If we decided to plant a church somewhere and sent out a team
to do the evaluation of the city and they came back and their story began by
noting they spent several days at the home of a prostitute from whom they
garnered much of their information, what would our reaction be? That is exactly what Joshua's spies did. The previous spies had gone to and fro in the
land and brought back some of the produce of the land and a bad report about
the size of the people but we aren't told they talked with anyone. These spies hear a remarkable story. What they learn is that these people had
heard about the Israelites for forty years and had lived in fear and dread of
their coming to Jericho. They have lived
in the wilderness forty years for fear of an enemy that was itself living in
fear of them. The people of Jericho knew
God was with the Israelites, "we have heard how the Lord dried up the
water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt…for the Lord your
God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath." They believed in the Lord more than the Israelites. Where are you paralyzed by fear from doing
what the Lord has called you to do?
It was the custom of the time that a bridegroom would come,
late in the night, to the home of the bride who was expecting him. The attendants of the bride would greet the
groom and his friends and carry lamps to light the way for he and his
"groomsmen" to the home of the bride.
At their approach the doors would be opened for them and the feast would
begin. Some of the bridal party were
wise, saving some of their oil in case of delay, while others were not and,
predictably, their oil ran out prior to the coming of the groom and his
friends. There was no way to know how
long the delay would be so the wise virgins refused to share their oil with the
others. The result was that when the
groom came the foolish virgins were out replenishing their oil and could not go
in to the banquet. Preparation is key
and we are always to be watching for coming of Christ, whether in glory or simply
in calling us to some particular work.
Paul says that Israel has temporarily missed the salvation
promised to it but that by no means has the nation been rejected. The covenant is an everlasting covenant and
will not be nullified by sin. Rather,
the trespass of the people of Israel, Paul's people, has allowed an opening for
Gentiles to be brought into the covenant and receive salvation through grace,
not works. Sometimes fear is the issue
and sometimes pride is the issue. We
must guard against either of these in our lives and in the church. There are churches who believe themselves to
be the only true Christians, they have truth the rest of the church lacks and
has lacked down the centuries. There are
other churches that have, in fear of reason or science or some other
worldly enemy, capitulated in fear. Strength and courage must always be balanced
by humility.
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