#3: Preparing to Enter the Land Joshua 2:1-24

Humanly speaking, how difficult was the task that confronted Joshua and the people with regard to entering the land of Canaan? What were some of the obstacles Joshua and the people faced? As the leader, Joshua faced following in the steps of a leader like Moses and leading a stubborn, stiff-necked group of people. All of them together faced fortified cities, giants, and a flooded Jordan. Everything Joshua and the people were called to do, humanly speaking, was far beyond their ability. From the crossing of the swollen and turbulent waters of the Jordan to conquering the fierce, powerful, ungodly people who occupied the land.

Regardless of these obstacles, by believing the promises of God, by applying the principles of God’s Word, and by counting on the presence of God’s person, Joshua courageously moved ahead and secretly sent two men to spy out the land to gather needed strategic and tactical information that any military commander would need to plan a successful strategy for taking the land.

Joshua Sends Out the Spies (2:1a)

(Joshua 2:1 NIV) Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho."

We might wonder, why Joshua sent out the spies. Was this necessary if he was really trusting in the Lord? After all, had not God promised Joshua that He would give him success? Why didn’t he just go ahead knowing God would somehow supply? After all, the battle is the Lord’s … isn’t it?

Joshua had the precedent of the leadership and example of Moses for this action, an action which was the result of God’s own command in Numbers 13:1-2

(Numbers 13:1-2 NIV) The LORD said to Moses, {2} "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders."

By application, Joshua wa

s living and acting on the precepts of Scripture as he was commanded in 1:7-8

(Joshua 1:7-8 NIV) Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. {8} Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

While Joshua had the promise of God’s deliverance, he had not been given instruction on just how God would defeat the enemies they would face. As a wise military leader, he was simply gathering information concerning the layout of the enemies defenses, the condition of their moral, and other factors that would be important to any military campaign. Moreover he was not to presume on the Lord. He was to trust the Lord implicitly, but in that trust, he was also to use the resources God gave him: the training, the men, and the wisdom he had gained.

(Matthew 4:6-7 NIV) "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {7} Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Principle: Faith in the Lord’s provision should never lead to presuming on God’s decrees or sovereign actions, our intuitive feelings, or on our wants and desires. Faith looks for the principles of Scripture that might be applicable, gathers information or the facts needed in making wise decisions, and then, based on biblical principles and the facts known, moves ahead trusting in the provision and directions of the Lord (cf. Luke 14:31) "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?). If the Lord wants to intervene in some miraculous way as with Jericho, that’s great, but we should never presume on His sovereign ways.

Why the secrecy? Obviously, the spies were to go into the land secretly, as spies do. Here, the reference to secrecy had to do with the people of Israel. He did not inform them that he was sending in the spies. Nehemiah did similarly when he surveyed Jerusalem. Joshua was acting on behalf of God’s purposes and in the peoples’ best interests.

This was done partly in order that the Canaanites might not hear of it, and partly in order that, if the report should prove unfavourable, the people might not be thrown into despair, as they had been before in the time of Moses. He remembered the evil report of the spies from the preceding generation and the way this disheartened the people. People are people and he didn’t want them to unnecessarily get their eyes on the problems.

Principle: Sometimes it is wise for the leaders to do what is needed to keep the eyes of their people on the Lord and His promises rather than on the problems. The need is to encourage one another. We sometimes have to face the problems, but we must learn to do so through the eyes of faith in God’s person, promises, principles, and purposes. This was a matter of discretion and God’s leading through studying and knowing what was best in this particular situation. Sometimes it is good to call everyone’s attention to the problems, other times it is not.

Note the text says, “especially Jericho” which shows us Joshua was particularly interested in this city. Why? Jericho lay just five miles on the other side of the Jordan and was one of the most formidable fortresses in the land. Conquering this city would not only give them a strong foothold into the land, but conquering Jericho would literally split the forces of the Canaanites by coming into Canaan in the middle hindering their communication and supply lines. This would have a further demoralizing effect on the rest of the inhabitants.

Principle: Again, this illustrates how after praying for wisdom, we all need to assess and evaluate our own situations: Where we are, where we need to go, God’s calling on our lives, our gifts and talents, our weaknesses, hindrances, and the circumstances and forces we are facing. Then, based on this information, establish plans, goals and objectives along with priorities and attack the problem accordingly, all the while resting in God’s intervention and direction (see Prov. 16:1f). Start with the things that are the most important and work on them one by one. This includes our personal life (spiritual needs, physical needs, educational needs), our family life (relationships, spiritual needs, etc. as a family), our church life and personal calling and so on.

