Promises: Livin’ On Shaky Ground - Psalms 22:24

As children of God we are created to live in the promises God made to His creation.

Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. (Hebrews 6:16-18 NLT)

Lesson Focus: Livin’ On Shaky Ground – the promise of redemption
There is a tremendous amount of dramatic change occurring in the world today. God is clearly stirring the hearts of many who do not enjoy the freedoms under which we worship. It can be hard for us to grasp the enormity of the situation when the main reverberations we feel from this shaky ground are higher gas prices. Tonight we examine a woman of faith who was livin’ on shaky ground. “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” (Hebrews 11:31 ESV)

The biblical example of Joshua’s strength and courage from last week compliments and provides the finale for our character study this week.

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, "Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land." Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them." But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. (Joshua 2:1-7 ESV)

Rahab lived an unstable life in many ways. The most obvious problem was her profession. There were two types of prostitutes in the ancient world, those who worked in the Canaanite temple and were kept by the religious leaders, and the common street hookers who worked for cash. Rahab was of the latter persuasion. The Greek word for this type of prostitute is porne, I’m sure you can see where this concept has endured into the information age. She had a room, or rooms, against the town wall, near the gate. This fact has caused some scholars to refer to her as an “Innkeeper”, but you can’t escape the label of porne. Another difficult issue for Rahab was the necessary separation from her family, and the lack of a husband. Her family lived across town, but couldn’t really visit. Another affect of the profession was the dubious way Rahab would have been treated by men; they would ignore and shun her by day, and show up on her doorstep at night. Then there was the hatred she would have received from the women of Jericho. - Shaky Ground!

How do you deal with life when the difficulties add up and it seems like you can’t get any firm footing?
The Canaanites at Jericho had heard of the exodus from Egypt through the Red Sea which happened forty years before. See how her faith saved her and inspired her to the good work of hiding the spies.

Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. (Joshua 2:8-11 ESV)

A Canaanite harlot said, “the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath”. How’s that for “strong and very courageous?” Rahab was also trusting in the Lord when she asked for the safekeeping of her family.

Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." And the men said to her, "Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you." (Joshua 2:12-14 ESV)

Then she let the spies out the window in the wall to carry out God’s plan for the destruction of Jericho. Through God’s plan the Israelites shouted, the ground shook, and the thick fortress fell. Joshua sent the two spies in to rescue Rahab and her family, and then burned Jericho to the ground. This practical promise kept is recorded in Joshua 6:25, “But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” And Rahab the “bad girl” lives in divine legacy as an ancestor of Jesus Christ, by faith.

Every human in history shares an element of Rahab’s life, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23 ESV) Far too many decide that they are too bad for God. Even some followers of Christ struggle with the paralyzing guilt rooted in who they used to be. Do you struggle with being good enough for God?


Were you a “bad girl”? Were you a cheating tax collector? (Matthew) Were you a foul mouthed fisherman? (Peter) Were you a MURDERER? (Paul) God’s plan is to provide redemption for each and every one of us, so that we may live in the promises He has pledged an oath to keep. Our final promise, of which there are many more, is this:

For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. (Psalm 22:24 ESV)

He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there, listening. (Psalm 22:24 The Message)

Promises Kept: God’s promises will rescue us from anxiety, guilt, fear, doubt, irresponsibility, loneliness, aimlessness, weakness, and self loathing. There are many more promises than examined in our nine week series. In your personal time with God, “His Place”, look for the promises, and walk by faith, not by sight. When we live according to faith, trusting fully that “he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” we are living the way we were created to live by our loving and perfect Creator.