Introduction
“While Life’s dark maze I tread, And grief around me spread, Be thou my guide. Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away, Nor let me ever stray, from thee aside”
In case you are wondering, I just quoted the third stanza of the hymn “My faith looks up to thee.” This day I find myself drawn to one particular phrase within this third stanza: “wipe sorrow’s tears away”(x2), speaking of course of God as would be true of the rest of the hymn and most hymns for that matter.
The God who wipes away our tears[picapp src=”1/a/0/5/Mass_Funeral_For_5e68.jpg?adImageId=5073425&imageId=1495368″ width=”234″ height=”156″ /]….– this is the God whom I wish to reintroduce to us today. I say “reintroduce” because there are some among us, who need not be introduced to such a God. Experientially they know that God does wipe tears. if asked to step forward and testify, they would. In many words they would remind us of some time past when grief brought tears to their eyes. But then they would testify that the weeping did not linger on indefinitely. Something happened. God showed up. As one would jerk up the body of a car and yank out the undesirably deflated firestone tire and in its place put back a desirably inflated tire, God yanked out their source of grief and in the place of grief he introduced pleasantness. God brought back a smile to their faces. These folks need no introduction. What they probably need is mere nostalgic reminder.
The God who wipes away our tears…– this is the God that I wish to thrust before us. I say “thrust ” because there could be some among us who are experiencing such a pain this day that it would call for nothing short of a firm declaration and a poignant elucidation for them to believe that Yahweh does indeed turn our darkness of mourning into a sunshine of laughter and joy.

Sermon Proper

Sermon Thesis
“God has so designed it that that at times it is his very hand that wipes our tears. Other times he employs human agency to be the hand the wipes the “tearing.” eye. The human hand that is most prone to engage in the positive service of wiping “tearing” eyes is that which is associated with a selfless heart. Conversely the human hand that is least prone to engage in the positive service of wiping “tearing” eyes is that which is associated with a selfish heart.
A Family in Tears
Open your Bibles to the book of Ruth chapter 1. I have labeled vv1-5: “A family in tears, what nasty experiences it had to undergo.”
Nowhere in the first five verses of Ruth chapter one does it categorically state that tears were shed. But the narrator need not be that explicit for us to recognize that tears did indeed drip. Some of us have probably lived through some of the nasty experiences described in these five verses and you can attest to the painfulness of the experience
First in the list of nasty experiences that the family of Elimelech went through was the threat of famine and the resulting displacement of the family from its familiar habitat.
(Ruth 1:1 ¶ In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man (whose name v. 2 reveals as Elimelech) from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife (named Naomi in v. 2) and two sons (names as Machlon and Kilion in v. 2), went to live for a while in the country of Moab)
Threat of famine, a family displaced.
You only need to replay in your mind the picture of the 6 year old turkana boy named Aro Koriang’ posted on the daily nation of Nov. 22nd 1999 to be reminded of the ravaging effect of famine. What a moving picture it was if I recall. Just as moving also were the title and brief commentary associated with that picture. The title read: Pain and despair as starving families strive to survive. Part of the commentary read: one topic dominates the conversation in Trukana district. Akoro (the Turkana word for hunger) stalks the region like plague, leaving a trail of death, malnutrition and suffering. I suggests to us that as it was in Turkana, so was it in Bethlehem of Judah. Famine ravaged the area and the little Koriangs of Palestine were faced with the threat of death through hunger and malnutrition so much so that the newspaper headline in Palestine during this period of the judges could just as well have been an echo of the Nov. 22 Nation Newspaper headline: Pain and despair as starving families strive to survive. Someone might say, wait a minute! Elimelech and his family would not have suffered the revages of the famine because the family took off. Okay, I grant you that for v. 1b reads (… a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab). So you are right in arguing that Elimelech’s family took off (headed for Moab) before the famine had its toll on them. But having said that we need to be reminded that the exit that the family was forced to take was tantamount to displacement. Their’s was not voluntary migration. They were forced out by the famine. And only the victims of the clashes know the pain of involuntary displacement–having to leave your comfort zone. So when it says in v.2 that (…They (meaning Elimech, Naomi, Machlon and Kilion) went into the country of Moab and remained there.). it wasn’t as if a family took a holiday trip. No! It was a survival trip that they were forced into to escape the ravaging famine back at home.
So what do we have here so far? A Koriang-like family faced with the threat of starvation. A-victim-of-the-clashes-like family caught up by the sad experience of being displaced. Is this a hurting family? Certainly yes. Is this a family filled with tears? Probably yes

