Following Instructions

Following Instructions

Rahab, The Women At The First Passover

Read: Joshua 2:17-20

The local news was unusually sad that night. Two fatal accidents had occurred within a few hours of each other. A teenage girl had lost her life when she ran a stop sign. In another part of town, a woman had collided with a truck as she drove the wrong way on the interstate. Both deaths had resulted from ignoring traffic signs.

As God had prepared to judge the Egyptians for their sin, he instructed each Israelite family to kill a lamb and smear its blood over their door. If they followed these instructions, the angel of death would pass over their home and their firstborn son would not be killed. When the Israelites were about to destroy Jericho, Rahab’s life also depended on her following the instructions the Israelite spies had given her. In return for Rahab’s help, they agreed to spare her family if she would leave a scarlet rope hanging from her window.

It’s human nature to want to do things our own way, but in a life-and-death situation, we don’t want to be stubborn. If we’re standing by the emergency exit in a smoking building, it’s not a good idea to go looking for another way out. Rahab and the Israelites in Egypt were protected only because they followed the instructions they were given.

Many people believe that there are a number of different paths to God, but the Bible doesn’t teach that. Jesus claimed to be the only way to God the Father. Only trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection will save us from the coming destruction of all who oppose God. There is only one way to guarantee our eternal safety, and the Bible gives us the clear instructions that we need. It’s our choice whether to follow them or to ignore them.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6