sacrifices (like with Gideon) and allows worship. Other angels always made men get up and stop bowing at their feet.

Imagine this…Joshua is possibly fretting, wondering if the loss of Manna is going to cause a riot from panic and then He sees this Man, who didn’t come up behind him, but was already steps ahead of Joshua. He was waiting on him! This Commander who has already saved them before. Watch.

“And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.” Exodus 14:19

“In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9 

“…and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.” Numbers 22:22-23

Jesus fought for His beloved. He knew where He was needed most-sometimes in the front but when necessary holding off the enemy from the back. Whatever it took to protect His own He did. Anyone who stood in His people’s way, became an adversary to Him. He felt what they felt and loved them too much to ever relent. A true Man of War.

“The LORD is a man of war;The LORD is His name.” Exodus 15:3

Luke 2: 13 says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God…”

 

This word “host” in Hebrew is “stratia” and it means, “an army; a band of soldiers.” You see, the Angel of the Lord had come with a new strategy to save His beloved… as a tiny wrinkled baby crying in a manger, fully flesh…but also fully God. His title, though never as a man on earth, was still Commander. General. His army appeared out of reverance into the starry sky to celebrate the beginning of the greatest war ever fought, led, and won by the greatest Commander ever to exist!

He still fights on your behalf today, even though the real battle was won on the cross at Calvary. And one day, The Bread of Heaven will be tangible again. We will see Him come out of the heavens in all His glory.

 Can you picture it? An army of white horses with riders. The only sound that can be heard are the clicking of boots and a swish of a robe as it brushes the ground while the Commander walks to His horse at the front. He lays a strong but gentle hand on His steed and the great horse paws and blows a blast of hot air from his nose. The Commander doesn’t need to climb up in stirrups, the horse kneels before the Glorious one. He sits upon the horse and whispers into its ear, “Let’s go get our Bride.” The horse raises up and the sound of a unified army rings throughout the heavens. The Commander raises His sword and a sonic boom brings Him into the atmosphere.

And we meet Him in the sky. His promise fulfilled.  He will take us to be with Him forever.

 
“Now, I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself, He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it, He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:11-16.
 
What are you studying? Share a nugget!

A Cord of Scarlet

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
 
I’m a studier- a researcher. Don’t ask any of my highschool friends or my parents, they’ll laugh in your face, but the older I become, the more I love to study. I want to know how things work and how they relate to God. Which brings me to what I love to study most. The Word of God. I love the Bible. I love to read  a story and daydream of what it might have been like between the lines. Strangely, I do not write historical fiction. (Shrug.)
There’s great treasure in the Word of God. In every word, every line. Treasure must be dug  for. Time has to be set aside. A desire to know and learn has to be present and bubbling in the heart. Once you stumble upon a nugget, a sense of thirst takes over and it’s impossible to stop. 
 
Something I teach to our young adults, is it’s never too late to begin, but it takes discipline to drag your lazy butt out of bed and get to it. I think you can read and study anytime, but early morning is the best time, before your day distracts you. And it will. Because life is distracting.
 
I’m studying the book of Joshua. I’m always amazed at the Providence of God. There’s so much beauty to pull out of the book, but today I want to share a little nugget about Rahab. Pronounced, “Ruh Kav.”  Rahab was a prostitute, but not a temple prostitute. Probably a woman who was forced into it by the death of a husband, as he’s not mentioned. She lived in a tiny apartment within the walls of Jericho.
 
It was within these stone walls, that may have felt like a prison, that two spies came to her to lodge. Interesting isn’t it? You know, the spies came from the Acacia Grove. The Acacia Grove is the first place that the Hebrews were introduced to harlots. Balaam put the bug in the Moab king’s ear that these prostitutes would turn the hearts of the men who served God away. And boy did it! I’m speculating now, but I wonder if those spies planned to survey the land, but also planned to do a little extra stuff on the side. What if God was taking care of the Hebrews, but using the lewd ideas of two spies to work everything out for the good of one woman who believed! I don’t know. It’s just a thought. I can’t prove it. But I wonder.
 