God has so designed it that that at times it his very hand that wipes our tears
Now let your eyes fall down to v. 6 (Ruth 1:6 ¶ Then she (meaning Naomi) started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had done what” considered his people [(NIV reads “ … she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people“) (the Old King James rendering could never have been so graphically accurate “… she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people “)] and given them food.)
What’s my point? Verses 1,2: Threat of famine looms over a family. In the name of survival the family take a forced exit. Is this a hurting family? Definitely yes. Is this a weeping family? Probably yes. Then comes v. 6. There is no longer the threat of famine. Food is now available. Displacement is just about to become a thing of the past for this family. What brought about this pleasant reversal of situation? God’s visitation!
You are here today hurting deeply even “tearing.” I want to affirm to you on the basis of v. 6 and the rest of Scripture that my God, your God, does pay us a visit. And the trail of his visit, the evidence of his visit many a times is marked by the sweet reversal of our paining circumstance.
Yahweh visited Naomi and the trail, the evidence of his visit was marked by possibility of her returning home (no longer to remain displaced) and availability of food (which had gone scarce for a while). May be you want more evidence that God does indeed visit. Here are 2 other biblical examples.
You remember Sarah, the wife of Abraham? What was her greatest pain? Lack of children. Gen 16:2 (and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the LORD has prevented me from bearing children…). Sarah had given up hope of ever having children. Of this very Sarah the Bible says in Gen 21:1 (The LORD visited Sarah (the word “visit” here in Gen. is that same word that is used in reference to Naomi in v.6 of Ruth ch. 1) ). What was the consequence of God’s visitation? Next verse, Gen 21:2 (Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son .) a sweet reversal of an earlier nasty experience.
Here is another example–Israel in Egypt! What was there life like in captivity? Exod 3:7 (Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings). We have the people of God here portrayed as experiencing mysery and suffering. And you know what, they too received God’s visitation according to Exod 4:31 (Ex. 4:31 (He) visited the Israelites (same word) and (saw) their misery). End result of God’s visitation of Israel?– reversal of a life of slavery, triumphant exit from Egypt)
Friends God ‘s hands wipes our tears. He wiped tears then. He wipes Sarah’s tears, he wipe Israel’s tears, he wiped Naomi’s tears. And the good news is that he wipes tears today. if you are in any doubt whatsoever for that God wipes tears today, then ask my wife. The baby-kicks she is currently sensing in her womb would not be there had not the Lord visited us and evidenced his visit with the conception that we’ve waited for and prayed about for 4 long years.
So far we have looked at one of the two nasty experiences that the family of Elimelech went through–the threat of famine and the resulting displacement of a family from its origibal habitat. God himself stepped into the scene and began the process of reversing the situation–a reversal that would ascertain ease of pain and drying of tears.

Threat of missing out on a progeny to carry on the name of the family

Second in the list of nasty experiences that the family of Elimelech went through was the threat of missing out on a progeny to carry on the name of the family. I don’t know about your experience with your parents. I was nagged about marriage by my parents–”Nicholas you need to get yourself a woman,” my mother would say. Now you would think that if you got married, they will grant you some breathing space. Wrong, dead wrong. You get married and there they are again, “when are you going to have a child ?” For kuks it would be “when are you going to name your mother?” You get a child, “when are you going to get a second child?” And on and on goes the nagging.
I don’t blame parents for nagging.The greatest joy of the parents of grown up and married children is the birth of a grandchild. Proverbs 17:6 remind us that (Prov. 17:6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged). If there are no grandchildren forthcoming, parents of grown up and married children begin to fret. We could even say that they are pained by the possibility that their name would not be propagated on. This is the type of pain that is captured in vv 3-5 (Ruth 1:3 Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons). (Ruth 1:4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth.) (When they had lived there about ten years, Ruth 1:5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband). Death of a mate, death of her only 2 sons, why by the way, dies childless,– all these would have caused Naomi great concern even pain for how would the family name be carried on?

Other times God employs human agency to be the hand the wipes the “tearing.” eye. The human hand that is most prone to engage in the positive service of wiping “tearing” eyes is that which is associated with a selfless heart.
Here is a question for us to think about?
Question. This danger of possibly missing out on a progeny, how could it be reversed and thus bring about the easing of pain for Naomi? What would it take for Naomi to witness the continuation of her family name?
Answer: It would take two human acts. First human act: at least one of the two wives of Naomi’s dead sons would have to choose to accompany Naomi home in order to increase the chances of a marital encounter between Naomi’s daugter-in-law and a relative of Elimelech. Second human act: it would require a relative of Elimelech to agree to marry Naomi’s daughter-in-law.

