A highly unlikely story of faith and hope

People of hope Part 3 - Rahab
Monday devotions @ Work 30 March 2020

Read Joshua 2

Rahab was a sex worker and owned a guesthouse with a view – on the wall of Jericho. It was a troubling time in the history of Jericho. The dark clouds of war were looming over the land. It was a time where Rahab could easily have succumbed to fear and hopelessness because everything in the natural pointed to a bleak hopeless future. It was politically hopeless – state capture was imminent. Economically hopeless – Jericho was about to be reduced to junk status. Morally Rahab was hopeless. I can imagine that she had given up on any dreams of getting married. Religiously she had no hope or faith left in the gods she was familiar with. If you were in Rahab's shoes, how much hope would you have had for a bright and blessed future?

Spies came and lodged in Rahab’s guesthouse. A perfect place to hide, it was a public place, many travelers came and gone so they would not attract a lot of attention on the one side, but on the other side would it not have been the first place the King’s soldiers would come to look for them? Whichever way, they were tipped of by someone that Rahab had visitors that seemed to be out of the ordinary, and it was not long before the King of Jericho’s men were on the doorstep of Rahab’s guesthouse. However, Rahab was not only a woman with a plan – apparently, she had an unlikely faith and an equally unlikely hope. Rahab believed in the God of the spies.  She did not even have a Name for this God she just called Him the “God in heaven above and on earth beneath” vs 11. She says we have heard of your God and all that He has done for you in the wilderness. How He parted the seas, brought you out of Egypt and gave you victory over your enemies – and our hearts melted and there is no more courage left in us. What an extraordinary thing to say. What really stands out for me here is that she does not give Israel as a nation any honour for their skill ability and courage to have moved out of Egypt, nor does she give any honour to their strong army that won the victory over their enemies or give Moses any honour for his exemplary leadership. No – she attributes all the glory to their God, the “God in heaven above and on earth beneath” what an extraordinary statement to make. 

I believe it was that faith and hope against all odds that made all the difference in her and her family’s life. The spies had no reason to want to save her and her family. They would in general not have smiled on her profession. She was not a person of influence in government nor did she had anything substantial to give them. However, Rahab knew she had one chance, one moment to reach out to this God she believed in. One moment to change history for her and her family. And she took it. She defied the odds, abandoned the gods she must have grown up with and took the chance of a lifetime. She hid the spies from the King’s soldiers and helped them to escape. She brokered a deal with them that she had no idea whether they would really honour. They could as well have not. But they did. The deal was, she should gather all her family into her house, hang the red scarlet rope down the wall from her house – and wait. Should any of her family be on the street they would not be protected. It must have been a long wait. A wait of uncertainty. It’s a all or nothing call. It’s a life and death moment. Rahab prevailed and her faith paid off. Joshua honoured her for sparing the spies lives and brought her and her family and all they had safely out of the city. (Joshua 6:25) 

What became of Rahab after that is an even more triumphant story, not only did she and her family dwell in Israel all their lives. Lo and behold against all odds, despite her history, where she came from and in who’s bed she had been, Rahab got married to an Israelite called Salmon. Salmon was Boaz’s father. Yes, the same Boaz that was Ruth’s husband, the Moabite we learned about last week. Thus, if we backtrack to last week’s story, we see that Boaz married Ruth. (Math 1:5) Their Son was Obed, their grandson Jesse and their great grandson King David. Many generations later Jesus Christ was born from this generational line. It truly is a story of unlikely, unexpected, faith and hope against all odds. Like Ruth, Rahab had no way of knowing this while they were alive on earth, but their reward for their extraordinary, unlikely faith and hope is a testimony of the grace and mercy of the “God in heaven above and on earth beneath” 

May we in this time focus on God the Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit to give us unlikely faith and hope in these extraordinary circumstances that can easily generate a lot of fear and look hopeless in our own eyes. He still is the God of heaven above and on earth beneath.

© Copyright - All rights reserved.  March 2020.  HG Venter

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A generational God of hope.

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Used by permission

People of hope Part 2: Ruth
Monday devotions @work 23 March 2020 

(Read through the book of Ruth) 

Ruth was a Moabite and her story begins when she married one of Elimelech and Naomi's sons after they moved from Israel to Moab as a result of a disastrous drought in Israel.  In Moab life initially looked much more promising, both their sons must have had enough means to support a family because they both got married and there was the hope for a next generation. However, after years of marriage there was still no child born to Ruth. What a hopeless situation. Then another disaster struck. Suddenly life seems to have taken a turn for the worst. Ruth’s husband died, her father-in-law and her brother-in-law died. Ruth found herself in a situation she did not anticipate, nor did she cause or did anything to invoke these circumstances upon herself and her family. Change – adaptive change – that kind of change where you know your world will never be the same ever again. You cannot go back to who you were and still are in your own mind, yet you have no idea what the way forward should be, who you are going to be – yet. This is the worst kind of change we as humans can experience, and this was forced upon Ruth. What a hopeless situation this must have been to her. 

How many of us in the world and in South-Africa is not at this very moment in this precise set of circumstances? Many of our brothers and sisters in Asia and Europe already experienced the loss of family members and loved ones. In South Africa we have been struggling with a drought for several years and recently some lost homes and loved ones through floods. Now our lives are upside down as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. Businesses is closing their doors, tourism and hospitality is at a virtual standstill. Church gatherings and worship services are cancelled. We are facing a dire situation not unlike Ruth’s. In many ways we are in a hopeless situation completely outside of our own control or ability to change. 

Her life must have been really upside down and I can imagine her feeling alone and deserted. How does she move on from here? How do we move on from here? Where to? We have no idea who her family of origin was or what their circumstances were like, but what we do know is that she was suddenly faced with a choice. The choice to return to her country, her culture, her religion and her father’s house. She could return to most of the things she was familiar with, grew up with. Since there was no obvious opportunity for her in Naomi’s family to be remarried, she could possibly remarry and start a new life should she return to her father’s house. Apparently, Naomi believed the best way forward and the place where Ruth would have the best chance of having hope for a reasonably prosperous life, was to return to her people. 

“8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find a home and rest, each in the house of her husband! Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud.” 

I can imagine the thoughts going through Ruth’s mind on her journey to Moab’s border with Naomi. I can imagine the inner struggle. The questions, the not really knowing. I can even imagine the moment when Naomi tells her to go back to her family being a moment of rejection, a moment of doubt whether the thoughts that must have been forming in her heart was the ‘right thing to do’ was this God of Naomi speaking to her? After all it did not seem that Naomi thought her God was looking after her? 

“13 …it is far more bitter for me than for you that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me…” 

Yet, she must have had a yearning in her heart, a drawing her to Him and into His land? How could that be? She was a Moabite, a gentile? But there was a ‘seeing’, a ‘hearing’ inside her spirit. A ‘knowing’ a ‘luring’ her, drawing her forward into a new life no matter how uncertain it must have looked like in that moment. Something (or rather someone?) must have comforted her spirit convincing her that forward is better than backward. Forward is uncertain but forward is better than going back to the familiar. 

By the time Naomi urged her to return to her people there had formed an extraordinary thought in her heart. One that flowed into making the most important choice of her life. It was not because Naomi was the best mother-in-law in all of history, or because of the riches awaiting her in Israel, or because of a prosperous future promised to her that she made this choice. No. She essentially made this choice oblivious of what awaits her, and she made an extraordinary choice with even more extraordinary results. Results that she in her whole lifetime never could have foreseen nor fully understood. Let’s read it in her own words: 

“16 And Ruth said, urge me not to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you.” 

This was a well thought through answer, I don’t think it was a haphazard choice. It’s just too much of a loaded statement. Not only does she pledge loyalty to Naomi but for some completely unknown and at that point illogical, understandable reason does she specifically extend her choice to Naomi’s God and her people. There’s no logical natural explanation for this, and yet she makes it loud and clear exactly what her choice entails. She leaves no doubt – no back door open. No maybe or possibly if this does not work out, I will go back to my own people. As Ruth journeyed further with Naomi, she must have become increasingly aware of the fact that she has closed the door on everything that was familiar to her. Somehow Ruth must have found peace and hope in a decision that lead her into a whole new life. 

Fast forward some months ahead and to our amazement and most probably to Ruth’s amazement, her life has taken a radical turn for the better. A wealthy businessman Boaz fell in love with her, married her and she became the mother of a boy which she called Obed. Ruth’s life became a life of hope and blessing. One she could enjoy and rejoice in for the rest of her life. I think it would already have been a great story of hopelessness turned into hope if the story ended there, however, it did not. The greatest part of the story unfolded generations after Ruth’s life on earth was over. She never knew nor understood the fullness of the blessing her choice brought about. The greatest part of her life story was only to be fulfilled in her generations. You see Obed had a boy whose name was Jesse, and Jesse had a son called David. Yes, the same David that became King David in the Bible. Many generations later Jesus the Messiah – the hope of all mankind – was born from the lineage of Ruth and Boaz. 

