Month: February 2023

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COURAGE

Biblical Definition of Courage:
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD you God will be with you wherever you go.”

Character Study:
Rahab – Joshua 2:1-22 and 6:22, 23; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25
The first time we meet Rahab is in Joshua 2:1 when the spies entered the house of a prostitute (possibly an innkeeper) and stayed there. In vv12-13 we see that she lived there with her father, mother, brothers, sisters and extended family. She lived in Jericho and therefore grew up in a pagan environment worshipping idols and false gods.
Hebrew 11:31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
She was married to Salmon and the mother of Boaz. Matthew 1:5

Rahab is known for her:
Courage:
In Joshua 2:2-7 we read that the king of Jericho sent a message to Rahab to bring out the men who had come to her house because they were spies. She acknowledges that the men had come to her, but that at dusk when the city gates closed, they had left and she did not know which way they had gone.  She had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof. It was not only dangerous for her to hide the spies, but she also had to trust her family not to give her secret away. It took courage as it was a case of life and death if she had been found out.
Faith
In Joshua, 2:8-11 she tells the spies that when the people of Jericho heard how the LORD had dried up the water of the Red Sea and their victory over Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, their hearts melted with fear. She believed that: Joshua 2:11b “the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”  Because Rahab chose faith in the face of fear, she showed her faith in God and for this reason, her family was spared.
Love
Joshua 2:12-16 shows her love for her family. Her request to the spies was that they would not only spare her life, but also the lives of her father, mother, brothers, sisters and all who belong to them, from death. After the spies assured her that they will treat her kindly and faithfully when they invade the land, she lets them down by a rope through the window, because her house was part of the city wall.
*Jewish tradition says that Salmon, one of the two spies was her husband and their son was Boaz. They were the great-great-grandparents of David, the most influential king of Israel. Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse and Jesse the father of David. Ruth 4:20-22. Matthew 1:5 mentions Rahab in the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Prostitute
Noun for prostitute – a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money; whore; harlot. (Dictionary.com)
Prostitutes were the social and moral outcasts in Israel.
Why would the spies stop at the house of Rahab, a prostitute? The spies could gather information; her house was built into the city wall; we see God’s hand in this because He knew her heart was receptive to Him and so she would be instrumental in the Israelite’s victory over Jericho

What the Bible teaches about courage:
Old Testament:
In Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Moses went out and spoke to the people, assuring them that the LORD will cross over the Jordan River ahead of them. As he will not be going with them Joshua will cross over ahead of them. They need not fear the nations on the other side, because the LORD will deliver them to the Israelites.
In Joshua 1:1-9 after Moses’s death, the LORD commands Joshua with the same instructions that Moses had given him.
In 1 Chronicles 28:9-21, King David gives his son Solomon principles to live by and also specific plans to build the Temple. In v20 David tells Solomon to be “strong and courageous.”
In 2 Chronicles 32:1-8 When Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah; Hezekiah did everything he could to deal with the situation:
– He blocked off the water springs outside the city;
– He worked hard to repair all the broken sections of the wall and build towers on it and he built another wall outside that one, reinforcing the supporting terraces of the City of David;
– He appointed military officers over the people, assembling them before him in the square at the city gate;
He encouraged them to trust God.
Isaiah 41:10-13.Reading through the Old Testament, we see how God punished the Israelites. We also read that God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounds in love.  God encourages not only the Israelites but also us.

New Testament:
We see in the Gospels of the New Testament how Jesus on several occasions encouraged people:
Matthew 9:2 Some people brought to Jesus a man that was paralyzed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic: v2b “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” v6b Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” (NLT)
Mark 6:45-50 Jesus had told His disciples to get in a boat and go to Bethsaida. During the night a strong wind came up and Jesus saw them straining at the oars because the wind was against them. Jesus proceeded to walk towards them. When they saw Him they were terrified.  Jesus spoke to them reassuring them not to be afraid.
Luke 8:43-48 One day as Jesus was surrounded by the crowd a woman, who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, came up behind Jesus, touching the edge of His cloak. When Jesus asked who had touched His cloak the woman came trembling and fell at His feet. She told Jesus that she had been instantly healed
John 16:33 Jesus encouraged His disciples that in the future they will have trouble after His death. v33 “I have told you these things, so you may have peace in me. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Acts 22:30 – 23:11 In this passage Paul is ordered to appear before the commander of the Roman troops because he wanted to find out the reason why Paul was being accused by the Jews. A dispute between the Pharisees and Sadducees broke out, so the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces. He ordered the troops to take him away from them and back to the barracks. v11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 In his final instructions to the church in Corinth, Paul urges them to v13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. v14 Do everything in love.

Application:
In a world where we read/hear/see daily the evil that takes place not only in the world but also in our communities; it takes courage to face our fears. One of the things we get from studying our Bible is that God commands us to be courageous. As we saw, in Deuteronomy 31:6 God commands us “to be strong and courageous.” Living courageously is easier said than done. We so easily say we live by faith and not sight, but courage is not the absence of fear; it is acting in spite of fear.
In a world where living an immoral lifestyle has become the order of the day; it is not easy to live a life with traditional and moral Christian values. Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:24-26 that we need to deny ourselves take up our cross daily and follow Him.