The human hand that is most prone to engage in the positive service of wiping “tearing” eyes is that which is associated with a selfless heart.
Let me point you to what a selfless heart looks like.
(Ruth 1:7 Naomi sets out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, with the intention of going back to the land of Judah. Ruth 1:8 Naomi says to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. Ruth 1:9 The LORD grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud.
Ruth 1:10 They say to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”
Ruth 1:11 Naomi responds, “Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Ruth 1:12 Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, Ruth 1:13 would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has turned against me.”
Ruth 1:14 Then they all weep aloud . Orpah kisses her mother-in-law goodbye, but what does Ruth do? She clings to her.
Ruth 1:15 ¶ Naomi tries to convince Ruth to detach, Naomi says, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; your sister is heading for sweet home, return after your sister-in-law.”
Ruth 1:16 Then Ruth utters one of the most selfless and others-centered statement ever recorded, she says, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Ruth 1:17 Where you die, I will die — there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!” ). Now that is a selfless heart!

Conversely the human hand that is least prone to engage in the positive service of wiping “tearing” eyes is that which is associated with a selfish heart.
Now let me point you to a selfish heart. Remember we said that for Naomi’s pain of a lack of progeny to be eased, it would require that a relative of Elimelech be willing to marry Naomi’s daughter-in-law. Turn to Ruth ch. 4
(Ruth 4:1 ¶ No sooner had Boaz gone up to the gate and sat down there than the next-of-kin, of whom Boaz had spoken, came passing by. So Boaz said, “Come over, friend; sit down here.” And he went over and sat down. Ruth 4:2 Then Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here”; so they sat down. Ruth 4:3 He then said to the next-of-kin, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our kinsman Elimelech. Ruth 4:4 So I thought I would tell you of it, and say: Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not, tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one prior to you to redeem it, and I come after you.” So he said, “I will redeem it.”
Ruth 4:5 Then Boaz said, “The day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you are also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead man, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance.”
Ruth 4:6 At this, the next-of-kin said, “I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” ) Now that’s a selfish heart.

Conclusion
Are you are aware of a situation where it would take your response to ease another person’s pain. Are you selfish or selfless?
“God has so designed it that that at times it his very hand that wipes our tears. Other times he employs human agency to be the hand the wipes the “tearing.” eye. The human hand that is most prone to engage in the positive service of wiping “tearing” eyes is that which is associated with a selfless heart. Conversely the human hand that is least prone to engage in the positive service of wiping “tearing” eyes is that which is associated with a selfish heart.”

Introduction
I’m having a hard time recalling the exact identity of the sponsor; it may have been Kenyan Film Corporation but I am not certain. What I cannot forget however is how we the Eastlanders–better known as “wasee wa mtaa”– would be treated to a free cinema at least one evening a week all year round. The Kombi, ferrying the crew, the motion-picture projector and thank goodness the generator, would arrive around six o’clock and park in a field in Lumumba estate. In no time the gigantic screen would be set up. When a good number of people had gathered from the neigbouring estates, makadush, Ofafa Kunguni, Jeri, Buru and when it was dark nicely the generator would be turned on and the reel would start rolling. For some reason the genre of film that was in vogue at that time was Western. This category of movies if you recall was characterized by horse riders and gun-shooters. The climax of a Western would be when only one person or one gang remained standing having shot dead all the opponents. The last person standing, we called “fello.” His gang we called “gang ya fello.” As a teenager, Fello and his gang were our heroes. I know that because one of the games that we played quite often and which we thoroughly enjoyed was “game ya kushutiana.” You knew you had been shot when your opponent pointed two fingers at you and uttered “dushu ngeo.” The rule was that if you were shot you had to die. It would upset the shooter a lot if the person shot at refused to die. Ukikata ku dedi iyo ilikwa noma sana. Why the upset? Because everyone wanted to be “fello”– the last person to remain standing having shot dead all his/her opponents. So the question is not whether we adopt heroes or heroines because we do. The question is whether the hero or heroine we adopt is worth emulating. Biblical heroes and heroines are worth emulating and listening to. Biblical heroes and heroines may not be perfect– they need not be since they are human. But the fact that what they represent has found its way into the Holy Book makes it imperative that we give heed to what they have to say. My prayer as we begin to day is that we would all adopt Rahab as our heroine and take into serious consideration the principle that she stands for.
Sermon Proper
Please turn with me to the book of Joshua ch. 2.
Leaping out of this text is one exhortation that I pray we will give serious consideration. Rising from the text and addressed to all of us is this exhortation: “Break ranks with them losers!”
Who is a loser? I am glad you asked. When I say “loser” I am not thinking “loser” as defined by the Dictionary. According to the Dictionary there are two sub-definitions of the term loser. Sports-wise the term refers to a contestant or team that loses like let’s say Harambee stars in as far as Eastern and central African senior cup championship is concerned , or say the cowboys this season. Informally the term refers to a person who has been convicted of misdemeanor or an individual who has failed at a particular activity such as holding a job etc. When we say loser we do not have in mind either of these two sub-definitions. None of these losses whether it be loss in sports, or conviction for felony or trouble holding a job– none of these losses is truly deadly. Losing a game is not supposed to be the end of the world. You would normally not be hanged for committing misdemenour crimes. The problem of not holding job is not untreatable. When we say “loser” we are thinking deadly loss–loss unto destructive judgment, loss that entails perishing.
Folks “Break ranks with them losers!” I want us to spend the rest of the remaining time interacting with two principles that stem directly from this exhortation