Hope for all mankind was born from a seemingly hopeless disaster in one woman’s life. God turned it into one of the greatest stories of hope in history. I believe He can likewise turn our hopeless situation at present into a blessing of hope. What are the choices you and I are faced with today? What will our choices be? Will we choose to move into the unknown in hope and faith or is fear and unbelief going to make us turn back into an attempt to keep our world as familiar as possible? 

I pray that we can open our hearts for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us how to move on from here in hope and faith. 

Much love to all 

Gerda

©2020 All rights reserved
Scripture Quoted from Amplified Bible - Biblegateway.

Listen to this song about Ruth and Naomi by Nicole Nordeman and Amy Grant

The God who sees... the God who hears

People of Hope: Part 1:  Hagar
Monday devotions @ Work 16 March 2020

Read The Scripture in Gen 16 – Sarai and Hagar 

Abram and Sarai are childless and Sarai is hopeless that the situation would change. She gives Hagar to Abram but when Hagar realised she was pregnant, she became arrogant and despised Sarai. Sarai deals harshly with Hagar and she flees from her mistress, ending up at a spring of water in the wilderness. It is here that God comes to Hagar, and finds her. God comes to her in her hopeless situation. He asks her, Where are you coming from and where are you going? What is your vision Hagar? She answers Him truthfully – she is a slave, fleeing from the presence of her mistress. Then He gives her a hard command, He tells her to go back into that difficult situation and to submit. It is not time to leave yet. However, God does not leave it there. He gives her hope and vision. He tells her that He will multiply her descendants so much that they will not be able to be counted. God names her child – He calls him “Ishmael”, that means “God has heard my affliction”, and He blesses the child. Then Hagar names the well Beer Lahai Roi for she said “I have seen the God who sees me”. 

Read the scripture in Gen 21:8-21 – Hagar and Ishmael 

Some years later we find Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness again. Abram and Sarai have just sent her and her son away, and God this time allowed her to leave, but once again not without a blessing of becoming a great nation. When the water she had with her was used up, she placed Ishmael under a shrub and went to sit down in the wilderness some distance away from him because she did not want to see him die, and she weeps ... She had a promise from God that he will become a great nation but her faith fails her as she once again cannot see the well God provides for her. This time God hears Ishmael and once again He comes to Hagar. She does not go to Him. In his grace He comes to her and meets her again in her hopeless place. He opens her eyes so that she can see the well that is already there. She fills the skin of water and gives Ishmael the life-giving water to drink – and they both lived and he became a mighty man in the wilderness and became an archer. Neither she nor Ishmael died prematurely for God provided life-giving water. 

Points to Ponder

• Where do I come from and where am I going to? 
• What is God’s vision for me? 
• Ask Holy Spirit to meet you in your place of vision- and hopelessness. 
• Ask the Lord to open your eyes so that you can see the well He wants you to drink from and to open your ears so that you can hear the blessing He pronounces over you. 

Excerpt from "Come to the Well"

Copyriight:  All rights reserved, © September 2015 HG Venter 

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Prisoners of Hope

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 Prisoners of Hope:  Monday Morning Devotions @Work - 09 March 2020

A warm welcome to Monday morning devotions.  Recently the Lord opened a door for us to get involved with Monday Morning Devotions at Work.  I will be posting the Word He gives us on this blog so that the students can have access to it in written format.  During the last couple of weeks my friend Annelie and I have been contemplating Zech 9.  Hope you enjoy it with us as we felt prompted by the Holy Spirit that this was a word for the wider body of Christ.  We think it’s a very timeous message for the day and age we live in. 

Zech 9 starts off with the Word of the Lord for several nations, but the one who caught my attention is Tyre, in vs 3 it says: 

3 And Tyre has built herself a stronghold [on an island a half mile from the shore, which seems impregnable], and heaped up silver like dust and fine gold like the mire of the streets. 

4 Behold, the Lord will cast her out and dispossess her; He will smite her power in the sea and into it and [Tyre] shall be devoured by fire. 

