[Original Audio Bible Study Recording - Mandarin Version - Theme: Those Who Seek God Shall Inherit the Promised Land - June 19, 2019]

Introduction

What revelation does Joshua Chapter 2 give us? It is that those who seek God shall inherit the promised land. Why? Because this chapter records a very special person, and one who sounds less than respectable: the prostitute Rahab.

Rahab the prostitute is actually a remarkable figure in the Bible. But I am surprised that many name their children Ruth, from the Bible, but no one names their child Rahab. Why? Because people are wary of the word prostitute.

Why does the Bible record Rahab the prostitute? When we study the Bible, we generally do not speculate or dwell on people’s sins. Some say that David committed adultery because he had the blood of a prostitute in his ancestry. That is nonsense. The Bible never suggests that Rahab's background as a prostitute had any impact on inheriting the promised land. On the contrary, it emphasizes that everyone in Jericho was condemned to death, but only Rahab's family was saved because God commanded:

They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys (Joshua 6:21).

Rahab and her whole family were also sentenced to death, but Rahab, being a prostitute, sought the Lord Jehovah. As a result, Joshua sent two spies to Jericho, who came to her house. Rahab protected them, and ultimately, she and her whole family were saved and survived.

Rahab is truly remarkable. Although she was a prostitute, she was saved. She also saved her entire family, and she appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, becoming one of the special figures in it.

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,(A) Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David (Matthew 1:3-6 NIV).

It goes on to talk about the birth of Jesus Christ. Here, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, are all remarkable women. Rahab was originally on the list of those to be destroyed, but she miraculously reversed her destiny because she understood that those who seek God shall inherit the land.

Our God is Full of Grace and Mercy

A person who was originally among those to be destroyed was saved because they sought God. We must understand several things. First, God is a God of salvation. Our God is full of grace and mercy. Some people identify good and evil for God: Look at this God! He killed all the people in Jericho! How could He do that? How could He be so cruel? This is because people do not know God.

If you truly know God like Rahab did, even if you were meant to be destroyed, you can be saved. Moreover, Joshua, in a difficult situation, sent two spies specifically to save her and her whole family. Those who do not know God often feel that our God is particularly cruel, especially when reading the Old Testament. The most difficult thing to explain is the cruelty of God. I do not want to defend God, but we must know God. In fact, many people have wrongly accused God because we do not know what God is doing. Therefore, we think God is cruel.

In fact, the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are the same God, full of grace and mercy, because our God is inherently so. We must truly understand this. Rahab is an example. Even though she was on the list of those to be destroyed, originally a thing devoted to destruction, she sought God and was saved, becoming one who inherited the promised land, inheriting the covenant God promised to us, and appearing in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Our God has a clear revelation. Why did God destroy these cities? Because the people in these cities were exceedingly wicked, as stated in Deuteronomy:

After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “My own strength and power have gained this success for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord.(Deuteronomy 9:4-7)

You go in to possess that land because of the wickedness of the people of that land. If everyone in that place was like Rahab, if everyone in Jericho repented, sought God, desired salvation, knew that the Lord God of Israel was a mighty God, was not stubborn and rebellious, and was not hard-hearted, what would happen? God would definitely save the entire city.

Whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, what causes people to die is the hardness within us. That is to say, whether it is an Israelite or a non-Israelite, whether it is a Christian or a non-Christian, people must not be hard-hearted . Therefore, in the second chapter of Deuteronomy, it says that God did not originally want to destroy Sihon king of Heshbon, but Sihon king of Heshbon was hard-hearted:

But King Sihon of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord your God had hardened his spirit and made his heart defiant in order to give him into your hands, as he is today.Then the Lord our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him, his sons, and his whole army.(Deuteronomy 2:30-33)

If there was a commoner under King Sihon who was a seeker of God, then no matter how humble he was, God would definitely find a way to save him. We must truly recognize how gracious and merciful our God is. How good was Rahab? She was a prostitute, not very good. But where was she remarkable? First, she had a heart to know God. Second, she had a heart to save her family. These two things moved God. God actually had Joshua send two spies to save her in a difficult situation.

This was a challenge for Joshua, a risky undertaking. Because 40 years ago, or 38 years ago, Joshua was one of the spies. His inner struggle is obvious. If he sent two people in and they were discovered by the king of Jericho and killed, what would happen? If the two spies went in, returned safely, and then gave the Israelites a bad report, saying that the people there were giants and the walls were strong and high, causing the hearts of the Israelites to melt, what would Joshua do? That would be a big problem.

