Sister Sharron Sunday School 10/6/13

Sister Sharron Sunday School 10/6/13

I was thinking of a couple young men that lost their mother and how their step mother did such a beautiful job.  These young men have helped to win three souls to Christ that I know of.  I love to see how they work with their children.  I love to be around them.

When I thought of entertaining strangers I thought of Rahab.

Jos 2:1  And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

Jos 2:2  And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.

Jos 2:3  And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.

Jos 2:4  And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:

Jos 2:5  And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.

Jos 2:6  But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.

Jos 2:7  And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

These men were among the enemy and were spying out the land, but God directed them to a place of safety.  God knew ahead of time that there would be safety there.  God knew Rahab. 

Rahab entertained these spies because of her regard for Israel and for God.  Those people that loved God then stood out and it should be that way today.  She took care of them not for money or for evil intent.  She totally gave herself to assist these two men.  She knew nothing about them in reality but she knew of their God.

Jos 2:8  And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;

Jos 2:9  And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

Jos 2:10  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

Jos 2:11  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.

Jos 2:12  Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:

Jos 2:13  And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

Jos 2:14  And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

Jos 2:15  Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

Jos 2:16  And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

Jos 2:17  And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

Jos 2:18  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.

Jos 2:19  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.

Jos 2:20  And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

Jos 2:21  And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

Jos 2:22  And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.

Jos 2:23  So 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:

Jos 2:24  And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

If we read before this, they were going to go in and destroy everyone.  Rahab helped the spies and God took care of her.  I think of the Passover and the blood that was placed on the door posts and there seems to be a parallel to Rahab’s scarlet thread.  The blood on our heart will protect us.

Jos 6:17  And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

Jos 6:18  And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

Jos 6:19  But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

Jos 6:20  So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Jos 6:21  And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

Jos 6:22  But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.

Jos 6:23  And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

Jos 6:24  And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

Jos 6:25  And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Isn’t it wonderful that Rahab listened and took care of these men?

Heb 11:31  By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Jas 2:25  Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

Jas 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Rahab proved works along with the faith.

Rth 1:1  Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Rth 1:2  And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

Lot’s son was Moab.  As a nation they became very idolatrized and were wealthy and suspicious.

Deu 23:3  An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

Deu 23:4  Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

Deu 23:5  Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.

We see in the scriptures that the Israelites were not to go among the Moabites because pretty soon the children would be marrying them.

Rth 1:3  And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

Rth 1:4  And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

Rth 1:5  And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

We see that God was right.  They went among them and their son’s married the Moabites.  They did not have to go among the Moabites but had other places they could have gone.  They chose to go there and some think this is why they lost so greatly. 

Naomi means wisdom, virtuous, and grace.  Here she is left in a country that she had been taught against and she had a love for her own country.  She had heard the famine was over in her country and she wanted to go back.

Rth 1:16  And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Rth 1:17  Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Naomi was left with her two daughters in Law and Oprah chose to go back to her people and all their gods.  Our prayer is that when people choose to come among us they will not leave without God. 

Ruth persevered and said, “Whether thou goest I will go.”  She was going to a people she didn’t know and Naomi had nothing left to take and they were going to what they knew not was ahead. 

The Israelites were taught to not mix with the Moabites, she was going among a people that were taught against her people.  When people get saved they don’t care what they give up. 

Your God will be my God.  When people want our God, that says something.

Rth 2:1  And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

Rth 2:2  And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

Rth 2:3  And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

Rth 2:4  And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.

She didn’t know where she was going to glean, she just went out.  The gleaners were not affluent.  They needed food.  God had his hand in this.  Boaz was rich and some of his family was poor.  Poor people should work for their living and not be beggars. 

Ruth was a woman of virtue.  She went to those fields and worked hard.  After she was through she didn’t go to town and party with the other girls.  She went home to Naomi and was respectful.

Rth 2:8  Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:

Boaz was watching out for her benefit and welfare.  She was protected in that way.  We know that eventually Boaz and Ruth married.  I believe God’s plan was in all of this.

Mat 1:5  And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

We see that both of these ladies were in Jesus’ lineage because they followed God.  Jesus had in His lineage a Moabitist and a woman that used to be a harlot.  God will save anybody.  He worked out a plan for me.  If He did it for me, He will do it for anybody. 

Who comes as a sinner and is fit for heaven in that condition?  None of us.  We all have to be as clay in the potter’s hand.  We all needed to be saved.  When I got saved, I did not know what my heart was longing for. 

Being among a people and learning:  We are given the freedom to do this.  We are not looked down upon.

This way is plain and easy to understand, it is solid.  It does not change.  God is not as the world that changes constantly.  He has principles that work for you, work for me, and work for any that is out there that needs to be saved.