No matter how bad your past. God can still do great things with you when you connect with Him. Dr. Tony Evans says your history cannot disqualify you from God's blessings. If you are willing to deal righteously where you are, then God's grace can meet you there.
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. When your GPS keeps recalculating, it's a sign you've missed a turn. Or maybe several.
Well today Dr. Evans explains how Israel, after 40 years of misturns in the wilderness, was finally ready to step into the future God had prepared. Let's join him as he unpacks what it means to move from wandering to winning and how our obedience and courage can open the door to God's promises. What you have in Joshua. Is Israel's movement to the promised land?
We have stated before that there are three movements in our Christian lives. Deliverance They were delivered from Egypt. That is akin to our salvation. Deliverance from spiritual bondage. Then there was development.
The wilderness. That's how spiritual growth.
So they went through the trials and tests of the wilderness. to learn to trust God. And then there is Destiny. The promised land. They're able to arrive at the place God wanted them to get for his purposes for them.
where they were experiencing the promises of God. And that is true for us. Deliverance. from spiritual bondage. spiritual development through the tests and trials of life.
To arrive at the place of destiny, God's purpose for us and our lives while here on earth. The promised land is not heaven, because remember. They're getting ready to come running to the Canaanites. They're getting ready for Jebusites, Hittites, Amorites. They get ready to run into the enemies of God.
There are no enemies of God in heaven that we will run into. He's talking about God fulfilling his purposes on earth. for you and me today. When we initially began this, we began talking about Chapter one, we summarize that where God is telling them. To now go into the promised land.
They've been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. What keeps you in the wilderness? What keeps you in the wilderness is when you've not yet learned to walk by faith. Let me say that again. You are stuck in the routine, 40 years going in the circle.
Of the wilderness, when you refuse to learn the lessons to walk by faith. The only reason they were there was they refused to trust God.
So Growing in faith is the way to exit the wilderness.
So now we've come to this next generation. It's time to cross over into the promise. Enter Chapter 2. and a lady named Rahab. She is living among the Canaanites.
In a city called Jericho. The first major city that Israel comes to When they are preparing to cross over the Jordan.
Well, Joshua, according to verse one of chapter two, Tells two spies. To go and to search out the land.
So according to the end of verse 1, they come and they Come to the red light district. Because they come to the house of a harlot. whose name was Rahab. and lodge there.
Now they're coming to spy, okay? They viewed this as an inconspicuous place to go. And so they chose this. This place as a Place that men would just generally go, and they could kind of. hide in the mix in that particular environment.
Please notice. They came to the house of a harlot. The Bible Doesn't want to hide this about this woman. Why would the Bible keep telling us? Especially All the glorious things that are gonna happen to her.
Because God wants to emphasize. No matter how bad your past. No matter how Rickety yo yesterday. God can still do great things with you. when you connect with him.
And so he sends these two spies, and the two spies. According to verse 2, have come to search out the land. But some way they got discovered.
Somebody saw them go in or something.
So the king of Jericho sends word to Rahab. To bring out the men who come to search out the land.
So they have been uncovered or discovered in some form or fashion, which is not described for us here.
So according to verse 4, Rahab then Takes the two men and hides them. She says in verse 4, yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark that the men went out, and I do not know where the men went. Of course, she lying because she's hiding them.
So that raises a theological question. When is it okay to lie? One person said, I don't like lying, but it's a very present help in the time of trouble. Here's the answer to this. You find this in Exodus 2 with the midwives when they lied about the babies being born.
When you have Two conflicts. thing Sins. When either decision is sinful. And you have to choose one because there is not a third option. What were the two sins?
Lying? Or murder. I mean, they were going to kill the spies.
So you're dealing with two sins. Murder or being an accomplice to murder. And lying. When either option is a sin, you have to decide how will God be glorified most.
So she lies, she's hidden them.
So she comes up to them on the roof and in verse 9. She makes a powerful statement. She says, I know that the Lord has given you the land. And that the terror of you has fallen on us. And that all of the inhabitants of the land have melted 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. He says in verse 11, when we heard it, our hearts melted. No carriage remained in any man any longer because of you. For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Notice what she's saying.
She's giving out a bunch of information. The spies have come. to search out the land. Rahab says Let me tell you how we feel about y'all. We scared to death.