Conclusion:
1 John 2:28 And now dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

Responding in Prayer:
Read Psalm 27:1-14  One of the antonyms of courage is fear. We can know that God offers help for today and hope for the future. We learn from David that he sought God’s presence every day. He trusted God at all times. At times it feels as if we are waiting on the Lord in vain and our prayers are not being answered. David had experienced waiting periods in his life – anointed as king when he was 16, but he only became king of Judah at 30. Through it all, he had experienced he could still say that he had confidence in the goodness of the Lord and encourages us with v14 Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. (New Living Translation – NLT)
Thank the Lord for His faithfulness, because as children of God 1 John 3:1, His compassion never fails; they are new every morning. Ecclesiastes 3:22, 23

Journal – Scripture/Prayers/Thoughts:

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PROMISE

Biblical definition of promise:
Ephesians 6:2 “Honour your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – v3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

Character Study:
Sarah – Genesis 11-25; Isaiah 51:2; Romans 4:19; 9:9; Hebrews 11:11; 1 Peter 3:6
She was married to Abraham who was her half-brother. She was the daughter of Terah (also Abraham’s father) but with a different mother. (Genesis 20:12) She was barren until the age of ninety when Isaac was born.
(Genesis 21:1-3)
Hebrews 11:11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise.  She was beautiful. (Genesis 12:11) She became the mother of a nation and an ancestor of Jesus. She died at the age of 127 in Kiriath–Arba. (Genesis 23:1, 2)

Sarah is known for:
Her submission towards Abraham
We read in 1 Peter 3:6 that Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham and called him her master.
God’s Protection
In Genesis 12:11-13 and 20:12 we see that Abraham acted out of fear and asked Sarah to say that she was his sister. In both incidences, God protected Abraham and his family. In Genesis 12:17 God sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household “because of Sarai” Abram’s wife. In Genesis 20:16 Abimelech gave Abraham 1,000 pieces of silver to compensate Sarah for any wrong he may have done to her.
God’s promise of a son
Genesis 17:15-19 God changes her name from Sarai to Sarah. God’s promise to Abraham is that He will bless Sarah and she will become the mother of many nations. v16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Even kings of nations will be among her descendants.
Impatience and jealousy
She became impatient when it came to believe that God’s promises will be fulfilled.
Genesis 16:1-6 She gave her Egyptian servant Hagar as a wife to Abraham. When Hagar became pregnant she treated Sarai with contempt. Sarai duly blamed Abraham who gave her permission to send Hagar away.
Genesis 21:8-10 Abraham had prepared a feast to celebrate Isaac being weaned. Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of her son and demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away.
As a woman of faith
Hebrews 11:11 attributes Sarah with faith because she believed that God would keep His promise, even though she was barren and old.

What the Bible teaches about promise:
Old Testament:
In Numbers 23-24, we read that Balak took Balaam to several places to try and entice him to curse the Israelites. In the second oracle, Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah. The LORD met with Balaam and told him to give the message that God does not give a promise and then not fulfil it! 
We have the assurance that when God gives us a promise, He will fulfil it because God cannot lie!
In Deuteronomy 23:21one of the commands from the LORD was that when the people made a vow to God, they were to execute it promptly; otherwise, they would be guilty of sin.
In Joshua 23 we read the instructions Joshua gave the people before he died. He reminded them that not one of all the promises God had given them had failed.
In 1 Kings 8:54-66, we read that King Solomon after his prayers and supplications to the LORD, rose from before the altar of the LORD where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward the heaven to dedicate the Temple. He praised the LORD for the rest given to His people and the promises he had given His people Israel through Moses.
In Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 the heading in the New Living Translation NLT) says: “Approaching God with Care.” Solomon warns his readers about making foolish promises to God
Isaiah 9:1-7 In this passage the promise of the birth of the Messiah is foretold.

New Testament:
In Luke 24:48 and Acts 1:4, Jesus told the disciples that He would send them what His Father had promised.
Acts 1:5 “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
In Galatians 3:1-14 Paul reprimands the Galatians because they had begun their lives in the power of the Spirit, but now they were insisting on keeping the Jewish laws!  He reminds them that God had promised Abraham that: “All nations will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18) How did God do this? Galatians 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Hebrews 10:19-25 We are called to persevere because as Christians we now have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. The writer of Hebrews says that we can draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith because God who promised this is faithful.
In James 1:2-18 (This James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem and the half-brother of Jesus, not James the apostle.)  James does not say “If” troubles or temptations come our way, but whenever trials come we should consider it pure joy because in this way our faith develops perseverance
In 2 Peter 3:1-18 Peter addresses the “Day of the Lord” He writes that in the last days, there will be scoffers questioning the “coming” that was promised. For us, it may seem to be very slow, but we are reminded: v8b With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. v9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Application:
When we read our Bible, we can find hundreds of promises.
One of the most quoted verses in the Bible is possibly Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD. “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. We can take comfort from this verse, because as it says, not only does God know our future, but there is hope and we are assured that He will go with us. This does not mean that we will never experience pain, suffering or hardship, but we know for certain that God will be with us in our trials.
Jesus gives us this promise to hold onto in John 16:33b In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!  I have overcome the world.
The Promised Land was the huge promise that God had given the Israelites. They forfeited this promise because they hardened their hearts. We need to be mindful to keep a “soft” heart and be willing to be open to hearing God’s voice. There is a warning for us in: Hebrews 3:12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  When we yearn for God’s promises in our lives, we need to make sure our hearts are submissive to God.

Conclusion:
Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Responding in Prayer:
Read Matthew 7:7-11 In His lessons from the Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes), Jesus taught the people in one of the lessons about asking, seeking and knocking. Jesus tells us to persist in prayer. When we ask according to God’s will – asking for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love and understanding – He will answer us.
We however need to realise that God does not answer every prayer.
There are conditions for God to answer our prayers:
First, a person must be a child of God – that is being saved by asking forgiveness and receiving Jesus as our Saviour. John 9:31 Then we need to worship Him and do His will.
Hebrews 11:6 We cannot come to God without believing or having faith in God.
Isaiah 59:2 God will not answer our prayers if there is unconfessed sin in our lives.
John 14:13 When we believe that Jesus is the Son of God we must come in the name of Jesus to God the Father.

Journal – Scripture/Prayers/Thoughts: