The Prostitute's Scarlet Cord

Reference Passage:

Joshua 2:21 (NIV)

“Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

   So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 

Read the whole passage here

 

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Rahab had visitors. Not the usual kind, though. Their demeanour showed signs of serious business. Hardly the shady type that showed up usually at her doorstep. They were looking for accommodation, and on Rahab's part, there was no reason to refuse. 

Reasons came knocking soon enough though. 

The king had reliable intelligence that the dreaded Israelites had sent spies to scout the land, having already displayed considerable intent to conquer Jericho. Legend had it that years ago, the descendants of Jacob had spectacularly thrown off the Egyptian yoke of slavery, aided by some unknown God. Proceeding in the direction of Canaan, their first major obstacle was the Red Sea, which miraculously parted ways, allowing the multitude to cross over on dry ground. Judging by their pace, it had only been surprising that they took so long to arrive. Through the years, fresh tidings of their military strength kept coming as if to keep the state of alert alive, until the land was filled with the fear of impending doom. Now that they were just moments away from entering Canaan, Jericho's king had made up his mind to do everything possible to block their way.
Strangely, not everybody thought likewise. Its remarkable that different people react to the same situation in different ways. Rahab, for one, was hoping to find out who this God was. She was surely no stranger to the pantheon of her time. As always, religion brings with it a kind of passionate fervour whenever its adherents spend much to prop it up on ceremonial crutches. There may be little intellectual or moral nutrition in the package, but devotees find a queer sense of  fulfilment and pride in religious business. But, this enigmatic God seemed to transcend empty tradition and human folk tales, He sounded real and Israel's success appeared to have basis for trust. Could she expect a personal encounter someday?

The king's message was ruthless : turn over the 'visitors'. Now, Rahab was in a fix. Life had placed two choices before her, and there was no running away this time. Fear of man or fear of God? Which would she choose? After all, this was her king speaking with all the authority of Jericho. For the rest of us, the second option does not even figure in our calculations, being so 'unworthy' of consideration. Nevertheless, in a momentous decision that speaks volumes of her courage and faith, Rahab decided to hide the spies, and cook up a false story for the king's men.

While the soldiers were busy chasing wild geese, Rahab wasted little time in pleading for mercy from her two guests, humbly admitting that her life was not in her own hands. But wait a minute! Wasn't Rahab overdoing things? In the first place, the agents' lives were in her hands, and she could do as she pleased.
The real difference was that, fortunately for her, her eyes were firmly on what was coming, and everything made different sense in the light of this bigger picture. She could already hear the footsteps of the Israelites and the trumpet blow, and it was only a matter of time before the city fell. Indeed, the measly defences of men would not hold out against a God who parted the Red Sea, and slew the mighty kings of the Amorites. Though the pick was extremely limited, what was actually placed before her was the door of salvation and by faith, she saw the immense opportunity that she otherwise could never aspire to attain.

Would surprises never end? The Israelite operatives had an unusual offer to make. There was no easy 'Yes-or-No' solution. The deal was to leave a scarlet cord tied to the window as a signal to the invaders. Whoever came and remained in Rahab's house, would be saved with her when the attack was on. The spies were not to blame if the cord went missing. There would be no multiplicity of threads. It was obvious that everybody would have to rally to a single point, it being practically impossible for the spies to scour the city for scarlet signals at zero hour. Besides, no one was going to escape by simple gestures or overtures, as is typical of Christmas and Good Friday each year. None of these were too big a sacrifice to make, considering whose priority it was to be saved.    

In effect, that was the end of Rahab's business as the 'businesswoman' was now busy inviting people to a new and living hope. I wonder how often she struggled with the seductive fragrances of her sensual past, while the scarlet cord of hope compelled her in a different direction. Gladly one day, the moment of truth came, and they all were whisked away to safety while the city burned to ruins.

Rahab's story sketches for us the outline of God's redemptive plan for mankind. Grace sends spies to invite repentant sinners into the kingdom. There aren't many who have seen the trouble brewing, or realized that their lives are not in their own hands. While we're all busy dancing to the 'eat-work-play-sleep' pattern, formal religion seems to offer little seriousness and no hope. Both god and believer shy away from commitments of any sort, and self gratification remains the ultimate objective of all. Santa Claus and the Easter bunny have usurped Christ and His Cross. Yet, we've seen our walls crumble before the harsh realities of life, because we chose to take cover in the shadow of the moment. We still have no real answer for fear.
Yet, God placed a scarlet cord at the Cross of Calvary – a salvation deal that expects us to surrender our lives to the will of God's love. This love is sacrificial by nature, and far excels the vain imaginations of a self-seeking human mind. This is where hope overcomes fear, because mercy triumphed over judgement.

Until then? Life hangs by a thread.

The Treasury of Solomon : Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Reference Passage:
Proverbs 17:8 (NIV)
A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; 
   they think success will come at every turn.

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Gifts open doors. The truth value of the statement is attested by recent events that have dispelled the aura of credibility and integrity long projected by current players in Indian politics. First, it was the gross anomalies in the management of finances for the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010. Close on its heels, came media reports of a massive scam in the allocation of resources for mobile network operators, played by bribes of the order of trillions. The awestruck commoner cannot get carried away with criticism either – the very same modus operandi is at play day to day, everywhere from the railway platform for an illegal seat, to the police station for the verification of bogus records. Most of us are opportunistic, and cannot resist the temptation to jump the queue, given the chance.

 Moreover, these are the days when exceptions of yesteryear, have subtly taken the place of the norm. Thus, we’ve progressed to the 'No gift, no opening' stage in which even justified ends, that are perfectly within the bounds of law, are faced with insurmountable obstacles which subside only at the sight of goodies under the table. Occassionally, the concept morphs into 'Bigger gift, bigger opening' that eventually shuts the door in the face of the needy, who have not the clout to buy their access to opportunity.

Things take an interesting turn, when the world of religion and faith attempt to play games by the same rules. The search for salvation and hope being a nearly global phenomenon, the possibilities of profit are vast, and the enterprising human mind has already stationed itself at Heaven’s door, expecting to way-lay those who come knocking there.

It was in 2008 that our layman vocabulary was enriched by the appearance of the term 'god-man', following the arrest of the notorious Santosh Madhavan a.k.a. Swami Amritananda Chaithanya in the Indian state of Kerala, on a cocktail charge sheet including rape, paedophilia, fraud and possession of illegal arms. Since then, several other high-profile personalities, ranging from different shades of the religious spectrum, have been apprehended and forced to practise their arts within the confines of prison, from time to time. This, by no means, imply that our law-and-order mechanism has successfully aborted the evil child before its birth. In reality, we’ve merely scraped the toe nails of a fully-grown Goliath.

In due recognition of the spiritual poverty of mankind, and God‘s gracious downpour through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, 'freely received, freely give' was among the founding principles of Christian mission work, visibly preached by pioneers who were stirred by a sacrificial spirit. Church history commences with consistent examples of the apostolic founding fathers in the first century, following the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, it did not take long for attitudes to change and economics to overtake Cross training. The thought that man could avail the fortunes of the Divine by a scheme of skin-deep 'buy-and-sell', was a possible seed for this deviation. True to human nature, the real struggle was to avoid the total surrender that the Cross implies, and comfort oneself with the  knowledge that material sacrifices and certain ‘good deeds‘ would guarantee safe passage to Heaven. Thus motivated, some big pockets pushed their way into the fray, with scant regard for the deeper life that the Gospel calls for. Gradually and gladly, the evangelist would remind of sin or surrender no more, but find his way to drain pockets with assurances of impending showers of blessing. The infamous era of indulgences-for-sale was only a logical conclusion.

Gifts open doors. Bigger gift, bigger opening. No gift, no opening. Along came Martin Luther & Co. to turn the clock back to the first century.

Post reformation, we haven’t done too well either. All the way to the present, the wrestle continues with every revival marking a return to the revelations of the crucified Saviour. We’re stuck again in an age when crowds flock to posters of evangelistic crusades advertising the featured speaker’s success as 'richest in the world' – which raises the question as to how the Gospel message depended on one’s personal wealth, or what such traits had to add to the impact. Aren't we all equally lost, ignorant of the realm of the Eternal, sweating and bargaining in the world of the temporary material?  There may be valid reasons for all things under the Sun, but when lines and boundaries dim, self-examination must assume top priority.

Nobody gets to buy his way in, for the door is manned by the One who fully demonstrated the power of giving His all for love’s sake, despite the horrors of the Cross. He is the tender shoot rooted in dry ground, bringing verdure to our souls that had nothing to offer in return. How then, could our gifts of a lesser quality or intention, not be an insult?   

The Messianic plea continues unchanged, unabated: "Repent for the Kingdom of God has come near." (Mathew 4:17)