We are terrified because word is out on y'all. You got this God who opens up the Red Sea. And who defeats these enemies? And the hearts of our people have melted.
So that's inside information she's giving the spies about the atmosphere of Jericho regarding Israel.
So we're dealing with an apprehensive, scared group of people. But then she goes one step further at the end of verse 11. For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. So now she expresses personal faith. In their God, which was not the faith, that was not the God that they worshiped in Jericho.
So God leads them. To the house of a believer who is a harlot. Yeah.
So we have a conflict. between faith and lifestyle. Yeah.
Please swear to me by the Lord. By the Lord, she's calling their God the Lord. Since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household and give me a pledge of truth and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters. and all who belong to them and deliver out of the hands of death.
So the men said, our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours. It shall come about when the Lord gives us the land that we will deal kindly with you. She cuts the deal. She says, if I help you, you help me. If I protect you, you protect me.
Because we're dealing with the same Lord. Yeah, we understand her lifestyle is not all that. Right now. But we also understand in the midst of her. Designation of lifestyle.
This woman is taking a whopping risk. Because if she's found out to be harboring The spies who are out to destroy the land. Then of course her her well-being is is uh in jeopardy.
So God leads the spies to her house. For two reasons. One Ascertaining the military environment. Two, saving the family of a believer in a pagan environment. Because, however, those two connected, Rahab and the spies, it's worked out to both of those goals.
Which says That even if your lifestyle has not caught up to where it ought to be. She's known as Rahab the Harlot. If you are willing to deal righteously where you are. Then God's grace can meet you there. When Dr.
Evans returns in just a moment, he'll continue his look at how God's grace shows up for us. You know, God often uses the most unexpected people and situations to accomplish his purposes, as we're seeing today in the story of Rahab and Israel's crossing of the Jordan. It's a powerful reminder that God's plan for your life isn't limited by your past or your circumstances. To help you go deeper, we're offering Tony's complete nine-part audio series on the book of Joshua as our gift when you support the ministry of the alternative. And for a limited time, we'll also include the Kingdom Family Devotional, written by Dr.
Evans and his son, pastor and author Jonathan Evans. It's a 52-week journey through key biblical topics like forgiveness, prayer, and spiritual growth, designed to help families draw closer to God and to one another.
So visit us today at tonyevans.org to request your copy of both the Joshua series and the Kingdom Family Devotional, available for a limited time with your gift. Again, that's tonyevans.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222, where our friendly team members are available day and night to help. That's 1-800-800-3222. Uh Well right now, let's rejoin Dr. Evans in Joshua chapter 2 for the second part of today's lesson.
She let them down by a rope, verse 15, through the window. Uh for her house was on the city wall. I love that verse. Because that means when the walls of Jericho fall, her house and a piece of the wall is still standing.
Okay. She tells him, go hide in the hill country. For three days They hide for three days. The men said to her, We shall be free from This oath Of which you have made to us, unless when we come into the land, verse 18, you tie the cord of scarlet, that is a scarlet rope. In the window through which you let Us down.
You tie a red rope. You let us down and gather to yourself into the house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. It will come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own hands, and we shall be free. But anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand lay upon him. She is now Under the covering of Israel.
Her family is under her covering. as well.
So Joshua has the information he needs.
Now the New Testament Talks about Rahab in this regard from this chapter in James chapter 2. Verse 14 is what use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works, can that faith save him? Verse 25. In the same way was not Rahab the harlot. Also, justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way.
So now James in the New Testament Uses this story of chapter two in the Old Testament to make a principle for you and me today. The principle is called in James 2:25 justification by works. Justification by faith is when you trust Christ for your personal salvation. Justification by works. is where you act.
on your faith on earth. For the well-being of God's plan, program, and the good of others. Which is what she did. She protected them and sent them out another way. That was her work.
What did her work do? Her work brought her deliverance on earth. She was protected. Her family was protected on Earth.
So justification by faith takes you to heaven. Justification by works brings heaven to earth. It has to do with being covered in history. Many of God's people do not operate under God's covering. They have been justified by faith, but unjustified by works.
So they don't see heaven visiting history.
So they live their lives to go to heaven. But rarely can talk about when heaven came to them. In chapter three. It's time to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Then Joshua arose early in the morning.
He and all the sons of Israel set out from Sheathom. and came to the Jordan, And they lodged there before they crossed. They now command the people in verse three, saying, When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. The Ark of the Covenant.
