Good morning, 

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Friday, August 2, 2019
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• With little fanfare, the U.S. Senate confirmed the lifetime appointments of a number of federal judges this week, including a half dozen for Texas. Congratulations to Mark Pittman, Jeffrey Brown, Sean Jordan, James Hendrix, Jason Pulliam, and Brantley Starr.
      
• The movement of President Trump’s judicial nominees is good news for the Lone Star State and the nation. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn should be thanked, along with Sen. Ted Cruz, for getting these judges across the senatorial finish line and on their way to Texas’ federal courtrooms.
       
• “I have every confidence Texans will be well served with their confirmation." – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz
   
• Add U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) to those calling it quits ahead of 2020. He announced via Twitter that he won’t be seeking re-election. While never in the caucus’ conservative wing, since Democrats took control of the House the Texas congressman has often voted with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and against President Trump’s agenda.

Friday Reflection

Modern-day Jericho is under the thumb of the Palestinian Authority, which means it is a third-world country; trash and poverty are all you see when passing through. The historic Jericho, the archeological site to visit, is there. To say the Palestinian leaders don’t take care much about it would be an understatement.

When visiting Israel – like some will do with Empower Texans in 2020—you’ll likely find the Jericho stop to be the least impressive despite the amazing history of the place. But there is a biblical reason for that, it turns out.

When the Israelite spies were sent by Joshua to scout out the region before crossing the Jordan, they were aided by Rahab. Many believe her to be a prostitute or a brothel madam. Either way, she would appear to some as an unlikely ally for the Israelites.

Yet she was convinced that the God of Abraham had indeed given the land to the people of Israel, and so she aided the spies. Rahab asked the spies only that the Israelites would spare her life and the lives of her family.

In most reasonable scenarios, Rahab had to assume her survival—and the survival of her family—was unlikely. She and everyone she loved was at great risk, but she chose the path of righteousness. It would have been more convenient to ignore the call of God, to turn the spies over to her civic betters.

You know the rest of the story from the Book of Joshua. The city was locked down, the Israelites marched around it, the walls fell, and everyone inside was killed in the battle that followed. Everyone except Rahab and her family; they were protected. Not just protected, but saved. Not just saved, but sanctified.

The victory at Jericho was a big deal... but the salvation and sanctification of Rahab is the miracle we often overlook. She is listed in the lineage of Jesus and mentioned in the New Testament book of Hebrews for being a model of faith.

So what’s this got to do with the dismal state of modern Jericho? The Israelites were warned in Joshua 6 not to rebuild Jericho or be cursed. That curse came to fruition many years later. In 1 Kings we learn Heil of Bethel, an ally of King Ahab, rebuilt the city and it cost him the life of two of his sons.

Rahab did the right thing, and was willing to suffer for it. We should do likewise. Is it too much to suggest that each of us should model our lives not after sanctimonious politicians who think they can disobey the word of God, but instead a faithful harlot?