(ROMANS 10:17)
FAITH is a very interesting word.
We grow FAITH through what we HEAR, according to Scripture. The irony about it is, 2 people can hear the same word, experience the same things and develop different faiths!
Look at the 12 spies for example.
They ALL entered the Promised Land.
They ALL saw the same things.
They ALL heard the same things.
They ALL experienced the same things.
But what they saw, heard and experienced generated different faith in the 12 Men: 2 said, “WE CAN!” 10 said, “WE CAN’T!”
Faith comes by HEARING, folks!
Jesus said, “Be careful HOW you hear…” (Luke 8:18).
The same word you hear and my faith in God is doubled is the same word someone else would hear and his faith is halved. It depends on HOW we hear.
Let’s look at the Prostitute called Rahab…
Like everybody in Jericho, she HEARD about the coming of the Israelites to take over their land. While others panicked in fear, HOW she heard the news made her react differently: she used the information to her advantage and cut a deal with the spies to save herself and her family. Imagine that! She risked her life to save it. If she had been caught harboring those spies, she would have been executed for TREASON but she took the risk because what she HEARD developed a different FAITH in her.
Now, let’s look at another scenario…
Rahab called her parents; “Dad, mum, you need to come over to my house NOW! Jericho will soon be invaded by the Israelites, but I have cut a deal with them when I hosted the spies they sent…”
She called her siblings and gave them same news.
They all HEARD it. They BELIEVED her and went over to her house. But just imagine they didn’t believe her?
Or what if they had responded to what they HEARD like the 12 Spies: some believed and some didn’t? Note that Rahab was a PROSTITUTE, so she didn’t have the best of reputations.
Another point of note is, those spies did not give her the DETAILS of the invasion: no time, date or how.
She just BELIEVED them by FAITH.
After her family had gathered in her house, the wait began…
We have no idea how long they were in the house when the Israelites came over.
The next day, they simply marched around the city gate!
Rahab’s house was in the wall, so they could see the procession marching round the city through the window.
The day after, the same thing.
And the next day.
And the next…
Rachel had NO IDEA what was going on, she didn’t know the details of the plan. But she kept waiting…
I imagine one of her siblings getting exasperated! “I’m tired, Sis! This is getting BORING!!! You don’t even have Cable TV in this shack. I want to watch the Champions’ League!!!”
Imagine all that could be happening in that house as the Israelites marched round that city…
They had NO IDEA when deliverance would come.
We don’t always KNOW, folks.
That is why the Psalmist wrote; “When the LORD turned around the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream…” (Psalm 126:1)
We don’t always know when Deliverance or Salvation will come. But we KNOW it WILL.
On the 7th Day, the Israelites marched round the city 7 times! Apparently something had shifted! At that point, Rahab and her family would have known: we’re almost there!
The dynamics have changed!
They would have perceived that SOMETHING IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!!
Then the Priest blew with their trumpets.
And all the people shouted with a great shout.
And the wall around Jericho collapsed!
And finally, Salvation and Deliverance came.
However the situation is, whatever the circumstances are, trust God, people! Learn to develop the right kind of Faith in all situations and circumstances! Let what you HEAR make you develop the faith of the 2 spies and not the 10, the faith of Rahab, not the other inhabitants of Jericho.
The lesson here is the MAJORITY is always WRONG!
Learn to identify with the MINORITY – those who have the RIGHT kind of FAITH!
Shalom,
Haruna Daniels