Principle #1: You have not come to the decision to break ranks with them losers, those destined for destructive judgment until you yourself are fully convinced of the reality of that destructive judgment
It was a reality that the inhabitants of Jericho were destined for destructive judgment. There was nothing illusional or imaginative about this. The land of Canaan which Jericho was part of had been a target of destructive judgment for a long long time. Way back in Genesis–we are talking some 400 years before the events recorded in Josh 2 would transpire, in a conversation with Abraham, God made his intent clear that the inhabitants of Canaan would be disinherited and their land would be given to Abraham’s descendants: “To your descendants, God declared to Abraham, I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” (Gen 15:18-20). So the judgmental decision to disinherit Canaan had been made way back there. Later revelation clarified that the the process of the disinheritance would entail total destruction of the inhabitants: My angel, God declared in Exod 23:23, will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. ”I will wipe them out” is a language of annhilation. The designated agent of annhilation in reality was not God himself as much as Exod 23:23 says that he was. In reality the agent was to be the nation of Israel. So to Israel is given the command in Deut 7:1 ¶ When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations — the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you — Deut. 7:2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you, Israel, must destroy them totally. Notice again the language of annhilation–”you must destroy them totally”–and that’s an injunction directed to Israel. So Israel was to be God’s fighting machine. We don’t have the time to illustrate how this machine, Israel, effectively carried out its mission of annhilation especially between the time-frame when they crossed the Red Sea and the time they finally camped opposite Jericho on the other side of the Jordan with Joshua as their commander. The records are clear. Israel played its role decisively annhilating on the way tow formidable opponents– Sihon of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan. And in Josh 2:1 its is clear that God’s fighting machine was set to take Jericho out. Look at Josh. 2:1 ¶ Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.
Question: How did the inhabitants of Jericho respond to the reality of the destructive judgment that was about to overtake them? Look with me at v 9b-11a: Rahab is speaking here and that representatively : dread of you has fallen on us (the inhabitants of Jericho), and (that) all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you. Josh. 2:10: For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. Josh. 2:11: As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no courage left in any of us because of you). So how did the inhabitants of Jericho respond to the reality of destructive judgment and, more importantly, how was their reaction different from Rahab’s. Based on vv9b-11a that we have just read, the inhabitants of Jericho were gripped by dread (v. 9b says that “ dread of Israel had fallen on them”) and they lost courage (v. 11a). Now how did Rahab respond to the reality of the destructive judgment? Like the rest of the inhabitants of Jericho for whom she spoke representatively in vv 9b-11a, dread fell upon her (v. 9b) and she lost courage (v. 11a)
However, unlike the rest of the inhabitants of Jericho, Rahab was the only one who was able to categorically state that it was all over for Jericho. Look at v. 9a: “I know that the LORD has given you the land. Behind this confession is the conviction that the forthcoming destructive judgment against Jericho is as real as it is sure. There is no escape:I know that the LORD has given you the land .

