In the book of Joshua, the author or Joshua wrote how Rahab the harlot hid two men who were spies from Israel, and she told the king’s men who came looking for them, “it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: where the men went I do not know: pursue after them quickly; for you shall overtake them. 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”, and in chapter two and verse seven of the book of Joshua, the writer or Joshua said, “the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords” where we read,
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.
The verse reads, “And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords:” Joshua began with the words, “and the men” which means “and the male human beings dispatched by the king” “pursued after them” or “ran and followed after them, the two men of Israel” “the way to Jordan” which means “on the road, journey and course toward Jordan whose name means descender and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)” “unto the fords” or “to the passings, crossings and transit route”. Joshua or the writer shared how the king’s “men” ran and followed after the “two men” of Israel on the path toward the “Jordan River” until they reached the crossing routes within it.
The verse goes on to say, “and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and as soon as they which pursued after them” or “and when they, the king’s men, who ran after and followed them, the two men of Israel” “were gone out” which means “departed and left”, “they shut the gate” or “they, the people of the city of Jericho, closed the port and opening to the city”. Joshua or the writer said when the men dispatched by the king departed the city, the portal to the city was closed.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the king’s men believed “Rahab’s” story about the two men from Israel leaving the city. They obeyed her instruction to “run after” them, and when they left the city, the “gate” was closed. Once again we see God’s plan of salvation for the Jewish people unfolding. God promised the people of Israel would enter and possess this “land”. Jericho was the first city they were to conquer, and because He fulfills His word, these “two spies” were preserved. In like manner, God wants to have an intimate personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. When we surrender our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and to empower us to live according to that truth so we too fulfill His purpose and will for our lives.
Next time the writer or Joshua says, “before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment