A Story with a Back-Story

Hebrews 11:30–31 ESV

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

We must return to Joshua 6:1-5

Where Does Faith Play into This?

You’ve been told to conquer a city…does this sound like any way to go about it?

Walls are about 13 feet high! 6 feet at the base

City was only about 1/2 sq mile (St. Johnsville)

March would be about 30K feet of circumference 5 1/2 miles +/_

7th day would have been 38 miles…Pretty good hike…then the battle

They had seen God do some amazing things during the Exodus

This began the conquest…they needed to see Him act powerfully for them in battle

That Matter of Rahab

The back-story

She’d hidden the spies, Josh. 2:8-14

Yes, she lied!

She didn’t have THAT much faith

Interesting factoids

One of the longest uninterrupted narratives by a woman in the OT

Notation of the chronicler “…lives among the Israelites until this day”

Yeah…she did

Matthew 1:5 ESV

and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

She gets another commendation

James 2:25 ESV

And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Once again, the idea of works proving out the faith...

Power of Faith

Informational power—a former prostituted is in the lineage of Jesus

Functional power—taking what would seem to be a bizarre military tactic results in the rapid conquest of a city