How much confidence did Joshua have in what was about to happen? From a technical point of view, he really did not have much confidence. But from a faith perspective, he knew that God was going to carry out salvation in this generation. As a result, he resolutely sent two spies. The names of the two spies are not mentioned here. Joshua secretly sent them.

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. (Joshua 2:1)

Joshua did not send 12 spies with great fanfare like Moses. This also tells us that Joshua had a knot in his heart. If he sent two spies with great fanfare, the Israelites would wait for them to return. If they came back and gave a bad report, the Israelites would be demoralized. That would be the end, a big problem. Joshua used a little trick. He secretly sent two spies. If they came back and gave a bad report, they would report it to Joshua and not publicize it to the Israelites, minimizing the risk. As a result, the two spies did not return with a bad report.

Perhaps Rahab was quite beautiful. One of the two spies who entered Jericho may have been the boy in David's genealogy who married Rahab. This is also quite interesting. Through this matter, we see Joshua overcoming layers and layers of worries and doing something to save Rahab's entire family. This chapter tells this story. This theme tells us that although we are people sentenced to death, if we seek God within us, we, like the Israelites, can inherit that promised land.

The earth and all that is in it belong to our God. He gives it to whomever He wants. The difference between knowing God and not knowing God on earth is too great. I hope everyone will know God. Our God is full of grace, full of love, and full of mercy.

Some people say, What about the flood in Noah's time? That was because the people of that generation were too evil. They were filled with evil thoughts. So God destroyed that generation. What about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Because the people there were too evil. Anyone passing through that city would be raped, whether male or female. To what extent was this evil? It was impossible not to destroy them!

When the land of Canaan was to be given to the Israelites, in reality, the people of this place were full of wickedness. Why didn't God immediately give that land to Abraham back then? Why did He wait more than 400 years? We must clearly know that in Abraham's time, although the people of that place also worshiped idols, they were not yet full of wickedness. They still feared God.

Therefore, we must know that each of us must learn to fear God because our longevity on earth depends entirely on Him. The things we encounter on earth can never be completely resolved by our human methods. But if you trust in God, you have hope. God is the answer to all our problems.

We Must Have a Desire to Know God

Rahab had a heart to seek God and a desire to be saved. This moved God, and God moved Joshua to send two spies to save her. Rahab was from Jericho, a Gentile, and a prostitute. The Israelites clearly said that they could not marry Gentile women, but why did an Israelite marry Rahab? Why did she appear in the genealogy of Jesus Christ?

All who know God believe that this is a good thing because Rahab is one of the rare people in the world, a person precious in God's eyes. If we seek God, if we want to become the salvation of our family, your faith will move God. God will surely raise you up in this generation to make you the salvation of your family.

How did Rahab know God? What was her understanding of God? She received the Israelite spies. Isn't this strange? The two spies miraculously went to Rahab's house. What did she say?

I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea[a] 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 in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. (Joshua 2:9-11)

Do you have this kind of courage? The God we trust in is God in heaven and on earth. Do we have the same conviction as Rahab, saying, I just trust in Him? Rahab knew that the God of the Israelites was God in heaven and on earth. She longed to be an Israelite. She longed for this God to become her own God. She longed for this God to become the salvation of her family. Later, she truly joined the nation of Israel and became part of the Israelites.

Those who are like Israel in their hearts are true Israelites. Those who are like Abraham in their hearts are true descendants of Abraham. Do not think that those born from the flesh of Abraham are all descendants of Abraham. The Pharisees were also Israelites, but Jesus said, You are a brood of vipers! You are the sons of the devil.

**“Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As

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Know that if you seek God in the doomed city of Jericho, He will still save you. How much more so today, as God's people, can you not bring all your problems before God and seek Him? Will God not solve your problems? Do you truly trust in God?

**Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. (Joshua 2:12-13 NKJV)**

If a person yearns in their heart to be the salvation of your family, your faith will move our God. I challenge you again, do you truly love God? Do you truly know that our God is the God of heaven and earth? I ask you further, do you truly desire to be the salvation of your family? Do you truly hope that your parents will receive grace because of you?

## Yearning to Be the Salvation of the Family

God is a God who greatly cares about our families. Rahab asked the two spies to spare her father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all that belonged to them, and to save their lives from death. This is God's heart. If we do not love our own parents, will we love others? If our hearts are hardened and we discern good and evil with our parents, will we still be able to love others?

