By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11:30-31.
Life Lessons from Rahab’s story, Part 2 has to do with the scarlet cord – that scarlet cord she hung outside the window to identify her home. The scarlet cord that saved her life, and ultimately, the lives of her family.
In the gospel story, the scarlet cord represents the blood of Jesus…blood required to cover our sins.
Blood shed to pay the price for our freedom.
That same covering of blood removes any shame the enemy would like to velcro to our souls, because of our past mistakes.
While I love the study and conclusions of shame researcher, Brené Brown, it’s my opinion her results are somewhat lacking when it comes to fully, and completely, eliminating shame.
Ms. Brown gives us great insights for walking through the muck and mire of shame (I certainly don’t throw the baby out with the bath water). Her main points:
* don’t silence shame – wrap words around shame – we need good COMMUNICATION
* find safe people to whom you can share your story – we need CONNECTION
* be kind to yourself; talk to yourself the way you would a friend – we need COMFORT
* we must learn to be truly vulnerable – it is through vulnerability we will develop COURAGE
* courage leads to CONFIDENCE
* confidence steps over shame and allows us to live in CREATIVITY (shame-gone)
These are good things…they are right…they are even Biblical. Yet they don’t clean the soul.
Only one thing completely cleans our souls…
Blood.
That’s what the entire book of Leviticus is about.
Moses gave God’s instructions to the people: when you are defiled by sin, you must go to the temple. Bring or purchase a lamb. Give it to the priest. The priest will sacrifice it, take it before the Lord, and you will be washed clean from the blood.
Done. ✓ Done. ✓ Done. ✓
The people believed Moses. They came…in fact the outer courts of the temple were a bloody mess….continuously.
Yet, when the folks left, their belief in the WORDS OF THE LORD and the blood spilled were visible signs that they were cleansed.
DEFILED-NO-MORE!
We don’t sacrifice in our temples/churches anymore. I’m so thankful. I’d have to camp out at the temple. I’d be lamb-rich and penny-poor.
Instead, the rest of the story is JESUS.
The spotless lamb.
The ONE who chose to die, once for all, to cleanse me of shame, for ALL TIME.
Yes, I need communication, it’s called REPENTANCE.
I need CONNECTION, it’s called BELIEVING on the Lord Jesus Christ.
I need comfort, it’s called SALVATION (past, present, and future tense).
I need COURAGE, it’s called the HOLY SPIRIT dwelling in me.
I need CONFIDENCE, it’s called a NEW IDENTITY in Christ…
…and, I need CREATIVITY going forward, it’s called
MISSION.
The break down comes when I don’t walk in belief that what Christ has done on my behalf is ENOUGH……..
…..BECAUSE MY GOD IS TOO SMALL!
I go through the steps…
I acknowledge the truth with my head…
but, I must transfer it all to my heart.
That’s why we’ve been given a visible sign.
Our sign is the cross.
Again and again, when shame strikes, I must look at the CROSS (that’s the one thing missing in Dr. Brown’s list).
When I look at the CROSS, SHAME FLEES!
P.S. The God (YHWH) Rahab believed was never too small in her eyes….
As a result, the Lord honored her with a place in the genealogy of her Savior.
Imagine!
What if we truly believed (and lived as if we did) that we serve a BIG GOD?
How might the Lord use us?
