MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY
JOSHUA: THE POWER OF GOD’S PROMISES
“ for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token:.” Joshua 2:11b-12
WEEK II
LIFE-CHANGING FAITH (Ch. 2)
There are many promises listed in the bible God has made to those who trust and follow Him. It brings God joy to see His children walking in the promises He has already made available to us; promises that can only be claimed when we walk in faith.
If we have faith to believe that God can deliver us from our sins; we can also trust that the same God has also promised us abundant life (whatever that looks like). If we have the faith “the size of a mustard seed” we can claim that abundant life like Rahab. Rahab’s life-style may not have been “acceptable” by man’s standards, but she had a faith that honored God.
PROTECT YOUR REPUTATION
REPUTATION DEFINED: the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something.
A person’s reputation usually will precede them. People learn “about” a person, before they actually meet them.
Reputations can hurt us or help us; what we do, how we behave can be a blessing or a curse. People can make a
judgement about someone based on previous behavior. Our reputation can cause some people to want to get
closer to us or it can cause others to shy away from us. Sometimes reputations can be false rumors; lies spread
by someone to try to discredit an individual. Negative reputations can be difficult to overcome.
Israel’s reputation had preceded them. Rahab and the people in Canaan had heard of how God delivered His
people.
1) Think of someone you would describe as a person of strong faith. How has that person’s faith affected his or
her daily life? How has their faith affected you?
RISK DEFINED: possibility of loss or injury or harm
(From last week’s lesson) Some people do things just for the thrill of it. They’re driven to conquer new challenges and soak up every experience life has to offer—and they simply don’t let danger dissuade them.
Thrill-seekers (risk-takers) provide valuable lessons,
-the motivation to cultivate memorable experiences
-expand one’s sense of self
-develop confidence and resilience from conquering challenges
-more likely to take on leadership roles or respond in a crisis
Despite the hazards of certain behaviors, risk-taking has value and serves an important evolutionary purpose. Without the courage to advance into unknown, potentially dangerous territory, human beings may not have found new mates, populated the globe, or flourished as a species.
Sometimes risks could be physically, but sometimes they can be financially. Sometimes they might involve other people’s lives besides the one taking the risk. Some risks may be minimal, while others could be “life-altering”. It is always wise to assess the level of the risk before proceeding to determine whether what one gains is worth what one could possibly lose.
RISK ASSESSMENT DEFINED: a term used to describe the overall process or method where you: Identify
hazards and risk factors that have the potential to cause harm (hazard
identification), determine appropriate ways to eliminate the hazard, or control the
risk when the hazard cannot be eliminated (risk control).
2) What risks does Rahab take in protecting the spies (v. 1-7)?
Rahab may have been considered a risk-taker. She assessed the risks involved and determined that what she
could possibly gain was worth taking the risk. The king sent his men to capture the spies. If the king found
out that Rahab helped them to escape she (and possibly her entire family) could have been killed.
3) What does Rahab know and believe about the God of Israel (v. 8-11)?
-Rahab knew that God had given Israel the land
-She knew about the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14)
-She knew about the two kings of the Amorites who had been killed by God’s people (Sihon and Og; Numbers
21:21-35)
GOD REWARDS FAITH
Rahab, a prostitute, had a life-changing faith. She learned of what God had done for His people and what He had promised them concerning the land of Canaan. She had faith in God that He would, through His people, take her city. Because of Rahab’s faith she made a choice to help God’s people. In return God spared her life and the lives of her family and extended to them the same promises He made to Israel.
FAITH DEFINED: complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
Hebrews 11:1 says “faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen”. The Bible gives many examples of faithful and unfaithful people. We “hope” for things everyday, yet many of us lack the faith to see what we hoped for manifested in our lives. In Hebrews 11:6 says “without faith it is impossible to please God”. We cannot please God if we do not believe who God is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
4) How is her risk-taking related to her faith?
Rahab believed that God was powerful and that she wanted to be on God’s side; whatever it took, even if it meant risking her life to help God’s people. She took a risk in extending her help to the spies; they could have refused her help or refused to agree to save her family. Because of Rahab’s life-changing faith, Israel was able to defeat Jericho and claim the victory.
5) What risks does your faith require you to take?
Faith requires that we trust God. Sometimes God calls us to do things that may seem totally impossible for us to
accomplish, out of our comfort zone, or even sometimes don’t make sense to us. In those instances, God is pushing
us to rely on Him and less on ourselves. We don’t always know how God will use us or who He wants to reach
through us. God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). He knows the gifts and talents He
has placed in us and He knows our potential. God’s goal is to mold us into His image. Each level of risk is another
opportunity to grow and to shed the worldly image we may have adopted. If we trust God and are faithful to do what
God has called us to do, we can be assured that everything will work out the way God planned and we will grow
from our obedience (Romans 8:28).