The Spies Received by Rahab (2:1b)

1b: So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

Someone has said well that nature forms us, sin deforms us, prisons try to reform us, education tries to inform us, but it is the power of Christ that can transform us.

The God whom we worship is the God of grace. No where is it more evident than in His Word. We see the grace of God in action in the life of Rahab, a prostitute.

Rahab is mentioned eight times in Scripture (Josh. 2:1, 3; 6:17, 23, 25; Matt. 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25),

(Joshua 2:1 NIV) Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

(Joshua 2:3 NIV) So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."

(Joshua 6:17 NIV) The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.

(Joshua 6:23 NIV) 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.

(Joshua 6:25 NIV) 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.

(Matthew 1:5 NIV) Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

(Hebrews 11:31 NIV) By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

(James 2:25 NIV) In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

In six of these occurrences, her name is found with a specific descriptive noun. Do you know what it is? It is “harlot.” Why did the men go in to a harlot? Is there anything we can learn from this?

This has created problems for many. To remove this stigma because her name is listed among the ancestors of the Savior in Matthew 1:5, it has even been argued that she was not a harlot, but was only an ‘innkeeper.’ When Josephus wrote his twenty volume history of the Jews back in the first century, he substituted the word "innkeeper" for "harlot" when he wrote about Rahab. Some modern commentators suggest that Rahab was a cult prostitute who plied her trade in the temple of the Canaanite gods, as though that elevated her to a higher level of bad behavior.

Only two women are personally named in Hebrews 11, “The Hall of Fame of Faith”: Sarah, the wife of Abraham (v. 11), and Rahab, the harlot of Jericho (v. 31).

Sarah was a godly woman, the wife of the founder of the Hebrew race; and God used her dedicated body to bring Isaac into the world. But Rahab was an ungodly Gentile who worshiped pagan gods and sold her body for money. Humanly speaking, Sarah and Rahab had nothing in common. But from the divine viewpoint, Sarah and Rahab shared the most important thing in life: They both had exercised saving faith in the true and living God.

In Hebrews 11:31 Rahab, not Joshua is the person whose faith is honored. Matthew 1:5, 6 informs us she married Salmon. She is the great-grandmother of King David! She was ancestor of Joseph, husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. Wow! What a savior!

James 2:21, 25 reads: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? . . . In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?"

Scripture is absolutely clear that we are saved by grace alone through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." "Not of works, lest any man should boast."

God doesn't say clean up your act and then I will save you. That is legalism. God approaches the lost sinner and begins working in his heart. God seeks the lost to save them. God is interested in sinners, not self-righteous people. Rahab is a sinner. Her situation was desperate before God. She was headed for certain eternal destruction in that state.

Not only does the Bible associate Rahab with Sarah; but in James 2:21-26, it also associates her with Abraham. James used both Abraham and Rahab to illustrate the fact that true saving faith always proves itself by good works.

But there’s more: The Bible associates Rahab with the Messiah! When you read the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 1, you find Rahab’s name listed there (v. 5), along with Jacob, David, and the other famous people in the messianic line. She has certainly come a long way from being a pagan prostitute to being an ancestress of the Messiah! “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20).

But keep in mind that the most important thing about Rahab was her faith. That’s the most important thing about any person, for “without faith it is impossible to please Him [God]” (Heb. 11:6). Not everything that is called “faith” is really true faith, the kind of faith that is described in the Bible.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." God was at work in the heart of this pagan woman before the spies arrived! God strangely moved her heart. Where was God at work in Canaan? Right here in Rahab's heart. He set up His camp in the heart of a prostitute.

The Canaanites in Jericho were pagans. The city of Jericho was inhabited since about 8000 B.C. and it was located six miles west of the Jordan on a rich oasis. Archaeologists have discovered that the city was surrounded by double walls twelve feet between them. Simple houses were built on top of the timbers laid on top and spread between the two walls. When the city was destroyed by Joshua the walls fell outward and down.

The inhabitants were immoral, offered child sacrifices, priestesses were temple prostitutes, Sodomites were male temple prostitutes, etc. The Temples of Baal, Ashtoreth and other Canaanites were centers of vice. Baal was the principal god of the Canaanites, and his wife Ashtoreth was their goddess. She was the personification of the reproductive principle in nature. Her Babylonian name was Ishtar, Astarte her Greek name.

What made Canaanite worship of Baal so appealing to Israel was it was held to be the god of the weather and fertile crops. The worship of these Canaanite gods consisted of extravagant orgies in their vice centered temples. Immoral indulgence was a means of worship for the pagan Canaanites, and they murdered their first–born children as a sacrifice to the same gods.