You have not come to the decision to break ranks with them losers, those destined for destructive judgment until you yourself, like Rahab and unlike the rest of the inhabitants of Jericho, are fully convinced of the reality of that destructive judgment. “I Know that the Lord has given you the land”, Rahab said.
I do not know how many non-believers are in the house today. Neither will I request that you raise your hand. God knows who you are. And you know yourself too . If you are unsure, you know you are non-believer if:

(1) you answer “no” or “not sure” to the question: Supposing you were to drop dead right now, are you sure you would go to heaven? and

(2) you are a non-believer if your response to the searching question: Supposing you are to drop dead this second and were to appear before God and God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into my kingdom?” If your answer excludes the firm confession “I have been washed by the blood of the lamb,” then you are most likely a non-believer. Non-believer hire me momentarily as your watchman or as your weatherman because that is exactly how I wish to serve you. Thanks for the hire. Now please allow me to share with you the latest newsflash. All evidence show beyond a shadow of doubt that the tornado of God’s wrath is about to touchdown. The only reason we know that is because the forecast reveals so. The forecast reads as follows: He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come Rev. 14:7 .. The forecast also reads: They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Rev. 6:16-17 . Here is one other piece of scary information that you might want to keep in mind. All evidence show beyond a shadow of doubt that — let me name it “tornado terror”– All evidence show beyond a shadow of doubt that “tornado terror” is programmed to be selective in its destruction. Those upon whom the tornado is programmed to land are the non-believers. Believers fall outside the path of “tornado terror.” And the only reason we know that is because the forecast says so. The forecast reads: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, Rom. 1:18. The forecast also reads: But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed Rom. 2:5 . That marks the end of the newsflash. That marks the end of the forecast. Non believer I appreciate your hiring me momentarily as your watchman or your weatherman. But now I request for dismissal or should I say I request for voluntary retrenchment. But as I get out of your face, I leave you with the words of Ezekiel :
Ezek. 33:2 “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, Ezek. 33:3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, Ezek. 33:4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Ezek. 33:5 Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. )

So far we have looked at one principle that emerges from the exhortation “Break ranks with them loser” and that principle again is
You have not come to the decision to break ranks with them losers, those destined for destructive judgment until you yourself are fully convinced of the reality of that destructive judgment .”

Here is the second principle: True conviction of the reality of destructive judgment manifests itself in your taking the appropriate steps to remove yourself from the path of destruction.
Over and above her expression of conviction that the forthcoming destructive judgment was real, Rahab took the following appropriate steps:
Step#1. She was receptive towards her source of salvation. Look at the end of v.1 (” So they, i.e the two spies, went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there.). Someone might raise the accusation: Rahab, why should we not think that your friendliness and hospitality towards these two men had a lot to do with the fact that you perceived them as clients . To that accusation Rahab would respond: I understand why you would accuse me as such. After all my full name is Rahab the prostitute. But I would really love for you to take me at my word. First of all and speaking for the men, they did not present themselves at the door as clients. The only reason they chose my house was because as a known brothel, my place afforded them the opportunity to remain undercover as they carried out their spying mission. Secondly and this time speaking for myself, I can assure you that the moment I caught glance of them, I did not see clients, I saw the source of my salvation. When the King’s messengers came banging at my door– bang! bang! Look at v.3 they were shouting and demanding ( “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come only to search out the whole land”). It is not for clients that I turned unpatriotic, it is not for clients that I lied– vv 4 (Josh. 2:4.. “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from. ) and v 5 (Josh. 2:5 … Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you can overtake them.). I lied, not to clients; these men were the source of my salvation. Okay Rahab we have heard your defence. But did we just hear you mention lying–that you lied to your country folks? What are we to make of that? Remember me for being receptive to the source of my salvation and not for being deceptive to my country folks. At least that is how the book of Hebrews remembers me (Heb. 11:31: By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.). Remember me for being receptive, not deceptive. Deception is never justified. The commandment is clear: Thou shall not lie. Even during the so called “most appropriate of circumstances,” lying is still sinful. As a matter of fact it is oxymoronic to speak of lying and appropriateness on the same breath. Lying is always inappropriate. So remember me for being receptive, not being deceptive.
So the first appropriate step that Rahab took was to remove herself from the path of destruction– and which was a manifestation of her conviction of the reality of destructive judgment– that appropriate step was her reception of the source of her salvation; she was receptive towards the source of her salvation

Step#2: Here is the second appropriate step that Rahab took: She was keen to play her designated part in the salvation contract. There was a salvation contract promulgated as we shall find out shortly. Let me explain a little bit about the ingredients of this salvation contract. First of all its essence. The essence of the salvation contract was life for life. Look at v. 12f (Josh. 2:12: Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the LORD that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith Josh. 2:13: that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” Josh. 2:14: The men said to her, “Our life for yours! (“Uhai wenu ni uhai wetu). Our lives for you lives! That was the essence of the salvation contract.
How about the parties involved in this salvation contract? There were two parties. Rahab on the one end and the two spies on the other. How about the responsibilities of the respective parties? Contracts hold only in as far as the parties fulfill their responsibilities. Both parties, Rahab and the spies, were were held up to certain responsibilities. Rahab’s responsibility was two-fold: (1) she was not to expose the men (Josh. 2:14 … “… don’t tell what we are doing… .”). Did Rahab play her part in this regard? Yes–vv15-16 (Josh. 2:15 ¶ So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. Josh. 2:16 Now she had said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”). She succeeded in not exposing them. Her second responsibility was to tie the scarlet cord in the window and assemble all her relatives at her house (Josh. 2:17 ¶ The men said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us, Josh. 2:18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. ). Did Rahab play her part? Yes she did–v.21 (Josh. 2:21 … So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window) and v. 23 of ch.6 (Josh. 6:23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.)
True conviction of the reality of destructive judgment manifests itself in your taking the appropriate steps to remove yourself from the path of destruction.

Conclusion
We’ve seen that for Rahab those appropriate steps were (1) she was receptive to the source of her salvation and (2) she played her part in the salvation contract.
Non believer, it is a fact that your lot is detined for destruction. God’s judgment is sure and certain. There is no “maybes” about it. My question to you is whether are fully convinced of the reality of God’s destructive judgment. You had better because denying the progress of a tornado does not necessarily derail the tornado. If you happen to fall on the path of a tornado, it will take you out whether your are convinced of its lethality or not. Now if you say that your are truly convinced of the reality of God’s judgment, you cannot stop at that. True conviction of the reality of God’s destructive judgment manifests itself in your taking the appropriate steps to remove yourself from the path of destruction. Like Rahab you can start off by being receptive. John 1:12 says (John 1:12 Yet to all who received him… he gave the right to become children of God —). Like Rahab you should play your part in the salvation contract. God had already played his part. He loved you so much that he gave his only begotten son. Your part is to believe–(John 3:16 ¶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.) Friend, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Introduction
Approximately three sundays ago, Jackson, the preacher of the day, prefaced his sermon with a narration of his earlier funny-not-so-funny post-landing experiences in this land that some refer to as stato. In many ways Jackson’s story is our story. The summer whather definitely catches one off-guard. As one of my dear Kamba friends would exclaim in reference to the summer weather in Texas “the hair is so so ot.” A listener who is oblivious of the idiosyncracies of tribal accents would be baffled by the mention of hair as in nywele or sungura in a sentence that seeks to describe the whether.
As regards our own experience upon arrival, none of the contacts we had been given and whom we telephoned upon arrival at DFW, none of them were available to pick us up. That’s understandable, it was in the afternoon and someone was probably napping. So our only viable option was to hire a taxi. Back at home I was used to bargaining with the taxi driver. And since I was still mentally logged into the home page, I approached this Nigerian taxi-man determined to bargain to the lowest price possible. I showed him the address we needed to get to. Then I engaged him in a bargain speech. I tried using the line about him being black and me being black and why he should give a fellow blackman a fee break. The moment the Nigerian sensed my bargaining efforts , he just burst out laughing. Later I came to understand why my bargaining was so funny to him. You see here the taxis are metered. The meter determines the price, not the taxi-man.That’s why it was humorous to him that I was attempting to bargain the Nigerian in the context of metered taxis.
And he did ferry us to our address. Right away we settled into the routine of seminary life–studying and working at the library. My wife, of course , being an F-2 stayed at home watching “As the world turns.” Little did she know that our world would soon turn for the worst and it really did. Three or four semesters into our stay, we came face to face with a crisis. The funds we had carried along with us from Kenyan and which we thought was a hill of a money–that money began to quickly dissipate. The hill, if you like, grew smaller and smaller. And by our projection, the minimum wage I was earning from my library work was not going to stop the hill from becoming a hole. The solution was to get a better paying job. That meant working off-campus. But I had no permit. And so as a family we came face to face with what I would call a Work Permit crisis!

It would not surprise me at all that there are some in this room who are facing that exact crisis–a Work permit crisis. Others may be facing some other type of crisis– may be a pregnancy crisis or a Status crisis or a Social security crisis or you-name-it crisis.
How ought we to respond in moments of crisis? More importantly, how does God expect us to respond in moments of crisis?