The word stronghold caught my attention, usually we associate it with the enemy that has entrenched itself in some way and indeed in this verse it once again refers to the city building itself a stronghold to guard her treasures. It’s a stronghold build out of fear and out of a need to self-protect earthy treasures. Do we not do exactly that when we fear or when we are hurt or disappointed? We build a stronghold around ourselves to protect what we perceive as valuable and sometimes our so-called treasures are our vulnerabilities, disappointments, hopelessness and hurts. We create what we think is a safe space for ourselves on an island, separated and isolated from mainland. However, in vs 4 the Lord tells us how He deals with these self-made strongholds of ours. 

4 Behold, the Lord will cast her out and dispossess her; He will smite her power in the sea and into it and [Tyre] shall be devoured by fire. 

In His grace He does not allow us to entrench ourselves, shield ourselves thinking we can and should guard our own cities and treasures. 

But then our Father present us with a precious display of His character in vs 8-12. 

8 Then I will encamp about My house as a guard or a garrison so that none shall march back and forth, and no oppressor or demanding collector shall again overrun them, for now My eyes are upon them. 

The picture He gives us is one of Himself encamping around His house. He guards it, He is a garrison around His house, and HE will not allow any unwelcome guests march back and forth, and no oppressor or demanding collector to overrun us! He promises to keep His eyes upon us, He watches over us. 

10 And I will cut off and exterminate the war chariot from Ephraim and the [war] horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and He shall speak the word and peace shall come to the nations, and His dominion shall be from the [Mediterranean] Sea to [any other] sea, and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth! 

Not only does He protect. He goes further than that. He fights against the enemy for us – on our Behalf. He says He will cut off and exterminate the war horse and chariot that comes against us and cut off the battle bow. He shall speak the word and peace shall come to us and our nation and He will reign in His Kingdom to the ends of the earth. 

11 As for you also, because of and for the sake of the [covenant of the Lord with His people, which was sealed with sprinkled] covenant blood, I have released and sent forth your imprisoned people out of the waterless pit. 

One would think all this to be enough, but Father has even more for us. He makes sure that you and I hear, yes really hear that these promises are not only for Israel or the Old Testament people. He starts the next sentence with “For you also.” You see we so often read through the Old Testament and think that God’s promises have been for a people long gone or it meant for a nation other than ours, meant for Israel, or maybe it’s meant for my neighbour. But God wants you to know that it is for “you also”. 

He then proceeds to tell us why He does it all. Because of His Covenant! When God made covenant with us, He knew that we would not be able to enter a promise of any sort with Him because we would break those promises on day one. That does not change God’s character though – He does all this for us because of the covenant He decided to cut with us although He knew we would be unfaithful to that covenant. He honours that covenant although we have broken that covenant numerous times. He sets us free and bring us out of the waterless pit. He brings us out of the dry places that we are imprisoned in and releases us from there – for the sake of His covenant with us. He is a covenant-keeping God. He keeps His Word no matter what. 

12 Return to the stronghold [of security and prosperity], you prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will restore double your former prosperity to you. 

Then comes an amazing invitation – He invites us with open arms to return to HIS STRONGHOLD. Our Father is a stronghold of security and safety for us! There is a righteous stronghold, not one that we build on our own for our own self preserving purposes, not the enemy’s prison, but a stronghold of God, in God, where we are prisoners of hope. If we dwell on this for a moment, what does it mean to be a prisoner of hope? Well it certainly means that we cannot be without hope, that we cannot do anything else but hope. It’s a place where hopelessness does not exist. It’s a hope in things not seen, it’s an eternal hope that never ceases. Its hope against all odds, in all circumstances irrespective of what life looks like in the natural. Its hope beyond our natural abilities. Inside this stronghold hope is alive, it’s safe, it is precious, joyful, rejoicing! Inside Father’s Stronghold He promises to restore to us double our former prosperity. We can imagine that prosperity can take on many forms but today we want to focus on hope. What does it look like when God restores to us double our former hope? When He prospers our hope, we have in Him? Imagine God multiplying, doubling our hope? 

What a promise. Come, let us return to God’s stronghold for us. Let us be prisoners of the hope we have in Him! 

We want to challenge you to really make this scripture yours – put your name in there, speak, pray it over yourself and your family. Apply it to your own heart and life. Become a prisoner of hope in a time where the world looks around in fear and uncertainty – let us not immerse ourselves in that hopelessness but let us return to His stronghold of safety and security and immerse ourselves in His presence and in His hope!

Much Love to All

Gerda and Annelie

All scripture quoted from the Amplified Bible, Biblegateway.com  

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