One archaeological find revealed a number of jars containing the remains of children and new born babes who had been sacrificed to Baal.

More than likely, the two spies met her in the street where she could have been practicing her trade or perhaps, hearing of them, she was out looking for them as though she were drumming up customers as was the custom of a harlot (cf. Prov. 7:6-23). At this time she had come to believe that Israel’s God was the true God, but living in this totally decadent culture, it is unlikely she had such understanding of the Law of Moses.

Rahab may have recognized the men as strangers, and because the whole city was on alert to the possibility of spies, and because of her convictions about the God of Israel, she may have concluded they were Israelites and invited them into her house for protection.

This wonderfully illustrates God’s grace. He is no respecter of persons. He accepts and forgives us not because of what we are or might be, but because of His Son, because of what He would do and now has done and will do through those who trust Him and act in faith. It matters not what we were or have been. What matters is who Jesus Christ is, what He has done, and whether or not we will put our trust in Him through baptism for remission of sins.

This also points to God’s sovereign control over the affairs of men and how He directs the steps of those who rest in His provision or are looking to know Him better. God had worked in Rahab’s heart, He knew her faith, her longing to know God and perhaps even to become a part of God’s people, so God sovereignly worked and brought the spies and Rahab together for their protection and her blessing.

God could have made the spies invisible or smote the people with blindness or used angels, but He chose to use two men and one woman walking by faith with courage to act on their convictions and He chose to use the more normal circumstances of life.

Principle: In order for us to trust the Lord, are we looking for miracles, the sensational, and asking for out-of-the-ordinary experiences before we will step out and count for the Lord? Or are we willing to step out in the normal situations of life trusting God to use us and lead us to ordinary people whose hearts He has touched? Note that Joshua is an interesting combination of the miraculous and the ordinary.

The King Is Informed and Inquires About the Spies (2:2-3)

(Joshua 2:2-3 NIV) The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." {3} So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."

These verses indicate the whole city had been on alert and the spies were recognized and seen going into the home of Rahab. The fact the king did not tear down the door and storm into the house may have been a matter of oriental hospitality. They had great respect for hospitality even in this decadent city. In fact, Unger says, “Oriental custom accords an almost superstitious respect to a woman’s apartment.”[1]

The king would have assumed that the spies were staying with Rahab. In antiquity too, as in modern times, prostitutes frequently were involved in intelligence activities. The king expected Rahab to do her patriotic duty and turn the spies in. The ancient law code of Hammurabi contains the following provision: “If felons are banded together in an ale-wife’s [prostitute’s or innkeeper’s] house and she has not haled [them] to the palace, that ale-wife shall be put to death” (S.R. Driver and J.C. Miles, The Babylonian Laws [Oxford: Clarendon, 1956], 2:45).[2]

God is not looking for people of ability today. He is looking for availability. Just make yourself available! Do you remember why God could use these two spies? Because of their statement of Joshua 1:16 NIV) Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.

When you have that kind of spirit and attitude, god will use you. Tomorrow, why not pray like this: “God, if my heart is prepared and there is someone who needs to be encouraged or taught, someone who needs to be pointed to Jesus, use me.”

Rahab Lies and Conceals the Spies (2:4-7)

(Joshua 2:4-7 NIV) But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. {5} At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." {6} (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) {7} So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

In these verses Rahab conceals the spies, lies to protect the soldiers, and sends the soldiers of the king on a wild goose chase. Because to do otherwise was an act of treason and punishable by death, the king believed her to be loyal and didn’t even have her home searched.

At this point, we would do well to look at two New Testament verses and one Old Testament verse:

Hebrews 11:31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

Rahab was an unlikely candidate for the faithfuls’ hall of fame. For one thing, she was a prostitute. For another, she was a Gentile, and a Canaanite at that. She was, in fact, an Amorite, a race that God had long before marked for destruction (Gen. 15:16). Yet that is how God’s grace works. His mercy is open to all who will receive it, and His grace has always been wider than Israel, even in Old Testament times.

Rahab had no more light than any other inhabitant of Jericho; yet she believed, while the others disbelieved. They were more than simply unbelieving, they were disobedient. The implication is that they not only knew that the true God was with Israel but that He had also called them (that is, the Jerichoites) in some way. Yet they rejected God’s word. They had wanted to kill the Israelite spies, but Rahab had welcomed the spies in peace. They were prepared to fight Israel when she attacked the city, but Rahab again welcomed God’s people. For her faith, she and her family were spared. For their disbelief, all the others in the city were destroyed.

