Kristen Grossman Prose

My grandma went on hospice a couple of weeks ago. In the past 94 years, she has experienced so much life—both hardships and joy—and I know she is ready to meet Jesus. Still, every time my phone buzzes, my heart sinks a little.  I keep wondering if this is the day I learn I will never again hear her voice, receive one of her hand-embroidered dish towels, or give her a hug.

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My grandma has created a beautiful legacy for her family through her faith in God, her love for her family, and her example of persevering through life’s challenges and rejoicing in life’s pleasures.

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My daughter and I are currently reading the book of Joshua together.  The importance of providing a godly legacy stands out to me in the accounts of two individuals found in this book: Rahab and Achan. These two individuals responded very differently to the circumstances around them. Because of their actions, one family became part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. In contrast, the other family was utterly destroyed.

Rahab was a prostitute in the Canaanite city of Jericho. When she learned the Israelites were on the way to destroy her city, she understood that the God of the Israelites was the one, true God. Because of her faith and bravery, she aided the Israelite spies, securing not only her own safety but the safety of her family. When Jericho was destroyed, a simple scarlet cord signaled the Israelites to leave Rahab and her family untouched.

“But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.” Joshua 6:25

Rahab’s story doesn’t end here. Rahab, a lowly woman not of Jewish birth, is actually listed in the genealogy of King David and Jesus Christ. This simple woman’s confidence and trust was the beginning of a beautiful legacy that continued on through the generations of her family!

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Unfortunately, an Israelite named Achan did not create a beautiful legacy of faith, trust, and obedience for his own family. Achan witnessed the power of God as the walls of Jericho crashed down and the Israelites took over and destroyed the city. He well knew Joshua’s command that, “All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.” (Joshua 6:19) Yet, when Achan spotted certain items among the Canaanite spoils, the temptation was too much.

“When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” (Joshua 7:21)

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Sadly, Achan’s sin spelled out destruction not only for himself but for his entire family. Jesus Christ had not yet come into the world to pay the penalty for human sin, and the weight of sin rested upon Achan and his descendants. Joshua 7:24-26 paints a terrible picture of the price this family paid for Achan’s sin:

 ^“Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.’

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.”

The accounts of Rahab and Achan remind me of two things. First, how grateful I am to reap the benefits of ancestors who passed on a legacy of faith, hope, and love. Second, how grateful I am that Jesus Christ came to pay the penalty for my sins. When I mess up, I must confess my sins and suffer the consequences of my poor decisions. True, the mistakes I make today may affect my children and future generations. Yet, I need not fear that my sins will cause the immediate destruction of my family and all hope for generations to come. For that, I am immensely grateful.

Dear Lord, thank you for the blessing of dear ones, like my Grandma Marvel, who have paved the way for future generations to know You. Thank you for the illustration of Rahab, a sinful woman, who by faith in You created a beautiful legacy for her entire family. A legacy that still blesses us today. Most importantly, thank you for the forgiveness You offer us through Jesus Christ. Amen.