Let it Go, Let God take care of it!

WED EP Reflection 071520 (Joshua 2:15-24; 3:1-13, PS 38)

Ps 38: 4 For my iniquities overwhelm me; like a heavy burden they are too much for me to bear. This particular verse teaches me that we all have burdens we carry. Some of them are a result of our own doings and others, may just be the consequences of other people’s actions. What kind of burdens are we carrying? Meditate on those things that make us lack peace and good sleep. Perhaps it is time to go Israelite on them! The story of Rahab might help. A number of women in the Bible were used by God to bring healing and redemption. Most of Biblical stories are stories of insiders and within boundaries, however, some of them were from the most unusual places like the story of Ruth. These stories show figures of the fringes: they are non-Israelite, unusual women. Sort of like the Movie hidden figures, if you haven’t seen it, it’s good, you should see it. They teach us about the possibility of transformation and people who can act as agents of change. They teach us to see how God is preoccupied with people on the fringes/ people in the margins who most likely are not like us, but who can distinguish themselves and be remarkable. It’s people we couldn’t have thought that they could bring change. We may think that we are not assertive enough or smart enough, but God can use anyone. God’s children will be found anywhere. In the book of Acts, God told his servants that He has people in the city. Would they have been from the margins? I wonder! Similarly, Saul of Tarsus was sent to Ananias to recover his sight. God is showing us that change makers have to visit the margins/ fringes to change or bring change. God knows why we have to leave the comfort of the center so we can grow and learn from life in the margins.

Rahab lived on the edge, literally in the wall! If we examine ourselves, we may find that we live at the center, within the walls of our self-aggrandizement; with our own distracting idols that capture our attention. We are Israel, the church and what happens when we meet Canaanite adversity? What’s the plan? A dangerous liaison? You bet, God did not want Israel to take on pagan godless values, yet change would come from the fringes/ from an unlikely place, a prostitute’s home. Josephus who is one of the earliest Church historians wrote that Rahab might have run her home as a motel, which helped the spies to get a foothold in Jericho. This is the biblical view: Rahab fully participated in the success of the spy/reconnaissance mission of Israel. The Book of Hebrew praises her faith (11:31) and the letter of James praises her work, welcoming the spies, (James 2:25).

There is another way of viewing this scenario: If today’s newspapers had gotten hold of the story, they would have gone mad. The reconnaissance Mission is a bust: Spies enjoyed it so much that they visited a brothel. What a scandal! Oh! They would never have seen the work that was done in the background and the details that led to Israel’s victory. So, change did come! And it came from the fringes. The margins can provide a catalyst for change.

There is another detail that is fascinating and should not escape us. The spies asked Rahab to leave in the window the same cord that lowered them down over the city wall. It color was Red. The translations say Scarlet or Crimson which evidently is a variation of red. I can’t help it but notice that the color of RED is the color of blood. This brings back the memories of the blood of the lamb that was put on Israelites doors so their first-born sons may be spared. God used it to save Israelites. This also brings into focus the blood of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God protecting believers. God can heal us and save us using anything, from unexpected places. God’s desire is to heal us, to save us.

Joshua told Israelites: “Sanctify yourselves because the Lord will do wonders amongst you.” Yes, this applies to us too: Sanctify yourself, Let it go, whatever has been bothering you, a situation, an illness, an obstacle, let God take care of it.

Amen.