Hebrews 11:31 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Hebrews 11:31

Comments

Rahab’s faith is like that of the dying thief; it is based entirely on second-hand information. She had heard from others how the Lord had dried up the Red Sea and enabled Israel to cross, and about what they had done to the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, their kings. No doubt she would also hear as they approached Jericho what further wonders God would do for them. She had seen the lies and filth of life in her own city, and the sin in herself too. But she repented of her sin and she did not perish with the rest of her city. When the walls came down (and her house was built into the wall of the city), in some way or other she was preserved and escaped this judgment, and the Israelites were no doubt instructed to spare her life. Afterwards she married an Israelite prince, and even appears in the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).She ‘received the spies with peace’ – the Greek word ‘peace’ means to join, to be at one. She identified with them, took their side. Joshua’s act in sending out the spies was right, but see God’s hand in it. The only information brought back by the spies was ‘all the inhabitants of the land do faint because of us’ (Joshua 2:24). In hindsight this was irrelevant, in view of God’s way of bringing down the city. In God’s plan the spies had one purpose only: to save Rahab. They were soon spotted; they were incompetent as spies, but God superintended all things. Rahab lies about knowing where they came from, and where they went to. Certainly it was wrong (although this was a war situation) but she was a young believer and the important thing was that she was ready to identify with the people of God no matter what the risk.

Application

Some seekers after Christ are always worried: ‘Has the Lord dealt with me?’ They always ask the same question. This is missing the point. When God says, he will come and save those who come to Christ, those who exercise faith and trust God, then come and do not spend years saying, ‘Has he dealt with me?’ Others say, ‘I need something special done for me. I need to see something special, some special sign.’ But see how Rahab exercises faith. She aligns herself with the spies. She says rather, ‘I must do something for him.’ She risks her neck and identifies with the Lord’s people.

If I am a seeker and I wait week after week waiting for God to do something special for me, that could go on for years. Rahab trusts. Faith sees the campaign of God. She does not say, ‘Will all the wall fall down? Can’t I keep my house?’ No, she identifies with the campaign. Similarly, we do not say, ‘Please leave me with my career.’ No, faith says, ‘I want to be winning souls. This will be my chief work.’

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Hebrews 11:31 Commentary and Bible Study