The destruction of the Canaanites was as great a social as it was a spiritual gain to the welfare of humanity. They were a debauched, idolatrous, and wicked people. They were noted for their grossly immoral and perverted sexual practices as well as for their general cruelty. Among other things, they frequently put live babies in jars and built them into their city walls as foundation sacrifices. They were begging for judgment.

In the midst of this pagan unbelief, Rahab believed, and confessed, “The Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Josh. 2:11). And in the midst of barbaric cruelty, she was kind and welcomed the spies in peace. She staked her life on the fact that God had said He would save and protect His people, Israel, and she wanted to be on His side. She had faith’s courage.

For her faithful courage Rahab not only was spared but was honored. She became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth, the great-great-grandmother of David, and she thereby came to be an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:5).

James 2:25 And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Joshua 6:17 And the city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

Why was Rahab saved? Because she had believed in the God of Israel. Hiding the messengers was an outworking of her faith. To hide the messengers was a calculated deception to protect them, just as many godly people hid Jews in European countries during World War II.

First, what Rahab did was a matter of faith. She had come to believe that the God of Israel was indeed “God in heaven above and earth beneath” (2:11) and she is listed in the faith Hall of Fame chapter.

Is it not strange that God often finds faith in the most unlikely people, in the most unlikely places? We have in our story a heathen Canaanite believing God. In fact, Rahab becomes a model of faith. After hearing bits and pieces of what Israel's God was doing, Rahab became convinced in her mind that Jehovah God was the only true and living God. (Joshua 2:11) Her faith may have been simple but she responded to the word that she received.

True faith, whether primitive or perfect, has to have something to stand on. Paul said, "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." As our foundation for faith today, I want to mention four things that the Word of God brings to us.

You don't have to be a theologian to find God. Rahab heard of the marvelous wonders wrought by Jehovah. She became convinced in her heart this was the God she wanted to worship. Further, she fully believed that God would destroy the city of Jericho and she acted on what she believed. Simple Faith!

Jericho was not known for this kind of faith. You have a lone palm tree flourishing in a desert. Rahab stood alone against her pagan culture. We, too, live in a culture that is hostile to vital faith. We live in a world controlled by Satan. It is really stupid not to expect spiritual warfare while living in enemy territory.

Rahab's singular faith is certainly a rebuke to those who give excuses for not trusting Christ. Have you heard these excuses? I trust that you are not making them. Here are four of them.

Rahab's faith was not perfect, but it was not something passive. The Bible commends her not for her falsehood, but for her faith. It was a faith which led to action. For one thing, she dared to risk her life for the protection of the spies. Her faith braves every danger in the way of duty. You can't help but admire this quality of faith. How few today are prepared to risk anything in the service of our Lord! We are creatures of comfort and security.

Faith is not something you enjoy, it's something you share. Can Christians enjoy their salvation without being deeply concerned for the salvation of their loved ones? Rahab was concerned not only about her own salvation, but about those who were dear to her. Let me add this extra note. To use the language of Joshua chapter two, Rahab wanted to get her family behind the "scarlet cord." Parents, let's make it our ambition to get our loved ones under the protection of the "scarlet cord." We can't lose even one.

Rahab made a life commitment. She made a decision to side with Israel against her own culture and country. Rahab never wavered. Her faith might have been simple but it stood the test. It stood firm in the midst of trouble. Let's leave Jericho and come to Hobe Sound. Where do you stand in your commitment to Christ? Make no mistake, somewhere along the line your faith will be tested. "Am I a soldier of the Cross, a follower of the Lamb, And shall I fear to own his cause, or blush to speak his name?"

There is an attempt by a number of commentators to soften the situation by arguing that Rahab was only an Innkeeper. She was not a bad person. But this does not hold up. The New Testament references support the conclusion that she was an immoral woman by all Bible standards. She was a prostitute. It is not our intent to play up her life of sin. We are not condoning her past. Neither does the Bible. It is our intent to glorify grace. "...Where sin abounded grace does much more abound."

Thank God for the "scarlet cord." The avenging death angel of judgment came to Jericho. Destruction took place. It was a terrible scene. But there was one house, however, that was spared. It was the house where the scarlet cord was hanging from the window.

Friends, there is a shelter in the time of storm. All believers are sheltered from the wrath of God by God's "scarlet cord" that symbolizes the blood of Jesus. We need to stay behind the "scarlet cord." Rahab did and she is shouting forever and saying, " I'm glad I put my lot with the people of God. I am glad for the scarlet cord."