Sermon Proper

Sermon Thesis
In moments of crisis, God’s will for us is that we desist from engaging in ungodly and thus punishable horizontal strategem and instead express vertical trust in the form of earnest supplication for God’s intervention.

Subpoint #1: In moments of crisis, God’s will for us is that we desist from engaging in ungodly and thus punishable horizontal strategem

Turn with me guys to the first chapter of 2 kings (2 kings1)

[2Kings 1:1 ¶ After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2Kings 1:2a Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself].

Any kenyan who has ridden in a bus in Kenya at peak hours which is anywhere between 7 and 10 in the morning and 3 and 6 in the evening–if you have ridden with those sets of time frame, then you know experientally that securing a seat in a KBS is not a right. It is not even a priviledge. Finding a seat in a Kenya bus at rush hour is sheer manual labour. Forget about the job you are going to or coming from. Securing a seat is a job by itself– a 13 dollars per hr manual job. For those of us who were agile enough, to ensure that we secured a seat, we used to employ a move. Does anyone remember what we used to call that move? “kudandia basi”. As you know “kudandiaring” had its own risks. You could miss one of those staircase steps, trip and fall. When I was a young kid, i observed this guy dandiaring a bus. He “dandiared” at the front door. He missed a step, fell off and found himself positioned under the bus. The scarery part is the driver did not see him fall and kept on moving. I leave the rest to your imagination.

King Ahaziah may not have fallen off a moving bus. Nevertheless the injuries King Ahaziah sustained followng the thud were just as worrisome. King Ahaziah came face to face with a health crisis.
I ask again “What crisis are you facing today?” Since Scripture is meant for application, feel free to substitute Ahaziah’s crisis with your crisis.
If I were to read my own crisis in the place of Ahaziah’s, the verse would read: “Five semesters into our stay in America our family came face to face with a work permit crisis.”

Now how did King Ahaziah respond in the midst of his crisis?
That’s a significant question to ask: How did King Ahaziah respond in the midst of his crisis?
The answer is in v.2b
(v. 2b So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.” )
Let’s analyze Ahaziah’s response.

Who was Baal-zebub? The name literally means “Lord of flies.” But that doesn’t tell us alot. What would be the other components of his biography??We know that Baalzebub was a Philistine god.–specifically the god of Ekron . Ekron was one of the five cities termed the Pentapolis–these five cities constituted the Philistine country.Ekron was one of those cities.More pertinently Baal-zebub was considered a god capable of predicting outcomes.(“Go and consult Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.”). If Baalzebub had a website, the webpage would look something like this:

The no 1 psychic site. Know tomorrow today. Unlimited access–no per minute charges. Call 1-800-god-zebub if you prefer to pay by visa, masterCard, American express or checking account billing. For Direct billing where charges appear on your monthly bill, call 1-900-ask-fate. International callers, for guaranteed access, please dial 011-67-87-toboa. Signed Miss Cleo for Baal-zebub, the outcome predictor.
Given two possible responses–(1) vertical trust in God and (2) ungodly horizontal strategem– which of these two responses best describe Ahaziah’s response? His decision to consult with Baal-zebub was clearly not an expression of trust in Yahweh. it was not a vertical trust in God. What we have here is a classical illustration of an ungodly horizontal strategem.

Another question–just as important.
Q. How did God take Ahaziah’s decision to consult Baal-zebub? God did not take it kindly
Look with me at v.4 ( Skip v. 3 for now) [ Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’]. God punished Ahaziah. Ahaziah was already in trouble. God allowed the situation to worsen. God allowed the injury Ahaziah had sustained during the fall to turn fatal
Lets summarize what we’ve observed so far. A king comes face to face with a health crisis. The King consciously and deliberately resorts to a strategem–he engages in an ungodly horizontal strategem. That response so maddens Yahweh that He activates a punishment.

This discharge of divine punishment against those who engage in ungodly horizontal strategem, where else in the Bible do we find it replayed?