Here’s where it really gets good! You know the story…maybe. Rahab tells the spies that (I’m paraphrasing) the whole city is faint of heart and terrified of them because of their God. She even uses God’s personal name, “Yahweh.” Now, it shouldn’t be a surprise to the spies that everyone was afraid. In Dt. 2:25 God tells them all the people will be terrified and faint of heart.
 
Rahab asks to be spared. Kindness for kindness. The Hebrew word for “kindness in this verse is “checed.”  Pronounced,  HECK SUD.  It means “faithfulness; goodness; mercy.”  
 
In essence she is saying, “Since I have been good, faithful, and merciful to you by not turning you into my countrymen, I ask that you in turn show me goodness, faithfulness, and mercy.” 
 
Her last statement in this verse is, “and give me a true token.”
 
The word “true” in Hebrew is “Emeth.”  It means, “reliable; sureness; stability; continuance.”
 
The word “token” in Hebrew is “owth” and sounds like our word “oath.” It means, “a distinguishing mark; a miraculous sign; banner; remembrance;”
 
Rahab’s words are interesting, “Give to me a mark, a miraculous sign, a banner or remembrance that is reliable. Sure. Stable. Continuing.  To show you will save me and my family.”
 
In Joshua 2:14 the men reply, “…our lives for yours…”
They agree and then proceed to give her instructions. You can find these in Joshua 2:17-20. Don’t take my word for it, look it up!  

    She had to drop a scarlet cord or line from the window. A cord they gave to her, not one of her own. The word “cord” used when Rahab let the men down means rope in Hebrew. The word is “chebel”. The word “cord” or “line” used when the men gave Rahab the token is “chuwt” meaning thread.

 
 
But let’s take a closer look…KJV says, “Behold, [when] we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.”
 
The highlighted word, “Line” in Hebrew is “tiqvah” and it means, “hope; things hoped for; expectation;outcome.”
 
“Bind this hope, (line) –this reliable, sure, continuing (true) distinguishing mark, this marvelous (token) work outside this wall, and bring in your family so that you will be saved.”
Hang with me, catch this! Eph. 2:12-13 says,
“that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” NKJV

 

 
Rahab was a stranger…an alien from Israel and the covenants of promise. She had no hope and was without God.
 
But she believed. She was allowed to hang the crimson cord of hope given to her. She couldn’t produce it on her own. It showed the world where her faith lied. Salvation was given to her and all the family she brought inside.
 
That true token, that reliable and sure distinguishing mark, that miraculous sign was a symbol of an even greater hope that was to come! The true token of the new covenant. The blood of Jesus, the scarlet cord of his life poured out for our lives! Crimson Hope that saves us from death!
 
No longer would she be forced to work as a common prostitute, bound by humiliation and degradation. A Scarlet Cord of Hope freed her from invisible cords of a hopeless and destitute life.
 
Rahab was about to get a chance to start over! Joshua 6:20-22  
Joshua, tells the men to go into the harlot’s house, and bring out THE WOMAN. Her house may have been that of a harlot’s, but no longer would Rahab be a harlot. Go in (harlot) and bring out (woman).
 
A new creature. In Christ. Forever. Matthew 1 shares the geneology of Jesus, “…Salmon begot Boaz, by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David…And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.”
Not Rahab, the harlot. Just Rahab.
There’s nothing we can ever do that puts us out of the reach of Jesus or separates us from His love. That scarlet cord saved Rahab, a symbol of her many ‘greats’ grandson that would come to save us all!

No matter what circumstances you’re in. God is working behind the scenes on your behalf to bring you  hope and to change your life, to give you a purpose greater than yourself!

If you were Rahab, during those few days left before the Hebrews came to march around the walls of Jericho, what do you think you would have been doing or thinking? How much persuading do you think it took for her to convince her family that they would be spared?

And…what have you been studying? Share a nugget!