God specializes in taking lost sinners, saving them by His grace and then using them for His service. God did this for Rahab. Rahab is not the girl she used to be.

Second, Rahab’s faith, which gave her strong convictions about God, caused her to act on her faith to the point of putting her life on the line.

She knew eventually Israel would attack the city and destroy it because their God was the true God, and she wanted to be delivered. She did not know a lot about Israel’s God, His laws of righteousness, or the way of salvation, but she knew He was the supreme God.

What about Rahab’s lie? Was it justified? Does Scripture condone it? Most commentaries approve of her faith, but disapprove of her lie. In essence, they approve of her hiding the spies, but not telling the lies.

Dr. Campbell writes, “To excuse Rahab for indulging in a common practice is to condone what God condemns. … The lie of Rahab was recorded but not approved. The Bible approves her faith, demonstrated by good works, but not her falsehood.”[3]

Pink agrees and says, “She failed to fully trust the Lord, and the fear of man brought a snare. He whose angels had smitten the men of Sodom with blindness (Gen. 19:11) and who had slain the fifty men sent to lay hands on His prophet (2 Kings 1:9-12), could have prevented those officers finding the spies.”[5]

But is this correct? What was she supposed to say? “If you think they are here, come on in and search the house.” Please note, this is a matter of warfare.

In 6:17 Joshua explained that Rahab was to be spared because she hid the spies, and she did this as an ally.

Note what Expositors Bible Commentary says: “Rahab lied as much in what she did as in what she said. Deception is an important strategy in warfare. Espionage would be impossible without it. When Rahab hid the spies, she sided with Israel against her own people. It was an act of treason!”[6]

In preparation for D Day in World War II, we purposely let the Germans believe that we were going to invade France at Calais when our intention was to invade the beaches of Omaha and Utah at Cherbourg France.

The Bible clearly condemns lying. Its commands forbid it, prophets condemn it, and godly people avoid doing it:

(Jeremiah 9:4-9 NIV) "Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. {5} Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning. {6} You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me," declares the LORD. {7} Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: "See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people? {8} Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit. With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him. {9} Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?"

(Zechariah 8:16 NIV) These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;

(Ephesians 4:25 NIV) Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Numbers 23:19 NIV) God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

But what about Rahab? She lied to protect the spies of Israel who had come to scout out the city of Jericho. The story of her heroics paint her in a very positive light; Joshua praised her efforts, and both testaments of the Bible praise and honor Rahab for doing this (Josh. 6:22–25; Heb. 11:31; James 2:25).

Her action made her part of God’s people, ultimately placing her in the line of ancestry to David and Jesus. Her lie was also part of the conquest of Canaan, a task that God commissioned and blessed. Does her example mean that lying can sometimes be an acceptable course of action?

We must be careful to make a distinction between Rahab’s faith and the way Rahab expressed it. The Bible praises Rahab because of her faith in God, not because of her lying. That is, her actions would have been more noble had she protected the spies in some other fashion; as it is, she did the best she could. Further, though the Bible calls Rahab a prostitute, we are not meant to take that as an endorsement for immorality.

Rahab, like the rest of us, had a mixed character, but she believed in God and strove to honor Him and His people. That is what draws her praise. We should honor Rahab the way the Bible does. She was a great heroine of the faith, who came from the most surprising place. In time, her name would be honored not only for what she did for Israel, but for what she became: a mother in the line of Jesus (Ruth 4:18–22; Matt. 1:5).^{^[7]}

Rahab’s Declaration of Faith (2:8-13)

(Joshua 2:8-13 NIV) Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof {9} and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. {10} We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. {11} When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. {12} Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign {13} that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

Faith is only as good as its object. Some people have faith in faith and think that just by believing they can make great things happen. Others have faith in lies, which is not faith at all but superstition. I once heard a psychologist say that the people in a support group “must have some kind of faith, even if it’s faith in the soft drink machine.” But faith is only as good as its object. How much help can you get from a soft drink machine, especially after you’ve run out of money?

