Lesson 2: Surprised by Grace

Overview Discussion (7)
Chief what kind of research do you actually do? Is this a career of yours?

I notice this lesson is about faith? What kind of things did Rahab do that demonstrated her faith?
 
Hebrews 11:31 – Rahab’s faith saves her, demonstrating God’s grace toward repentant hearts.
Core Theme: God’s grace extends unexpectedly - even to a Canaanite prostitute (Rahab) and deceptive Gibeonites - revealing that faith, not heritage or perfection, aligns us with His redemptive plan.

Key Insights by Day:​

  1. Sunday: Second Chance (Joshua 2:1; Numbers 13–14)
    • Joshua sends spies from Shittim - a site linked to Israel’s past failures (idolatry in Numbers 25; cowardice in Numbers 13–14).
    • Divine Parallel: Like Peter (John 18:16–18; 21:15–19), Israel receives grace for a fresh start.
    • Lesson: God specializes in redeeming failure through grace (Titus 2:11–14).
  2. Monday: Value in Unexpected Places (Joshua 2:2–11; Hebrews 11:31)
    • Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, declares, “The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below” (Joshua 2:11).
    • Faith Over Flaws: Scripture commends her faith (Hebrews 11:31) and actions (James 2:25) but never endorses her lies.
    • Gospel Insight: God values sincere allegiance, even amid moral imperfection.
  3. Tuesday: New Allegiance (Joshua 2:12–21; Exodus 12:13–23)
    • Rahab’s scarlet cord parallels the Passover blood (Exodus 12:13) - a symbol of salvation through faith in God’s covenant.
    • Ellen White: “Man is saved by faith, not works; yet faith must be shown by works.” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 279).
    • Key Takeaway: Active faith secures God’s protection.
  4. Wednesday: Conflicting Values (Joshua 9:1–20)
    • Gibeonites deceive Israel to secure peace, mimicking Rahab’s plea but lacking her transparency.
    • Leadership Failure: Joshua neglects to consult God (Numbers 27:21), violating Deuteronomy 20’s guidelines for treaties.
    • Warning: God’s will must guide decisions, especially when values clash.
  5. Thursday: Surprising Grace (Joshua 9:21–27; Nehemiah 7:25)
    • Israel upholds its oath, sparing the Gibeonites but enslaving them as temple servants.
    • Grace in Judgment: Gibeonites later assist in rebuilding Jerusalem (Nehemiah 7:25), proving God’s mercy transcends human deception.
    • Divine Heart: God desires repentance, not punishment (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11).

Final Thoughts (Friday):​

  • Rahab’s Legacy: A Canaanite prostitute becomes David’s ancestor and Christ’s forebear (Matthew 1:5) - proof that God elevates faith over pedigree.
  • Inclusive Grace: “In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free” (Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 369–370).
  • Balancing Grace and Justice:
    • Extend second chances without enabling harm (e.g., abusive relationships).
    • Merge justice and grace by upholding truth while offering redemption.
“Grace finds faith in unexpected places - a brothel, a lie, a deception - and weaves them into redemption story.”
Click to expand...
 
What kind of food science do you do Chief? Funny I signed up for Food Science back in 1981, with Hawkesbury College NSW; but the NSW Government handed our teaching scholarships in Agriculture, so I took that - less finance burden on my parents, starting off in a career. I like the science of food chemistry very much. How about that?

Cheers
Rob
 
rob said:
What kind of food science do you do Chief? Funny I signed up for Food Science back in 1981, with Hawkesbury College NSW; but the NSW Government handed our teaching scholarships in Agriculture, so I took that - less finance burden on my parents, starting off in a career. I like the science of food chemistry very much. How about that?

Cheers
Rob
Click to expand...
Career in food science is interesting because it is an applied science that cuts across all the STEM areas. Food chemistry is just one aspect besides biotechnology, engineering, safety, etc. Food chemistry goes to the fundamentals - the building blocks - that help us understand how the food behaves and interacts with its environment. From this knowledge, we can manipulate the food to meet our specific needs - be it lengthening its shelf life, removing toxins, increasing palatability or digestibility, etc.

I love it because demand for food will never cease. People will cut back on everything else just so they can have food in their stomachs.

You must have been truly blessed to have had an opportunity to get sponsorship.

So, between telecommunications engineering course (you mentioned that in one of your previous posts - correct me if I'm wrong) and agriculture, which one did you pursue first? Which one did you love the most?
 
Greetings Chief, I was a selfish "know it all" as a child teen, loved science things, I think I was vaccine damaged, as my mother was also, she got polio from a vaccine and it took away her State championship abilities. So I have border line Asperger Syndrome. It has an advantage to being a person who focus deeper on things, but the disadvantage is I do not show emotions or tolerate people very well. I can never get passed an Interview stage for example, and say the wrong things. Hence my career was teaching because you do not have Interviews. The only other jobs after leaving teaching was a German liked me being early...and that took over my application, and as a Gardener, the unemployed lady ran the boss, and he said, send him down for work. After arriving, he nearly didn't like me, but I was allowed to continue to become an employee of the year, as a Gardener. He told me to make the place tidy and pretty. So 6 months in I said to him, have you seen the new gardens I have done? What new gardens, he said? I said there are over 150 new gardens of flowers all over the campus.

I liked teaching because you solve problems for kids. It's hard in Australia schools because I cannot relate to people and get stressed. I like teaching slow learners rather than the smarty pants ones, too many people do not think and explore deeper, so I would set up experiments to explore things.

As for food chemistry, some things run badly along wrong policy lines. For example making home made icecream. The best is made without sugar. You use egg yolks instead to break the ice crystals up. Better for you and healthy, than using sugar, yet most use sugar. Artificial icecream uses chicken fat instead?

Best I ever tasted was 1 litre of icecream on 12 egg yolks and 600ml proper thick cows cream with vanilla pods, blend and blend again, until fluffy - 3 ingredients - no sugar. Very rich, smooth and tasty.

I read once in America over 400 ingredients in a loaf of bread, is just weird. I used yeast, flour and some soy to replace lost gluten, and that was it, maybe a touch of herbs for salt. If I had access to a stone ground mill I would have used even less ingredients. As fresh ground flour is best. In olden days bakers added ground pumpkin seeds for B17, a rare vitamin we need.

There are over 16 sugars, but we use sucrose and fructose too much. I enjoy eating a sun ripen old aged orange on a tree for 3 months past day of picking, covered with wire netting to keep birds off, way past shop eating times, with their pick early, spray lots and ripen using chemicals idea. The fruit is tropical in taste and sweet and just very different. The orange is still half green and orange covered in spots. Would never meet shop standards.

Same with my tomatoes, would never meet shop standards. Never red. Not sure how you get deeply red shiny tomatoes, they must wax them? Chemical them? Growth hormone them? Dunno.

I also can't stand GMO foods, yet the average person does not understand why they are bad for you.

Another idea, why can't you put drinkable H2O2 in drink cans with pear juice or apple juice (not sucrose) and allow the extra bubbly oxygen to remove cancer from the body. Instead we get CO2 and sugar.

I don't think I would have survived in the food science world, but would have loved it.
Now I just enjoy gardening. Learning to grow grapes and prune them daily as required. It's a great spiritual lesson in looking after people, spending time with them.

SO give me a very specific task you enjoy doing and why. Shalom
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top