Something that you read regularly. In the Old Testament books. It was a chest. It was a chest. Inside of this chest were the Ten Commandments.
Was some manna, the food that the people ate. Was Aaron Staff? At the top of it was a gold plate. There were two angels that hovered over. The mercy seat.
That was on the chest, two cherubim angel figures that were hovering over this chest. The glory of God. Resided Between the two cherubims. that were hovering over the mercy seat. And that Represented the presence of God.
So Joshua now in verse 6 tells the priests to take up the ark.
So they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went ahead of the people.
So now the Lord talks to Joshua. This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I've been with Moses, I will be with you.
So command the priest, verse eight. To carry the Ark of the Covenant. And when you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, You shall stand still in the Jordan.
So God tells Joshua. Joshua then says, come and hear the word of the Lord your God.
So God tells the man, the man is to tell the people. By this, what's the point? Verse 10: By this, you shall know that the living God is among you. and that he will assuredly dispossess From before you, the Canaanites, Hittites, Havites. Perizzites, God is going to show you something.
The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, verse 13, is crossing over ahead of you in the Jordan. It's got to go first into the Jordan River.
So he tells him to take twelve men, one from each tribe. It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry, verse 13, the ark of the Lord. The Lord of all the earth rests in the waters of the Jordan. The waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap. You got two.
million people. They're at the Jordan River. God's presence is upfront. The priests, God's representatives, are leading it. You tell the priest to put their foot in the water.
Why? Because God needs to see faith first. But look at verse 15. And when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, And the feet of the priest carrying the ark was dipped in the edge of the water. Watch this.
For the Jordan overflows all its banks. All the days of the harvest. You see that in your Bible in a little parenthesis. That means this was thrown in for emphasis. They want you to know God didn't just.
Stop the Jordan. It was harvest season.
So the banks were overflowing. In other words, This was a big miracle, not a little miracle. If it was overflowing, this could have been at least one mile in width. For two million people to cross over. One mile in width.
The water being held up So the people could cross. And the waters, verse 16, were flowing down. from above stood and rose up in one heap. Verse 16 is so the people crossed opposite the Jordan, and I love verse 17. And the priest who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all of Israel crossed on dry ground until the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
I don't know if we're getting a sword. Yeah.
You got a whole bunch of stuff happening here. Nothing happens. Until the presence of God mixed with the faith of the priest, Touch the water. When they touch the water, God then created a wall. Miles upstream.
in order to block the water from flowing. But on top of that, He dried the ground. Says they came over in dragon, no wheels getting stuck. No people getting stuck with look. The ground not supposed to be dry.
This is wet ground. It's been underwater.
So God created dry ground.
So that you might know. God is alive.
So that you might know. Why do you and I need to know this? God will allow you to Experience him. In ways that can only be explained by him. Yeah, in other words.
You know, man didn't do this. You know that this didn't come from human hands. The reason why he does things like this occasionally, he didn't open up a Red Sea every day. This was strategically done so that you will know that he's alive.
So that you know he's alive for you. Because it happened to you. And so that he can prepare you for the next challenge.
So yeah, it's a Bible story. What a principle. to live by.
So Don't dismiss Your Jordan moments. And don't neglect from putting your feet. Oh yeah, in the water. When that is the divine instruction. And so, two.
million. people. Approximately. Cross the joint. Dr.
Tony Evans, urging us not to shy away from our own Jordan moments, but to step out in faith when God calls and watch him make a way forward.
Now, before we wrap up, I want to let you know that today's lesson is part of Tony's current series on the book of Joshua, a powerful look at how God leads his people into victory, even through unexpected people and impossible obstacles. And as I mentioned earlier, when you make a donation to help keep Tony's teaching on this station, we'll send you all the messages from this series on Joshua, along with the Kingdom Family Devotional as our thank you gift. Don't wait, this special double offer will only be available for a limited time. Request yours today at tonyevans.org or let one of our team members help you when you call 1-800-800-3222. Again, that's tonyevans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222.
Yeah.
Some moments in life are so significant, you never want to forget them.
Well, on Monday, Dr. Evans takes us to a powerful turning point for the Israelites and unpacks what it means to step forward in faith, live under God's covering, and never forget who brought you through. Be sure to join us.