Let us make a decision to be like Rahab, a person who knows God. Because Rahab had such thoughts and intentions, such a resolve, I know that my God is not a God who intends to destroy me, and I also know that my God is not a God who destroys my family. God will save me and will also save my family because of me. Today, we are not to be controlled by our parents, spouses, children, brothers, and sisters, but rather we are to become their salvation.

Some time ago, one of my co-workers pastored a child who had much hatred towards their parents. In fact, this child, among us, was delivered again and again, but without success. This child had a very bad habit, unable to see even the slightest love from their parents, filled with only hatred and the discernment of good and evil.

This child came to us because they had run away from home, received much grace in the church, and then left. Finally, the pastor said: Gradually, I began to realize that if a person discerns good and evil with their parents, the problem is actually very serious. This is not difficult to understand.

The fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments is to honor your parents. I said to myself, I really don't want to be friends with someone who doesn't honor their parents, not even a casual friend. What kind of person is someone who doesn't honor their parents? Their heart is full of remembering the evil of others, even the evil of their parents. What can you expect them to do? They can't do anything but be cared for by their parents.

Parents raise them from infancy, that is grace. Do we have the right to discern good and evil with our parents? Even if our parents are not perfect, they raised us from childhood. If we discern good and evil with our parents, remembering their evil, how do you think God will view us?

If there are still some among us who only remember the evil of their parents, perhaps they remember a little good, but mostly they remember the evil, I tell you, you will certainly live under a curse in this world. If you treat your parents like this, who are we then? All the pastors among us began to carefully understand whether the brothers and sisters among us have this bad habit. If so, such a person really needs great repentance.

Can you be willing to imitate Rahab, who was pleasing to God, and become the salvation of your family? If you, like Rahab, truly believe that God is the God of heaven and earth, believe that God is full of grace and mercy, and believe that God is the answer to all the problems your parents encounter, how could you not tell your parents this good news? You will strive to share this gospel with them, so that they too can receive the Promised Land like us, receiving abundantly from God's grace and mercy.

Rahab's greatest concern was the salvation of her family. If a person is not concerned about their own family, not concerned about their own nation, but only concerned about their own affairs, how can they become a person with Mingding Destiny? First, Rahab knew that God is full of grace and mercy. She also knew that God is the God of heaven and earth. She knew that all who seek God will be saved. Although I am a person from Jericho, although I am a humble woman, a prostitute with a bad reputation, my heart seeks God. My heart believes in Him and relies on Him, and as a result, I receive salvation.

Chapter 1 spoke of Joshua's character, that although weak, he became strong through God, and then caused the people of Israel to inherit the land. Chapter 2 spoke of the character of Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, who was very capable and caused her family to be saved and receive grace. Open the Bible and look at Joseph and Jacob, which of them did not yearn to receive God's covenant and become a person with Mingding Destiny?

Because of Rahab's seeking, God truly sent two spies to her house. Her feeling at the time was: Ah, God is truly a faithful God. My God, I truly thank you, you really sent people to save me. I was originally among those who were to be destroyed, but because I sought you, I trusted in you in my heart, I yearned in my heart to know you, I yearned in my heart to be saved, and you actually sent two spies to my house. What a wonderful opportunity this is.

## Meek in Heart, No Longer Stubborn and Rebellious

God is searching for treasures in heaven and on earth. When He finds them, He hides them, selling all that He has to buy this treasure. Our God became our redemption, became our grace. Our God gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for us, even to die on the cross, and rise again from the dead. What for? It is to bring these treasures into the kingdom of God.

Although we are humble, we know that He is the God of heaven and earth. Although we are humble, we know that He will surely bring salvation. As long as we seek in our hearts, we will surely find, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. When we turn back to God, He turns to us.

Let us no longer be stubborn and rebellious, no longer like King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, nor like the King of Jericho, stubborn and rebellious, hardened in heart, stiffening our necks to be destroyed by God. If it is said that God hardened us, you actually have a choice, you have the opportunity to choose. Today, our hearts must be a little more meek, not so hardened. Hardened to a certain extent is really difficult to understand and accept. Like someone saying: I am just like this. That is stubbornness, that is rebellion, so by no means be stubborn, be rebellious!

God reveals one thing again and again in the Bible: As long as our hearts are a little more meek, God is eager to save us.