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds us that “faith shows itself in the whole personality.” True saving faith isn’t just a feat of intellectual gymnastics by which we convince ourselves that something is true that really isn’t true. Nor is it merely a stirring of the emotions that gives us a false sense of confidence that God will do what we feel He will do. Nor is it a courageous act of the will whereby we jump off the pinnacle of the temple and expect God to rescue us (Matt. 4:5-7). True saving faith involves “the whole personality”: the mind is instructed, the emotions are stirred, and the will then acts in obedience to God.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet [the intellect], moved with fear [the emotions], prepared an ark [the will] . . .” (Heb. 11:7). Rahab’s experience was similar to that of Noah: She knew that Jehovah was the true God [the mind]; she feared for herself and her family when she heard about the great wonders He had performed [the emotions]; and she received the spies and pleaded for the salvation of her family [the will]. Unless the whole personality is involved, it is not saving faith as the Bible describes it.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the mind must be fully instructed in every aspect of Bible truth before a sinner can be saved. The woman with the hemorrhage only touched the hem of Christ’s garment and she was healed, but she acted on the little knowledge that she did possess (Matt. 9:20-22). Rahab’s knowledge of the true God was meager, but she acted on what she knew; and the Lord saved her.

Rahab showed more faith in the Lord than the ten spies had exhibited forty years before, when she said, “I know that the Lord has given you the land” (Josh. 2:9, nkjv). Her faith was based on facts, not just feelings; for she had heard of the miracles God had performed, starting with the opening up of the Red Sea at the Exodus. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17, nkjv).

Since the report of the Lord’s power had traveled to the people of Canaan, they were afraid; but this is what Israel expected their great God to do. “The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them” (Ex. 15:14-16). God promised to do this for Israel, and He kept His promise. “This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you” (Deut. 2:25, nkjv).

“The Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Josh. 2:11). What a confession of faith from the lips of a woman whose life had been imprisoned in pagan idolatry! She believed in one God, not in the multitude of gods that populated the heathen temples. She believed He was a personal God (“your God”), who would work on behalf of those who trusted Him. She believed He was the God of Israel, who would give the land to His people. This God whom she trusted was not limited to one nation or one land, but was the God of heaven and earth. Rahab believed in a great and awesome God!

Our confidence that we are God’s children comes from the witness of the Word of God before us and the witness of the Spirit of God within us (1 John 5:9-13). However, the assurance of salvation isn’t based only on what we know from the Bible or how we feel in our hearts. It’s also based on how we live; for if there hasn’t been a change in our behavior, then it’s doubt

ful that we’ve truly been born again (2 Cor. 5:21; James 2:14-26). It isn’t enough to say “Lord, Lord!” We must obey what He tells us to do (Matt. 7:21-27). Rahab’s obedience gave evidence of a changed life.

Rahab’s conversion was truly an act of God’s grace. Like all the citizens of Canaan, Rahab was under condemnation and destined to die. God commanded the Jews to “utterly destroy them” and show them no mercy (Deut. 7:1-3). Rahab was a Gentile, outside the covenant mercies shown to Israel (Eph. 2:11-13). She didn’t deserve to be saved, but God had mercy on her. If ever a sinner experienced Ephesians 2:1-10, it was Rahab!

First, we see Rahab’s confidence and conviction in the fact of the Lord’s power. Somehow she knew what had occurred at the Red Sea and afterwards and that it was the product of the sovereign power of Israel’s God. It was not merely the product of Israel’s genius or some quirk of nature that parted the Red Sea.

Application: This reminds us how our lives should not only be different, but there should also be that in our lives which points to God as the reason our lives are different through the things we do and say—like going to church, our concern for people and their needs, and our specific testimony giving a reason for the hope that is within us (1 Pet. 3:15-16).

Second, we see Rahab’s confidence and conviction in Israel’s God (Yahweh) as the one and only true God who rules over heaven and the affairs of men on earth. Her statement in verse 11, “… for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath,” is more than a statement that Israel’s God was a god. The idea is that He and He alone is the true God and that He is involved with the affairs of the earth and man.

Application: This reminds us of God’s involvement in our lives. He is the sovereign God who holds all things together by the word of His power, who is at work in our lives. Do we live in the light of this?

Third, we see Rahab’s confidence and conviction of coming judgment on her people and her desire to be delivered through aligning herself with the God of Israel (vs. 13). Note the “Now therefore …” This indicates that this request was the product of her knowledge, conviction, and faith concerning the Lord.

Fourth, we see in verses 12-13 that she was not only concerned about herself. Her concern included her family or household. This is God’s number one plan for evangelism, our network of family, friends, co-workers.

Rahab, however, wasn’t concerned only about her own welfare, for once she had personally experienced the grace and mercy of God, she was burdened to rescue her family:

Rahab wanted assurance from the two spies that when the city was taken, they would guarantee her family’s safety. The men gave her that guarantee in two ways: They pledged their word, and they pledged their lives that they would not break their word. In other words, they became surety for Rahab’s family, the way Judah became surety for Benjamin (Gen. 43:8-9).

