READING FOR DECEMBER 23, 2024: JOSHUA 2, REVELATION 14, PSALM 127 JOSHUA 2 Just as Moses sent Joshua and 11 others to spy out the land in Number 13, Joshua sent two men to spy out the heavily fortified city of Jericho. They cleverly chose to interview Rahab, a harlot, to gauge the mentality of the enemy. Her business would attract a good cross section of the male population. In one of the most interesting ethical dilemmas of the Bible, Rahab lies to the local authorities about the spies’ presence rather than give up these Jews to certain execution. This writer takes no position on whether this lie was right or wrong. Some have argued that she had she told the truth, God still could have saved the men. We do know that Hebrews 11:25 lists her among the heroes of faith, James 2:25 calls her righteous, and Matthew 1:5 includes her as one of four notable women ancestors of Jesus. Quite a legacy.
Remember what God said in Exodus 14:16-17: “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army.” This great miracle not only allowed Israel to escape, but was an act Rahab cited as causing Jericho to melt with fear. We sometimes wonder why God hardened the hearts of the Egyptians, but God, the ultimate chess master, sees an infinite number of moves into the future. Let’s trust His love and total perspective. Speaking of the future, notice that God chose to work through and save a prostitute because of her faith. A means of this salvation was a scarlet cord she dangled from her window. God will later use her to bring forth Jesus to earth who saved all of us by His atoning blood flowed down from the cross. Let’s never assume God can’t or won’t use anyone because of her/his culturally low position.
Revelation 14: In the midst of great chaos and persecution, chapter 13 called us to two things: patient endurance and faithfulness. This call is repeated in chapter 14, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” (14:12) These are needed because the chapter continues the story of the antichrist and the chaos he brings to the earth. However, this chapter ends with Jesus appearing with a sickle in his hand to begin the harvest of the earth. This is a fulfillment of one of Jesus’ parables: "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels” (Matthew 13:37-39).
Those who are not prepared for this harvest will face the winepress of God’s wrath. (14:29) One of the most terrifying verses in the Bible says, “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved." (Jeremiah 8:20) Knowing that the harvest is coming should inspire us to pray for those who are not saved and to do all we can to help them find the Lord.
READING FOR DECEMBER 23 CONTINUED: REVELATION 14, PSALM 127 Those who are saved do not need to fear the harvest. In fact, even before the end-time harvest we can be encouraged by these words that are spoken directly from heaven: “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them" (14:13).
Death is a blessing for those who die in the Lord. To die “in the Lord” means that we have accepted the gift of salvation that is freely given through Jesus Christ. This is the greatest gift of all and is the reason we will celebrate Christmas in a few days. If you have not received this gift, you can receive it today by choosing to surrender to God with this prayer.
Father in Heaven, I don’t want to miss the greatest gift of Christmas. It is hard to believe that you love me so much that you want to give me the gift of eternal life. I am thankful that you sent Jesus to earth to save a sinner like me. I confess that I have sinned against you but I understand that you have paid the penalty for all of my sin through the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross. I accept His death as a payment for my sins and I accept the forgiveness that you freely give me. I willingly turn from my sinful ways and ask for your strength to keep me pure and holy. I want to be made brand new and to start over. I want to be a part of your family. I accept my adoption into the family of God. Thank you for loving me in spite of my mistakes and failures.
I renounce all the work of Satan in my life, and I cancel all of his strongholds. Please cleanse me and remove every evil thing from within me. Remove every barrier that would keep me from knowing you more. I ask that you fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I might live the life that you would desire. I offer myself to you and ask that you would use me in your service until the time of my death or the end-time harvest. Amen.
PSALM 127 Notice the first two verses talk about workers building a house while the last three verses talk about the joy of having lots of kids. At first glance, it seems an odd paring. A legitimate possibility is that the word “house” is meant to be interpreted in two senses. One sense is as a literal building and one meaning an extended family, such as in 2 Samuel 3:1:“The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time.” Certainly, it is true that whether it is a family, a house, or any initiative, if the Lord isn’t both the reason for and the power behind it, there is no lasting value to it. Paul uses similar construction language: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light” (1 Cor. 3:12).
The Psalmist could not be clearer about the benefit of having lots of children. Our current culture is much more geared to personal satisfaction than the family orientation of the Bible. Could our current culture have it wrong? Yes, that’s the value of the Bible. It stands above culture giving us the best way to live no matter what our current transitory moment promotes. (Ask Louise Luke to show her extended-family picture.) The Psalmist shifts to more military metaphors (e.g., arrows, warriors, quiver, and opponents). Perhaps having many children protects us from being dangerously self-absorbed, while increasing the total number of those in the Kingdom of God as we battle the “powers of this dark world” (Eph. 6:12).
