Do They Hear?

“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.” ~ Rahab, Joshua 2:10-11 (ESV)

When seeking to be spared the fate of Jericho, Rahab told the spies she hid in her house how the people of her city had heard about the mighty works of God. Such caused great fear among the people, even so, only Rahab and those of her household responded with faith and not dread.

In a way, Rahab’s experience mimics modern day missions and evangelism. We believe that our God is the One True God and he indeed does mighty things. We have a Bible, our sacred texts, that speak of God’s greatness in creation, judgment, and salvation. Take a moment and read a psalm such as Psalm 135. There you see the greatness on display as declared by his people. And the call of response?—praise from a heart of faith.

This is what happened with Rahab. She heard about the mighty works of God and like the others, her heart melted. But instead of letting that keep her low, she sought salvation in the name of the Lord (Joshua 2:12).

When we think of God’s great acts, truly the greatest act of all is that of salvation. This is why the cross stands as the pinnacle of the Bible’s story. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave in order to rescue us from our sins and transform us into a “people for his own possession, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

This is the message that we as Christians believe the world needs to hear. And how do they hear? We share it. We tell them about Jesus and the hope of the gospel, and we share with them the way that Jesus has forever changed our lives. And what will the result be? Sadly, some will continue in their rejection of Jesus and say that our story is nice or silly, but not for them. Others will violently reject the message and seek to persecute the messenger. But still, others will be like Rahab—they will hear about the Mighty God and believe.

So, let us speak of the greatness and glory of our God, longing for people to respond by turning to Jesus.

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