Hope Like the Harlot

If you have your Bibles, please scroll or turn with me to the Book of Joshua. We will be reading in Chapter 2 as we continue our Journey with Joshua this morning.

We read through Chapter 1 over the past 2 weeks where there had been the death of Moses, a period of mourning, followed by a period of planning & preparing. But we have come to the point where it is time to start talking. There is one thing that modern Christians are good at. That is talking. We can talk a good game. Sadly, so many Followers of Jesus fall short when it is time to put that talk into action. This morning we look at Joshua Chapter 2 where the talking was over and now we see Joshua take action.

In the first 7 verses of Chapter 2 we see Joshua send spies to get a better look at the land. It is during this expedition that we are introduced to Rahab. God’s Word identifies her as a harlot which is a prostitute.

It was at her house that the spies, which had been spent by Joshua, decided to stay. The King of Jericho caught wind of this, which is a good reminder for us that no matter what you do rather it be with the best of intentions or terrible motives. Rather you are acting in the Spirit or in the flesh. Rather you are being out front or secretive. Things will always be found out. Truth comes to the light – AMEN. Well the King sends people to this Harlot’s House & we see that she is obviously a flawed person not only because she is labeled a harlot. We also know by reading in Verses 3 through 6 that she is deceptive & dishonest with the King’s men. She lies to them!

That is where we are going to pick up this morning.

Joshua 2: 8-24 says,

“8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;

9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, [See-hone] and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token:

13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

16 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

17 And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.

19 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

22 And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.

23 So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of [noon], and told him all things that befell them:

24 And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.”

Let’s Pray

Despite Rahab’s faults there is a lot that can be learned from her. There is a ton that can be learned about our relationship with God through this text. There is a lot to be learned about our approach to following Jesus. There is a lot that this harlot can teach us about faith. Now you might think, Danny are you saying that a prostitute may have a stronger faith than me. Well, that is exactly what I am saying. But do not take my word for it. Let’s take a closer look at God’s Word & see what He has to say about it – AMEN.

The title of the message this morning is, “Hope Like the Harlot”. I want to cite James Smith as I will quote him a few times this morning. Now, What wisdom, understanding, or knowledge can we possibly gain from the actions of Rahab?

1.) She Trusted

Joshua 2:9 says,

“9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.”

The 1st action we see is that She Trusted. Notice that God’s Word did not say she said I think the Lord have given you the land, she did not say well so & so at a certain temple talks about, she did not say that there are rumors that say the Lord have given you the land. She says without doubt or waver & blatantly that she knows that the Lord have given the land.

What is it that she is putting trust in? In God. She referred to God as Lord. There are many people who say they have faith in Christ, who say they love Him, who say that they trust Him for their salvation. There is just one problem we love the mercy & grace of God. We love the fact that we have the ability & free will to choose Him to save us. But so many struggle with the action that follows this choice. That is trusting Him by making Jesus the Lord of your life. I like what Dr. Roger Willmore penned on this topic when he wrote, “Lordship was the very heart of Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross.”

Consider Romans 14: 8-9 which says,

“8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”

So many hear God’s Word, observe prophecy unfolding, yet it fails to cause a change in our lives. Rahab trusted, believed, & had faith. That faith produced a fear of the Lord.

Proverbs 9:10 says,

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

You cannot Follow Jesus Christ, you cannot retain Godly wisdom, you cannot reach your full potential from a spiritual perspective without having trust & a healthy fear of the Lord.

2.) She Tuned In

Joshua 2:10 says,

“10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, [See-Hone] and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.”

The 2nd action we see is that She Tuned In.

My daughter Ryleigh has a radio in her room. Now, I love this little radio she has because there is a feature it has that reminds me of my childhood. It does not have the buttons where you select the exact radio station you want. It does not have a digital display where you can see exactly what station your on. It has a little wheel on the side where you scroll until you find your station. Now we are a 90.5 family, they play Christian music. There are times when you have to move that wheel just a bit because the songs have started to become a bit to staticky or you can not hear music at all rather you hear white noise. Well when that happens you have to tune it in so you can get the station.

