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The Part of the Wall That Didn't Fall

by Jerry Ousley
7/12/2024 / Christian Living

The Part of the Wall that Didn’t Fall

By Jerry D. Ousley

… Or, The House that Came Down, Safe and Sound … but, let’s look at the incident at hand first. Moses had died leaving Joshua in charge of the twelve tribes of Israel. Forty years before this, twelve spies had been sent to spy out the land. When they returned all but two said that they couldn’t conquer it. Because of their evil report, lack of faith and refusal to depend on God, they were told to wander in the wilderness for forty years until that entire generation, except for those two (Joshua and Caleb) had died. That had happened and now they stood on the East side of the Jordan River waiting to cross over. But this time, instead of sending twelve spies to search out the whole country, Joshua sent out two spies and told them to concentrate on just the city of Jericho (see Joshua 2). Looking at one piece of the pie rather than the whole shebang is a lot easier to take in.

After scouting over Jericho and the area around it, the two spies searched for a place to stay and wound up in the house of Rahab, the prostitute. It is thought that she was no ordinary prostitute but a religious prostitute, which was a common thing in those days considering that many false religions involved both male and female prostitutes as part of their worship to their false god.

Someone must have realized that the two men were Israeli spies and reported to the ruler of Jericho that they were at Rahab’s home. He sent men to her house to capture the spies and she defended them by hiding them and telling them that they had already left the city just before the gates were closed for the evening.

After they had left, Rahab went to the roof of her house where she had hidden them two spies beneath the flax that had been placed there to dry. She told them how that the people of Jericho had heard what God had done for the Israelis, parting the Red Sea and destroying Pharoah’s great army. They hearts had melted for fear. She told them that she would help them escape if they would spare her and her family. The spies told her that if she would hang a scarlet rope from her window and gather her family into her house that they would spare all those within. BIG NOTE: Her house was on top of the wall of Jericho. Also note that it has been said that the wall was so big and thick that they could hold chariot races on top of it.

Skip over to Joshua chapter 6. Several things occurred between chapters 3 and 6, and all are articles of their own, but note in chapter 6 we find the account of the defeat of Jericho. God gave them a very unusual strategic plan which they carried out to the minutest detail. Here was the plan: The armed men would march in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Behind the Ark were seven priests each blowing a trumpet and behind them the reward guard of the army. Each day, for six days, they marched around the city with no one making a sound except for the trumpets the priests blew. One trip around and the day was finished.

But on the seventh day, they marched around the city in like manner seven times. On the seventh trip, they were to raise their voices with a shout like never before heard and, well, if you know much about the Bible you know that what happened next was that this immense wall fell to the ground, the army of Israel went in and spared only Rahab and her family members who had been in her house. What a great miracle. What a wonderful testimony they had. But there was someone else who had just as great a testimony.

You see, since her house was on top of the wall that meant one of two things: Either the section of the wall where her house sat did not fall, or her house came down in the rubble in such a way that not a single shingle fell from the roof. It was a miracle from God in either scenario.

Later in scripture (see Matthew 1:5), we see that Rahab had married an Israeli man by the name of Salmon. She gave birth to Boaz who was the father of Obed. He was the father of Jesse who was the father of David – Yes! The very David who became king over Israel and was promised that his seed would always sit on the throne. This promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ when He returns to set up His literal kingdom on Earth.

Sceptics have attempted to tell us that the account of the fall of the wall of Jericho was only a coincidence and that just at the same time that they had marched seven times around the city and raised their voices in the shout, that an earthquake hit, causing the wall to fall. If that were so, isn’t it amazing how that the earthquake also spared Rahab and her family? (this is written tongue in cheek).

The greatest message of this account is found in the application to our own lives. You see, each and every one of us, whether famous or completely unknown, rich or poor, regardless of skin color, ethical background, or nationality, are rejects in one form or another. We have all failed. None of us have lived good enough to go to Heaven. Not a single human being on this planet, no matter how much of a good ole’ boy he is, can measure up to the perfection of God’s Holiness. Not me, not you, nor anyone else. We all identify with Rahab.

The one thing that can set us apart, and the only thing that can get God’s attention so that He calls us unto salvation, is if we are willing to admit our failure, our fault, and our complete inadequacy to save ourselves. We can’t do it. We can’t measure up on our own.

Rahab knew that. She recognized that she was doomed to perish right along with every other person in the city of Jericho. She was saved and made famous in the lineage of Christ only because she asked for favor. She asked to be spared. The only way that could happen was for her to stay in her house when the whole city was collapsing around her. While the wall was falling, she had to stay in her house. She couldn’t run outside in attempt to get away. Her obedience to the word of the spies was her only salvation.

Just so, our obedience to the words of salvation spoken by Jesus Christ and the Apostles is our only hope and means of salvation from absolute destruction that is promised to the human race, and all of creation. It is going to have to be reconstructed. The entire planet will undergo a complete and thorough rebuild when Christ returns. Read it for yourself in Revelation. We are told that there will be a new heaven (atmosphere) and a new Earth. This one is going to crumble down and be completely and totally burned up (see 2 Peter 3:10).

We can hang the scarlet rope – Our rope that is stained by the blood of Jesus Christ – from the windows of our hearts and God will save us. We must give ourselves completely to Him. Then when it is all falling down – and trust me, it is going to happen – we can be saved. We can make Heaven our home. We can be a citizen of the New Jerusalem on that remade planet Earth. Are you on the part of the wall that won’t fall? Make sure you are.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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