There are at least three enactments of the pattern we have seen played out in our text (the pattern of crisis, ungodly horizontal strategem, and punishment)

The first reenactment involves Moses. In Num. 20 we come across a wilderness community faced with a water-related crisis. The taps were dry. People were thirsty. So the community approached Moses and inundated him with all these complaints and moanings [Num. 20:3 … “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Num. 20:4 Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Num. 20:5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”]
Now Skip to v.8. There God reveals his will to Moses as to how he should respond in the midst of the water crisis [Num. 20:8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink”]. God’s will was that Moses trustingly speak to the rock. That was the vertical thing to. But what did Moses opt to do instead? You know the story! Holding the staff, he raised his arm in v.11 and struck the rock instead. Therein lies another example of an ungodly horizontal stategem.
How did God take Moses’ response? Not kindly. Did He punish Him. You bet! Look at v. 12. God denied Moses an entry visa into the promised land [Num. 20:12 ¶ But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them”]. A discharge of divine punishment against one who had engaged in an ungodly horizontal strategem

The second reenactment involved Saul. The crisis in 1 Sam 13 is war-related.The humongers Philistine army was right at Israel’s door step ready to wage a war.
Back in ch 10 of 1 Samuel God had already revealed his will to Saul through the prophet Samuel as to how he should respond in the midst of the war crisis [1Sam. 10:8 ¶ “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do”]. God’s will was that Saul trustingly wait for Samuel’s arrival at Gilgal. That was the vertical thing to do, just wait!
But what did Saul opt to do instead? [1Sam. 13:9 So he (Saul) said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering]. He opted to offer sacrifice even though he was not a priest Right there is another example of an ungodly horozontal strategem.
How did God take Saul’s action? Not kindly. Did He punish him? You bet! He stripped him of the presidency and handed it to a turk– a young turk alright but a turk after God’s own heart [1Sam. 13:13 ¶ “You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 1 Sam. 13:14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command”]. A discharge of divine punishment against one who had engaged in an ungodly horizontal strategem.

The third ocassion involved King Ahaz. The crisis in In Isa 7 is again war-related. The Syrians and the Israelites formed a coalition to fight Judah. In v. 4 of Isa 7 God reveals his will to King Ahaz through Isaiah as to how he should respond in the midst of the war crisis: (Isa. 7:4 … ‘ keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood — because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.). God’s will was that Ahaz trustingly keep his cool. But what did Ahaz opt to do instead. Elsewhere in the book of Chronicles we are told that Ahaz sought the aid of Assyria. There is yet another example of an ungodly horizontal stategem. Trusting in the arm of flesh and not God. How did God take Ahaz’s ungodly act? Not kindly. Did He punish him? You bet! He curtailed the cooperation between Assyria and Judah and turned Assyria into an enemy. [Isa. 7:20 In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the River — the king of Assyria — to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to take off your beards also].
Enough examples of characters who were guilty of and were punished for engaging in ungodly horizontal strategem in the midst of crisis.

How about us? Are we guilty of engaging in ungodly horizontal strategem in the midst of crisis?

In moments of crisis, God’s will for Upendo is that we desist from engaging in ungodly and thus punishable horizontal strategem.

If the will of God is that we desist from engaging in ungodly horizontal strategem, how then does God expect us to respond?

Subpoint #2: In moments of crisis, God’s will for us is that we express vertical trust in the form of earnest supplication for God’s intervention

Look with me at the verse we had skipped, v.3 of 2 kings 1 [2Kings 1:3 ¶ But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’].
As it is the question “ Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’” exposes God’s disappointment with Ahaziah’s decision to consult Baal-zebub. The question exposes God’s feelings of sadness and betrayal. Posed today to us by God, the question would expose similar feelings of disappointment, sadness and betrayal. Posed to us by God, the question would go something like this: Is it because there is no God in our environs that faced with pregnancy crisis, we abort? Is it because there is no God in our environs that faced with a work permit crisis we ….” ? Is it because there is no God in our environs that faced with status crisis we ….? Is it because there is no God in our environs that faced with Social security crisis, we….?
If you turn that same question on its head, it reads as statement of affirmation. implicitly God was saying to the King’s messengers, “there is a God in Israel after all, therefore consult Him. God is saying to us today, there is a God in our environs after all , therefore consult Him instead.

Very early in our marriage, my wife came up with this fancy idea of keeping record of our supplications and answered prayers. I went back and looked at some entries. Jan 23rd 1998– Pray about the work permit; Feb 8 1998–pray about the work permit; March 8th 1998–pray about the work permit; March 21st 1998– pray about the work permit; April 5th–pray about the work permit; April 26th 1998–pray about the work permit; them May 10th 1998–thank God for the permit.

In moments of crisis, God’s will for Upendo is that we express vertical trust in the form of earnest supplication for God’s intervention.