Here in our text we see where Rahab is tuned into the things of God. She says she heard the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea. There are some who are so focused on the static & white noise of this world that they allow themselves to be robbed of what God wants them to know. She was not preoccupied with the wrongdoings of the Children of Israel. She was not concerned with the sins of Moses that kept him from entering the promised land. She heard of God’s mighty work and that is what she was tuned into.

The words of God delivering His people and providing a way for them to escape by parting the sea is what she tuned in to & why? That is what was being said, after all she said that she had heard. Christians do we spend time talking about the wonder of God, His miraculous actions, His ability to save our souls to others or do we care more about communicating something else. When we gather together do we celebrate incredible love of Jesus or do we choose to focus on the nonsense of this world. Do we discuss the fact that Jesus opened a way, He prepared a way for us to get to Heaven, just like he prepared a way for the Children of Israel to get to the promised land or our we more interested in mourning this fallen world where men & women fall short constantly.

Because celebrating Jesus, sharing the amazing things He does in our lives, talking about the fact that it is His atoning blood which covers the sin of those who surrender to Him, that is what makes people tune in. Are you more tuned in to God & His Word or are you more concerned with the gripe, gossip, and grievances that you have of this world? You cannot Follow Jesus Christ if you are not tuned in to God.

3.) She Told the Truth

Joshua 2:11 says,

“11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.”

The 3rd action we see is that she Told the Truth. She told the truth when it came to God. As soon as the people heard of the things that God had done at the Red Sea & to the 2 Kings there was no more courage in them. They would not fight. They had accepted their fate and was fearful of that fate. The Canaanites were fearful of being overthrown.

However, she knows that God is in control no matter what takes place. Rahab does not speak from a perspective of someone with superiority. Instead, she makes true confession of her powerlessness and hopelessness. Rahab’s confession of God’s actions of redeeming Israel from Egypt and beyond is the foundation for the salvation faith that she declares with her mouth and believes in her heart. That sounds like someone placing their faith in God to me.

Romans 10:9 says,

“9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

4.) She Requested a True Token

The 4th action we can identify is her request for a True Token.

Joshua 2: 12-13 says,

“12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token:

13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”

She requested a pledge of faithfulness because she had extended kindness, she believed it would be reciprocated. Her request was not only for herself, but also for her “father’s house,” and even that was not all. She pleaded for an assuring evidence that her request would be granted. A true token or you could say a guarantee is given to every believer & Follower of Jesus.

Hebrews 6:18 says,

“18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:..”

The Spirit also bear witness with our spirit for He is the TRUE TOKEN!

5.) She Tried

Joshua 2:14 says,

“14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.”

The 5th action we see is that She Tried. She tried to deal fairly with these spies that she had helped. You could look at this & say she was trying to take advantage of the situation but really look at what she is asking for. She is trying to secure a promise that her & her family will be safe.

She has now received the promise. If she rested on the promise of men, surely the promise of God is greater. Faith lays hold on the Word of God. If they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead. “He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar.”

6.) She Toiled

Joshua 2:15 says,

“15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.”

The 6th action we see is that she toiled. In James Chapter 2 the apostle attaches on this act to establish that she was justified by her works. Faith without the works that manifest life is dead. We are justified before God without works by faith only; but faith in God will be justified before men by works of love and kindness. Faith which worketh by love.

7.) She Toed the Line

Joshua 2: 18-21 says,

“18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.

19 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.’

The 7th action we see is that she toed the line. Do you know what that expression really means? It means you accept authority, you comply, you follow, you are obedient. Rahab honored her father and mother by seeking their salvation as well as her own. Being a Follower of Jesus Christ is a life of simple obedience. A life of toeing the line. Take refuge under the scarlet line of Christ’s blood that continually intervenes for us. The scarlet line was to Rahab the sign of the covenant, so she bound it in the window immediately. She toed the line.

8.) She Triumphed

We find out in Chapter 6 that Joshua saves Rahab and dwelt in Israel. She received amply above all that she asked for or though of. We find out she becomes the wife of a prince in Israel, and the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. Therefore, she was brought into the noble and glorious line of our Lord’s genealogy which is highlighted in the 1st Chapter in the Gospel of Matthew. All who believe are made the sons and daughters of God, brought into His family, and made partakers of the divine nature. Rahab, through her faith, was both saved and sanctified. And it all started with Hope.

This morning I pray that we all have Hope like a Harlot.

Will you pray with me?