The Book of Proverbs warns against “suretyship” in the business world because it involves a risk that could lead to your losing everything (Prov. 6:1ff; 11:15; 20:16; 27:13). However, in the realm of the spiritual, we are saved because Jesus Christ, who owed no debts, was willing to become surety for us (Heb. 7:22, niv).

The next time you sing “Jesus Paid It All,” remember that Jesus has pledged Himself as “the guarantee of a better covenant” (Heb. 7:22, niv). He died for us; and as long as He lives, our salvation is secure. Because of the promise of His Word and the guarantee of His eternal suretyship, we have confidence that “He is able to save completely [forever] those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them” (v. 25, niv).

The spies warned Rahab that she must not divulge any of this information to anybody in the city other than the members of her family. If she did, their agreement was canceled. What a contrast to the believer’s relationship to Jesus Christ, for He wants everybody to know that He has paid the price of redemption and that they can be saved by trusting Him. If Rahab talked too much, her life was in danger; but if we don’t talk enough, the lives of lost people around us are in danger.

Application: How concerned and involved are we in our network—praying for salvation, reaching out to know and love them, and in eventually sharing the love of Christ.

The inhabitants of the land were terror stricken. Three times in this chapter, the word “melted” is used to describe the emotional condition or the morale of the people (vss. 9, 11, 24). Mentally and emotionally, they were a defeated people. God had already given the people of Jericho into their hands. This had been the case for how long? Since they had heard about the events of the Red sea (2:9-11).

The question is, did Israel know it? With the exception of Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, the people of Israel refused to believe the promise of God, instead they allowed the negative report of the ten spies to melt their hearts because they were looking at the problems rather than at their God.

Note the irony here: the inhabitants were looking at Israel’s God and were shaking in their sandals. The Israelites, who had seen the mighty works of God over and over again, were looking at their problems rather than God and were terrorized into unbelief.

(Numbers 13:25-29 NIV) At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. {26} They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. {27} They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. {28} But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. {29} The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan."

(Deuteronomy 1:26-32 NIV) But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. {27} You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. {28} Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.'" {29} Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. {30} The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, {31} and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." {32} In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God,

Application: How like us this is! Regardless, whether it’s the bite of a mosquito or the charge of a lion, we must learn to keep our eyes on the Lord and off the problem:

(Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. {2} Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Response of the Spies (2:14)

(Joshua 2:14 NIV) "Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land."

Keeping quiet about their presence and refusing to inform on them would be an evidence of her faith in the Lord and good will to the people of God.

The Scarlet Thread (2:15-21)

(Joshua 2:15-21 NIV) So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. {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." {17} The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us {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. {19} If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. {20} But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear." {21} "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.

2. Second, she and her family were to remain in the house during the attack on the city.

3. Third, the spies reassured her that they would be free of their oath guaranteeing her protection if Rahab exposed their mission.

A covenant is simply an agreement, a contract between two or more parties, with certain conditions laid down for all parties to obey. You find a number of divine covenants recorded in Scripture:

e. ); the covenant concerning the land of Palestine, as explained in Deuteronomy;

g. the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ (Jer. 31:31; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 12:24).

You also find human covenants, such as the agreement between David and Jonathan (1 Sam. 18:3; 20:16) and between David and the people of Israel (2 Sam. 5:1-5).

Before the two spies left Rahab’s house, they reaffirmed their covenant with her. Since the men didn’t know God’s plan for taking the city, they couldn’t give Rahab any detailed instructions. Perhaps they assumed that the city would be besieged, the gates smashed down, and the people massacred. The men were certain that the city would fall and that ultimately the land would be taken.

Often in biblical covenants, God appointed some physical or material “token” to remind the people of what had been promised:

In the case of Rahab, the spies instructed her to hang a scarlet rope out of the window of her house, which was built into the wall (Josh. 2:18). This scarlet rope would identify the “house of safety” to the army of Israel when they came to take the city.

The color of the rope is significant for it reminds us of blood. Just as the blood on the doorposts in Egypt marked a house that the angel of death was to pass over (Ex. 12:1-13), so the scarlet rope marked a house on the Jericho wall whose occupants the Jewish soldiers were to protect.

Rahab let the men down from the window with that rope and kept it in the window from that hour. This was the “sure sign” of the covenant that she had asked for (Josh. 2:12-23).

It’s important to note that Rahab and her family were saved by faith in the God of Israel and not by faith in the rope hanging out the window. The fact that she hung the rope from the window was proof that she had faith, just as the blood of the slain lamb put on the doorposts in Egypt proved that the Jews believed God’s Word. Faith in the living God means salvation, and faith in His covenant gives assurance; but faith in the token of the covenant is religious superstition and can give neither salvation nor assurance.

