Daily Devotional for Thursday, August 4

Faith of Patriarchs

As you most likely know, the entire population of Jericho was destroyed; of course, that excluded Rahab and those in her household. Because Rahab exercised faith and believed, she and those with her were spared the coming destruction. 

This story directly answers the question often asked: “What about those who never hear about God, Jesus and salvation?” Then, the doubters toss out a story such as the story of Jericho and the complete destruction of that city to prove that God is a heinous, uncaring monster bent on revenge and destruction. When that happens, people are leaving out an important part of the story. In Joshua 2, you see that the entire city of Jericho was quite aware of God; specifically, they were aware of what God had done previously aiding the invading Israelite armies. The only difference between Rahab and her family and the rest of the people was what they did with the information. 

Rahab did not have perfect information. She had no real understanding of God, or His promises to the chosen people of Israel; nonetheless, she chose to believe. God did not need to send spies to Jericho. The destruction of that city happened without anyone even setting foot into it! God knew there was someone in that city who was honestly seeking God, and someone was sent to her to testify to her. 

Even today, many do not have perfect information, and God is sending people to testify to them about the salvation available in Jesus Christ. Like Rahab, you have a choice regarding belief in the promises of God or not. You have that choice yourself; what will you do about it?

JUST A THOUGHT: No one truly rejects God because he does not know that God exists; creation proves that God exists.

Wally Fry