进入应许地第一步
约书亚记二章1至14节
1当下,嫩的儿子约书亚从什亭暗暗打发两个人作探子,吩咐说:你们去窥探那地和耶利哥。于是二人去了,来到一个妓女名叫喇合的家里,就在那里躺卧。
2有人告诉耶利哥王说:今夜有以色列人来到这里窥探此地。
3耶利哥王打发人去见喇合说:那来到你这里、进了你家的人要交出来,因为他们来窥探全地。
4女人将二人隐藏,就回答说:那人果然到我这里来;他们是那里来的我却不知道。
5天黑、要关城门的时候,他们出去了,往那里去我却不知道。你们快快的去追赶,就必追上。
6(先是女人领二人上了房顶,将他们藏在那里所摆的麻秸中。)
7那些人就往约但河的渡口追赶他们去了。追赶他们的人一出去,城门就关了。
8二人还没有躺卧,女人就上房顶,到他们那里,
9对他们说:我知道耶和华已经把这地赐给你们,并且因你们的缘故我们都惊慌了。这地的一切居民在你们面前心都消化了;
10因为我们听见你们出埃及的时候,耶和华怎样在你们前面使红海的水干了,并且你们怎样待约但河东的两个亚摩利王西宏和噩,将他们尽行毁灭。
11我们一听见这些事,心就消化了。因你们的缘故,并无一人有胆气。耶和华─你们的神本是上天下地的神。
12现在我既是恩待你们,求你们指着耶和华向我起誓,也要恩待我父家,并给我一个实在的证据,
13要救活我的父母、弟兄、姊妹,和一切属他们的,拯救我们性命不死。
14二人对她说:你若不泄漏我们这件事,我们情愿替你们死。耶和华将这地赐给我们的时候,我们必以慈爱诚实待你。
信息分享
即使神已经确实地对约书亚说,祂必将那地赐给他们,约书亚也并没有袖手旁观,他仍然尽他的本份和能力来策划行动。按照常理,他知道他应该先搜集一切有关耶利哥城的资料。
我们今天也是一样。当我们寻求神的引导时,并不表示我们就只管坐着,甚么事也不做。我们要尽力探索每个可能性,以行动来配合神的心意。每走一步,都寻求神的带领;我们要抱着开放的心态,紧随神的带领。
神可能是为了拯救喇合的缘故,感动约书亚的心,让他派两个探子到耶利哥城侦探。喇合显然是在接待探子之前,已经相信了以色列的神。我们可将雅各书二章25节与本章9至11节作一对比。
即使是最微小的信心,神也会重视和珍惜,并且会使它逐渐成长。使徒行传第十章记载哥尼流信主的经过,便是另一个例子。
然而,当神开始工作的时候,撒但总会立即截击。耶利哥城的王可能从来没有留意过喇合,可是,当约书亚所派的探子一来,他却马上察觉和追问她。
情况总是如此:撒但一直不会关注某人,直至神的使者进入他的生命,撒但便会立即想办法去对付他。若是一位推销员或访问员来到你的家,撒但不会理会;可是,当一个基督徒来到你的家,向你传福音,撒但就会立即尾随着而来,设法把福音的种子偷走。
我们该怎样做呢?我们必须借着祷告来保护这些种子。神可能比我们更渴望将祂的道种在人的心中,所以,祂当然会乐于聆听我们的祷告,在祂的时间和以祂的方式来成就祂的工作。
反思:
住在你心里的神,远远大过那个在世界横行霸道的恶魔。
FIRST STEPS INTO THE PROMISED LAND
Joshua 2: 1-14
1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.
2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
5 And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.”
6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.)
7 Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,
9 and said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.
10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
11 And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
12 Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token,
13 and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
14 So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
Message
Here is common sense at work. Joshua needed all the information he could get about Jericho and the land, even though God had told him that the land was going to belong to him and his people.
It is the same for us today. When looking to God for guidance, don't sit round doing nothing. If a certain course of action seems to be God's will, find out all you can about it. Then look to the Lord for the next step you should take. Be open to his leading, but make sure you investigate every possibility while waiting for his further word.
Then God must have moved the heart of Joshua to send out spies because of Rahab. It seems very clear that Rahab believed in the God of Israel before the spies came to her home. Read James 2:25 and put that alongside verses 9-11 in this chapter.
God will always honour even the smallest amount of faith and will seek to cultivate it to help it grow. The story of Carnelius in Acts 10 is another illustration of this.
As soon as God starts to work, however, Satan also begins his work of hindering. Probably the king of Jericho had not noticed Rahab before. But when the men sent by Joshua arrived, he immediately reacted.
It is always the same. Satan doesn't care about a soul until God's messenger touches that life. Salesman or others can come and go, but let a servant of God go to that door or speak to that person and Satan immediately tries to snatch away the seed.
What is the answer? We need to protect that seed with prayer. God is more anxious than we are that his Word might find a place in hearts. He will be glad to hear our prayer and to answer in his own time and way.
A THOUGHT:
'Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.'

