Hebrews 11:29-31 "By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. (30) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. (31) By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace."
As the writer continued the 11th chapter of Hebrews, it was as if he realized
the names were too numerous to place within a letter. (I am not discounting the
fact the Word of God is totally inspired by the Holy Spirit.) But in the verses
that will be ending this chapter, he does not go into quite the detail with
these individuals as he did with the first ones. That is not to say they are
any less important.
In these three verses, we see the great things performed by God on behalf of
those who believed His promise and His power. When the Lord brought Israel
to the Red Sea, they only saw a great roadblock with no way to turn. Their
immediate reaction was to give up and go back to Egypt. They saw no way to go
forward. We reach our "Red Seas" many times in life. It seems there
is no answer, there is no way in which positive results can come out of a given
situation. When we can see no way, God shows us His way. When Egypt tried to go
through God's way, they drowned. Imagine what was going through the minds
of the people as they passed across on dry land with walls of water on each
side of them. Using Moses, God led them across to safety on the other
side. "They passed through." God brings us
"through" each circumstance of life.
Let's think back to the 12 spies that were sent into the promised land to bring
back reports of the land. Out of the 12, only two (Joshua and Caleb) were of
the mind that the people could take the land. Ten of the 12 brought back a
fearful report of the land. "There are giants in the land. There are great
walled cities in the land. We are as grasshoppers in our sight compared to
them." Only two of the spies walked by faith in saying, "We can
overcome." As a result of their unbelief, the children of Israel had
to wander in the desert for forty years. What was the first thing they encountered
when God brought them across the Jordan River? That's right, one of the great
walled cities. Jericho was probably the strongest of the walled cities of
Canaan; yet the walls came tumbling down without the children of Israel raising
a hand in that victory. The city was defeated through their praise unto
the Lord.
Who would have thought a "lady of the night" would be the individual
used by God to protect the two men who had gone into Jericho to spy out the
city? God is not limited in who or what He uses to get glory unto
Himself. Through this lady, Rahab, the spies learned the inhabitants of the
land were already trembling in their hearts because of the people of Israel.
God is good and He gives us just the message we need at the time we need it in
order for our faith to be bolstered. Believe Him! Trust Him! Follow
Him!