The Bible says:

**And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. (1 Samuel 15:22-23 KJV)**

Through Rahab's salvation, I deeply know that our God is truly a good God. Do people die in the hands of God? No, they die in the sin within themselves. Because of sin, their hearts become hardened. During Joshua's time, more than 600,000 Israelites died in the wilderness. Why did they die? It was because their hearts were hardened, they did not trust in God, nor did they seek Him. They stubbornly said: God brought us out of Egypt to kill us in the wilderness. Did we not have burial places in Egypt?

How could these people with broken minds inherit the Promised Land? If there is one of the most wonderful things on earth, it is to inherit the promise from God. If there is one thing in this world worth seeking, it is our God. There is not much meaning in anything else.

Yesterday I gave a sister some advice. During the upcoming holiday, she is going to see her mother. Her mother has insomnia, is very irritable, and has a very venomous tongue. Every time she sees her mother, she is frightened from the bottom of her heart. I taught her a few tricks so that she can become the salvation of the family. If we are not capable and strong, it won't work. We cannot become their salvation.

Rahab was truly capable, really amazing, able to gather her parents, siblings, etc., in her home, and they all received salvation. Do you have such a resolve today? No matter what, I will imitate Joshua. No matter what, I will imitate Rahab. No matter what, I will receive God's promise. No matter what, I will become the salvation of my family!

If you do not have such a resolve in your family, saying that you have already seen through it, if they believe, they believe, if they don't, then forget it, let them die. It has nothing to do with me. That is not God's heart. Their salvation has a part for you, you must work with God. Alas, their hearts are too hardened, and they immediately condemn their families to death. They are hardened, but are you not hardened? No matter what, we must come out of such lies and begin to become the salvation of our own families.

## Imitating Rahab's Yearning Heart

When the two spies came to Rahab's house, the King of Jericho sent people to Rahab's house to ask her to hand over the two spies. As a result, Rahab hid them and told a lie, protecting the two spies. As a result, many religious people cannot accept it, because the Bible says it is not allowed to lie. Fortunately, Rahab was a smart person. Smart people do smart things.

Rahab told a lie: They have already gone out. You should quickly pursue them, perhaps you can still catch up. In fact, she hid the two spies in her own home. Some people are stubborn and hardened to the core, they don't even have this bit of flexibility. Some people accuse Rahab of lying. Is this also lying? Are these people out of their minds? Do you want yourself and your family to be saved or not? You know what is more important.

By no means lose the big for the small. Losing a little of the small for the sake of the big doesn't matter. In fact, our God is not too concerned about trivialities. None of the later prophets criticized Rahab for lying, but many pastors today criticize Rahab, either saying that Rahab lied, or saying that Rahab was a prostitute, so her descendants have licentious habits for generations. Such people are too strange. Why don't they see the Mingding Destiny in Rahab's heart? Why don't they see that she and her whole family were saved, while all the people of Jericho were destroyed?

Rahab did lie, but she received salvation. I am not encouraging everyone to lie, but when doing things, you must distinguish priorities. If you can't even distinguish priorities, what can you do? So the Pharisees in Israel see the small and not the big, but our God wants us to see the big and not the small. Gaining the big is what is important.

Another example is Jacob lying. His father asked him: Are you Esau? He was clearly Jacob, but he answered: I am Esau. His father said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are Esau's hands. This courage is too great, this is obviously a lie. But some religious people think this is not okay, as if he is better than Jacob, better than Rahab. I think we today only have the role of imitating, not criticizing and judging.

As a result, the Israelite spies did one thing, asking Rahab to tie a red rope on the window of her house. With this red rope, her family would not be destroyed. Moreover, people must gather in the house.

These two spies said to Rahab:

**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. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. (Joshua 2:17-20 KJV)**

Rahab let the two spies down through the window, and they fled to the mountains and stayed for three days. They returned to Joshua and reported the good news. As the scripture says:

**Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the country; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. (Joshua 2:23-24 KJV)**

Our God is truly marvelous. The entire second chapter clearly shows us that both Rahab and Joshua are treasures in God's eyes. Are you and I willing to be treasures in God's eyes today? If so, from today onwards, imitate the courage in Rahab's heart. Even among those who are to be destroyed, salvation can still be obtained. We must have a yearning heart within us, by no means be hardened, by no means be numb, and begin to restore the initial love for God.

May God bless everyone!
## Joshua List