Joshua 2 - Listening to God, but not Hearing God

You know there’s a big difference between hearing someone and really “hearing” them. Sometimes if Marge and I are watching a movie and it just completely loses me, (Hallmark movies) I might just be inclined to reach for my iPad and start browsing around for some funny memes or sports car pictures. But of course, since I still want to be with Margie, I just hang out and sit through the movie. But you know when I do that something changes. I flip a switch in my mind, and I make a mental decision to put that movie, it’s dialogue, it’s overlying meaning and its theme behind me. I have decided to no longer focus on the movie, but yet it’s words, characters, music, images and story are still right before me. I can hear the movie but I’m not hearing the movie. When it’s over Margie tells me it was pretty good, but I’m oblivious to what really happened.

I have found that this scenario can often times play out in other facets of my life. I’ve morphed into this situation many times in life where I find myself in situations that are either out of my mental grasp or when the situation just absolutely disinterests me. College algebra class, check, been there. Some of Margie’s 3 hour long dance recitals, check. I’m sure at this point you could interject several of your own scenarios. But what about when our psyche snaps into “ignore” mode when it shouldn’t? Obviously, I should not have been “zoned out” in college algebra, that’s the reason I had to take it three times. The point? Just because our minds tell us something is boring or irrelevant does not mean it lacks great importance. In fact, what if our brain is wired to tell us the single most important decision in the life is in fact, not important to us? Read on.

Today we look at Joshua chapter 2 and it contains one of the awesome “heroes of faith” from Hebrews chapter 11, Rahab. The story of Rahab is one that can only be contained in the absolute truth of the pages of scripture. In fact, that’s one thing about God’s Word, it tells it like it is, how it is and doesn’t even attempt to candy coat it. I can only imagine if the Bible was written by real men or agenda driven organizations and not directly from the Holy Spirit. I mean come on, if you and I wrote some of the stories, be honest, you’d be very likely to leave out some of the details that very quickly can spoil your family name, ruin the city you represent and well, just make the human race look bad. But not so in God’s Word. Today we learn that Rahab is a career prostitute and not only that, but she’s good at it, known in the community and even runs her own establishment. All facts that today could be easily left out to make the story more PC. Not only is Rahab described in absolute truth, but did you know that if you were to read Matthew chapter 1 you would find that Rahab is in the direct lineage of Jesus Christ? What, a prostitute is in the lineage of Jesus? Yep, right there, clear as a bell on the pages of God’s Word. And how did she get there? Faith.

So Joshua sends in 2 spies to learn the best way to overtake the city of Jericho and for whatever reason the spies end up cornered by the local officials in the home of Rahab. She hides them, lies to the guards that are looking for them and then helps them to safely escape until they return later to sack the city. But the conversation between Rahab and the spies is where we will camp out today. You see, Rahab lived in an entire city that had heard of God. But out of that entire city, only Rahab was the one that heard God.

As the spies and Rahab conversed, her responses to them, who they were and what they were there to do was truly inspired from God. You see, Rahab hadn’t just been listening to the stories about God, she had been pondering them, storing them up in her heart, studying them and hearing them as the truth they were.

“Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”

There’s so much great stuff in Rahab’s response. First, she had not only heard the stories of what God had done, she believed them. Notice her use of “we” in her response. “We have heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea.” Folks, at this time, Moses and the Israelites had miraculously crossed the Red Sea over 40 years ago! Rahab and the city of Jericho were still talking about that miracle 40 years later, yet you see, she was the only one that truly heard it in her heart. All the others had only listened to the story, never moved beyond simple hearing. Everyone in the city and the region had heard of the power, miracles and majesty of God, yet here stands only one that truly believes in the power of God, the faithful prostitute Rahab.

Another great point here is how Rahab tells us people in the city generally feel about God. “As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you.” Rahab tells us the people are truly afraid of the Israelites because of the power of their God, yet in bitter irony, they do nothing. The people of Jericho and the entire peoples of Canaan knew of the Lord Almighty. They had heard of His miracles, knew of the miraculous battles He had given His people and even knew that if the Israelites desired to overtake their land, they were doomed. But what did all of this cause in the people of Jericho? Repentance? Turning to God? Shedding of false god and idols? A crying out to God to save them? Turning from their evil, fleshly sinful lifestyles? No on all accounts. You see, they heard God, but they didn’t hear God.

Our world today is full of these same hearts. We are blessed that in the United States of America and especially in the south you can freely, openly and easily hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. In churches, on TV, on radio, via the internet, on blogs, through podcasts and even roadside billboards proclaim the truth of what Jesus Christ did upon the Cross for all. But among this mass proclamation, what type of hearts does the gospel fall upon? Are they so tied up in their busy lives that the message just falls away? Are they so tied up in religion that they miss the relationship Jesus desires with them? Are their hearts so hard towards God that the messages simply blows away like seed upon concrete? You see, even in our world today, there are millions that are hearing God but completely missing His message.

Folks, when we die our fleshly bodies perish but our spirits live on for eternity, it’s God’s plan and God’s design. There are only 2 destinations for your eternal spirit, Heaven or hell. Heaven is the home of God and if you call upon Jesus to save you from the sin that separates you from God, He in His infinite, mercy, grace and love will invite you into Heaven to be with Him. But if you ignore His message, hearing but not really hearing His clear message, hell will be the eternal place of your spirit. And hell is the complete absence of God. God is in Heaven, not hell, so it is an eternity separated from all of the love, goodness, peace, tranquility and comforts of God.

Folks, don’t just simply and casually hear God today, truly hear His gospel message. You see, God gives us choice, He can’t make us love Him and follow Him, it’s a decision we must all make. I pray today that you will settle your eternity and truly hear God’s plan of salvation for your life.

God bless you as listen for the Lord today.