The Jews depended on circumcision to save them, but they ignored the true spiritual meaning of that important rite (Rom. 2:25-29; Deut. 10:12-16; 30:6). Rahab had faith in the Lord and in the covenant promises He had made through His servants; and she proved her faith by hanging the scarlet rope from the window. When the Jews captured Jericho, they found Rahab and her family in her house; and they rescued them from judgment (Josh. 6:21-25).

Rahab was a woman of great courage. She had to tell all her relatives about the coming judgment and the promise of salvation, and this was a dangerous thing to do. Suppose one of those relatives told the king what was going on. She also had to give a reason for the scarlet line hanging out her window. Since Jericho was “securely shut up” (v. 1, nkjv), it isn’t likely that there were people outside the walls; but a stranger coming into the city for safety might have seen the scarlet cord. Or somebody visiting Rahab’s house might have asked about it.

The spies left Rahab’s house and hid until they were sure their pursuers had given up the chase. Then they returned to the camp of Israel and gave Joshua the good news that the fear of the Lord had brought the people of the land to a place of helplessness. Rahab not only brought hope to her family, but she also gave great encouragement to Joshua and the army of Israel.

The people of Israel, however, weren’t ready yet to cross the river and conquer the enemy. They had some “unfinished business” to take care of before they could be sure of the blessing of the Lord.

This story was much like the deliverance experienced in the last plague God brought on Pharaoh and on Egypt when He killed the firstborn in every household, but He spared the Israelites because of the blood of the Passover lamb which had been sprinkled on the two doorposts and the lintel of their houses. Though it has not been identified as such, it seems the scarlet thread was a picture of Christ.

· In the days of Noah, there was safety and refuge for those who entered into the door of the ark.

· In Egypt there was safety and refuge for those who were gathered behind the doors that were sprinkled with the blood of the Passover lamb.

· For you and me, there is safety and refuge from eternal judgment—but only if we enter the right door: Jesus Christ alone. As He said in John 10:9, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved.”

The Return and Report of the Spies (2:22-24)

22 And they departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had sought them all along the road, but had not found them. 23 Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands, and all the inhabitants of the land, moreover, have melted away before us.”

Joshua and the men of Israel saw the words and actions of Rahab as a clear evidence of the sovereign providence and blessing of the Lord. Note their confidence, “Surely, the Lord has given all the land into our hands, …”

(1) This demonstrates God’s concern and work to deliver one person or one family who will trust Him (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9). It reminds us God knows the hearts of men and will lead us to them if we are only available. It also teaches us that the work of God must take place at both ends.

(2) It demonstrates God’s protection and provision of His servants to enable them to carry out their calling and purpose regardless of the circumstances. The only thing that can hinder us in doing the will of God and fulfilling our calling is our own unbelief.

(3) It demonstrates how our faith should lead to action and ministry to and for others. Rahab reached out to both the spies and to her household (John 1:35-51; 4:28-29, 39:

(John 1:35-51 NIV) The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. {36} When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" {37} When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. {38} Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" {39} "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. {40} Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. {41} The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). {42} And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter). {43} The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." {44} Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. {45} Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." {46} "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. {47} When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." {48} "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." {49} Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." {50} Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." {51} He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

(John 4:28-29 NIV) Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, {29} "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

(John 4:39 NIV) Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did."

(4) It demonstrates how God’s mercy and grace overcomes His wrath through the cross. Rahab was an Amoritess and according to the law of Moses there was to be no pity or covenant with any inhabitants—only judgment (cf. Deut. 7:2). Through her genuine faith, she became an exception.

(5) Rahab forms a type and a pledge of God’s purpose to save the Gentiles who, though without hope in the world (Eph. 2:12), could to come to God and be a partaker with Israel through faith in Christ.

(6) Rahab provides a lesson by noting the contrast with Israel as well as the other inhabitants of Jericho. It becomes a warning against the hardening of the heart in those who see and hear but fail to respond by faith. Just hearing is not enough. Note the applications here:

(Hebrews 4:1-2 NIV) Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. {2} For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.

(Joshua 2:9-11 NIV) and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. {10} We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. {11} When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

(Mark 6:52 NIV) for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

(Hebrews 3:7-11 NIV) So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, {8} do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, {9} where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. {10} That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' {11} So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'"

Christina lives in a small dusty village in Brazil. Her heart was empty and she felt like society had cheated her of its joys. She longed for the excitement of the big city of Rio. One morning her mother Maria found Christina's bed emp