“The two men had not yet lain down when she returned to the roof and said to them, “I know that Adonai has given you the land. Fear of you has fallen on us; everyone in the land is terrified at the thought of you.”-Joshua 2:8
We now finally come to one of the most momentous confessions of faith in all of Scripture…
…and something the gentile church would be wise to pay heed to.
Rahab announces she knows Adonai has turned her land over to Israel.
And with her confession, the reason behind why she risked her life to protect the two spies is revealed.
It’s also important to note that even though many Bibles will say “the Lord” or “Adonai”, Rahab doesn’t use any of those generic terms in referring to the God of Israel.
In the original Hebrew, she says…
…“I know YHVH has given this land to you”.
That’s right homies.
Rahab was familiar with the formal and personal name of the God of Israel.
We shouldn’t be surprised about this.
During this time, folks always held great interest in the names of the various gods and deities of the different nations.
The God of Israel’s personal name was famous and feared throughout the whole known world at the time…
…just as Astarte, Baal and Molech were known everywhere.
The destruction the Lord had leveled upon the nation of Egypt is a historical event that will never be forgotten.
Onward.
Let’s take a look at two other simple words Rahab used that have profound theological implications to this very day.
She said…
“I know…
…that Adonai has turned this land over to you”.
She didn’t say…
...”I wonder if your God has turned our land over to you”…
…OR…
...”I think your God has turned the land over to you”.
She strongly asserted that…
...”I KNOW the Lord has given you the land”.
There was zero hemming and hawing.
She had accepted as fact that the Land of Canaan no longer belonged to her race of people.
It was now Hebrew property.
And right there folks is another point a good portion of the gentile church needs to repent of.
There are too many liberal churches out there adopting the ridiculous idea that God really didn’t give the land to Israel after all…
…or because of Israel’s disobedience, the land no longer belongs to them.
I shudder for anyone who adopts such a patently anti-Scriptural position.
If you’re even flirting with the idea that Canaan doesn’t belong to Israel, you’re treading dangerous waters friend.
Hi Richoka,
I believe that God really gave that whole land, in absolute terms to ISREAL.
Rahab was just confirming what the God of ISREAL promised our Ancestor Abraham. Gen 15;13-21
In verse 18, even though, ISRAEL had not yet gone to bondage; listen to what Hashem said to Abraham-
Unto thy seed have I given this land. Which land? From the river of Egypt, to the great river, the river Euphrates; and all the lands with ‘tittes, nittes and zittes’ etc. Read the verse 21 and its a specific mention of Canaan. Even from that point, the real owner of the land which is YHVH had established a new contract of tenancy of that whole land with ISREAL. God alone had the preserve, to give that duration of grace period- He said, until the iniquities of the Amorites is full, Gen 15;16. Otherwise, it became ripe from that time for occupation by ISRAEL. God owns the whole world and He does what pleases Him Ps 24;1.
As a student in your class, I am contemplating that, there is a general principle that God deals with all creation. I am a black African. I have travelled to the West and some parts of Asia. Sometimes I am compelled to believe and even preach same; that unbelief is similar to idol worship.
Therefore anytime God punishes idol worshippers, it is partly because of unbelief.
Sometimes God simply strip people power-off, or authority or property or even peace. Sometimes, it makes the rebellious children of God return to their father.
Africa is one such place, where every good thing is possible. If you consider the natural resources, and even the rich potentials in human resource. Yet, almost everything is controlled by the west.
The singular most important reason I find in all my search is that, we must submit to Hashem, through Yeshua. There is still so much idol worship. Nations that are labelled as Christian Nations, still invites traditional and idol worshippers, Muslims etc to national gatherings and are given space to perform rituals, all because of numbers in vote for political power in the name of democracy.
God visited the descendants of Abraham to the forth generation because he believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
On the contrary, all those who through unbelief made idols are punished to the forth generation Ex 20;5,
The lesson is that any individual or nation that do not return to God the glory that He deserves, cannot attain the best, It is not possible to continuously dishonour the one that made you; who you are, and still expect that everything must be right. We must return glory back to God where His glory is due through Yeshua- Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
My Prayer; I ask for grace to all to grow in dependence upon God alone; to experience the joy of full reliance on Him in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Many thanks boss
Abraham
Well said Abraham. Thanks for sharing. Be blessed and SHALOM!