13 July 2010
Psalm 26, 28; Joshua 2:15-24; Rom. 11:13-24; Matt. 25:14-30

Rahab helps the spies to escape and draws from them a promise that she and her family will live if she keeps faith with them. Rahab has heard about the God of these Hebrews and is willing to change allegiance based on what she has heard. She is throwing over her people at least partly in order to save herself from death but in the process she is taking great risks. If she is wrong here she is likely to be found out and to die. This time when the spies return they give a simple and encouraging report based on this one interview, “the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before us.”

The parable of the talents is one that should haunt us in the west. We have been given many assets that churches in other places do not have and what return are we offering? We have been given the freedom to worship and proclaim Christ, we have been given tax benefits, we have the Bible in as common language as is possible, we have the ability to use all media outlets, the public square, an almost endless list of advantages, and yet the church in real terms is not larger today than it was fifty years ago. If we as individuals were asked to give an accounting of our stewardship of the Good News how would we fare? If we had a retirement account that we invested in years ago and now were prepared to retire and our investment manager showed us the returns and they looked like our return on God’s investment in us would we be pleased?

In the doctrine of election there is no room for pride, only humility. God reveals Himself to whom He chooses, not for our merits but in His sovereignty. He makes Himself known through the prevenient grace of a move of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not through our natural goodness, there is no such thing. As with Paul, our eyes cannot see nor our hearts and minds comprehend Him, we require His Spirit in order to see and understand. Even faith itself is a gift from God to us. Given all those things, how can we not praise Him to the highest heavens and follow wherever He leads?

Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.