6) What deal does Rahab make in exchange for helping the spies (v. 12-16)?
Rahab asks that she and her family be spared in exchange for helping the spies
7) What conditions must she and her family fulfill in order to be saved (v. 17-21)?
-she must not tell anyone about the spies
-Rahab must bound the scarlet thread in the window of her house
-all of her family must be in her house in order to be spared
8) How are these conditions similar to those of the first Passover, when Israel was redeemed from Egypt (Exodus
12:21-23)?
–they had to post a visible sign on their house so the death Angel would pass over
-everyone had to be inside the house in order to be spared
9) Look back over the chapter and summarize all the actions Rahab took because of her faith.
-she hid the spies from the soldiers
-she promised to keep their secret
-she helped the spies to escape
-she sent the soldiers on a wild goose-chase
-she told the spies which way to go to avoid the soldiers
-she asked that her family be spared in exchange for what she had done
10) Why must a genuine faith express itself in actions?
Faith is active. Faith without works is dead, and talk is cheap. If we believe in something we should be willing
To act on it and stand by it, not just talk about it (James 2:14-17), “put our money where our mouth is”.
Genuine faith must be expressed in our actions. Genuine faith should change the individual. Without genuine
faith we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6).
11) What actions have you taken recently as a direct result of your faith in Christ?
LIFE-CHANGING FAITH
LIFE-CHANGING DEFINED: something that has an effect that is strong enough to change someone’s life or
the course of someone’s life
There are things that happen in our lives that stay with us and can change us forever (how we think about or
how we respond to certain things). They can impact us positively or negatively; sometimes the same event can
affect us both positively and negatively simultaneously. Unfortunately some people don’t recover
from or struggle from the negative impacts.
-positively: Noah (Genesis 7:1)
Abraham & Sarah (Genesis 17:5, 15)
Paul’s Damascus experience (Acts 9)
Jonah’s Whale experience (Jonah)
Obtaining A Degree/Graduating
Getting a Job/Promotion or raise on your job
Getting Married
Having Children
-negatively: evil communications corrupt (I Corinthians 15:33)
avoid sinners (Proverbs 1:10, 15; 4:14, 19)
War Casualties/Veterans & Civilians
Divorce
Death of Someone Close
Getting Fire or Laid Off from a Job
–simultaneous effects: a job promotion
having children
having a bigger house
It is important that we consider our decisions carefully and prayerfully and how they will impact our lives and
the lives of those associated with us.
12) What effect did Rahab’s faith have on the Israelites (v. 22-24)?
Rahab’s faith reaffirmed what they had been told (the land had been delivered into their hands).
The spies’ lives were saved because of Rahab’s willingness to hide them and redirect the soldiers
Because of Rahab’s faith, the Israelites were reassured that God was with them
13) How can our faith have a positive effect on both Christians and non-Christians?
When we trust God and act on our faith, it helps those watching to know that our God is mighty and He is able to keep us and to help us to overcome whatever circumstances we might face.
By seeing how we respond in faith it can change how others view God or their circumstances.
14) Is there something that God has promised you that you are waiting to see manifested?
Hebrews 11:1 says “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Romans 8:24 says “hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”
Unless we have faith to trust that God will do what He promised, we will not see what we hope for manifested.
15) Are there obstacles you are focusing on that might be keeping you from focusing on what God has promised
you?
We tend to act on that which we continually focus our attention on. One of Satan’s tricks is to distract us by
having us focus on something other than what God would have us to focus on. When we do that, we fail to do
the things God has called us to do in order to claim the promises He has for us. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us that
we are to trust in the Lord, because sometimes what we see with our physical or natural sight is not what God
wants to manifest in our lives.
16) Read Hebrews 11. What insights do you see from this chapter on what it means to be a person of faith?
To be a person of faith means that we must be willing to let go of what we think we know or want and trust that
God has something far better. To be a person of faith means that we must be willing to suffer persecution
because we understand that remaining faithful to God, even in the face of death is better than compromising.
Even though the people mentioned in this passage of scripture were not perfect, because of their faith, they
pleased God and they were used by God to achieve great accomplishments. They didn’t have the full picture of
what they were supposed to do, but they trusted that God would lead them and direct them in the way that
would lead to victory. In most cases, they took great risks to leave all that they knew and to follow God.
Even Rahab, who was not one of God’s chosen people, had faith enough to risk everything that she was familiar
with to follow God’s plan