"Scarlet Hope"

Introduction

This week, we are continuing our journey through the book of Joshua. Last week we were introduced to 3 themes that run throughout the text:

Another Moses

Transition as a People

Obedience, Strength, Courage

We ended with sobering words of Moses “Death”… and the reassuring words for Joshua to “arise”. Our final takeaway was best summed up in the Apostle John’s words from John 12:24 -

John 12:24 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

And Colossians 1:13-14

Colossians 1:13–14 ESV

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We opened the proverbial doorway for the Israelites NOT ONLY to take the land God had promised to Abraham. BUT, to allow those who were NOT Israelites to join the deliverance offered by Yahweh!

So Joshua 2 unfolds… and it all starts with the entrance of a “Shady Lady”.

Now, there are a few things to note about the interaction of the spies and the person of Rahab. First things first. We need to address the elephant in the room.

(Give caveat - my goal in this portion of the message is to convey accuracy NOW - with the role of Rahab - So we can see accurately the portrayal of the Gospel later… In no way am I addressing the quandary of her job status as a prostitute to somehow come off “edgy” or “raise your eyebrows.” God in His foreknowledge did a whole lot more with Rahab than simply use her “job” as a means to make readers skittish. But if you don’t know what SHE WAS - to the best of our knowledge - You CAN’T KNOW how

PROVOCATIVE concerning deliverance and salvation is her situation in the account.)

neither is there a need to EXAGGERATE the reality that Rahab was a prostitute… Nor is there justice in VEILING the reality that Rahab was a prostitute.

The Content of the Dialogue

Symbols communicate - powerfully. Billion dollar companies, community non-profits or character development organizations ALL communicate, articulate, and motivate their employees and followers through symbols.

If I were to ask you what “grand-scale” symbols were used throughout the Scriptures to communicate God’s plan for mankind, what would you immediately think of?

Light

Water

Fire

The Cross

Empty tomb

With some thought and some time to connect the dots, I bet most of you could piece together a systematic theology of how any one of those 5 examples teach us the grand-scheme of God’s plan for mankind. In some way, each of those mentioned helps us see God’s creation, man’s Fall, God’s intervention, and mankind’s redemption. ALL OF THAT… wrapped up in just one symbol.

If I were to ask you what some of these symbols mean couldn’t you tell me?

You know those symbols well. Some are text explanations - nonetheless, signs and symbols. But what about this symbol?

Make a note of some of these standout points in this second chapter of Joshua.

The dialogue between the spies and Rahab marks the longest dialogue in the entire book.

What’s markedly different about this dialogue is how it breaks the original flow of the writing. All of the sudden, there is a major shift - and early in the text - that casts light on a completely unlikely character. JOSHUA makes’s sense.

He was the assistant to Moses

He served Israel for 40 years prior to this moment.

He proved himself brave, devout, and steadfast.

However, the chapter says nothing of Joshua except at the very beginning and the very end!

He deploys the “spies”

He receives their report

That’s it! Joshua isn’t mentioned anymore.

But the soldiers and ESPECIALLY Rahab, are conversing.

Rahab signifies that God was willing to avail her life as someone who had served the most heinous and despicable ‘gods’ of the ancient world.

Rahab lies to the soldiers of her own country in an effort to protect herself and her family. The account is well explained by several scholars - one such was Bruce Waltke. In his entry in the New Bible Commentary concerning situations of deceptions like the Hebrew midwives lying to Pharaoh and Moses’ parents hiding him for three months he wrote:

In all these situations we do not accuse the participants of acting according to the unethical principle that a right end justifies a wrong means. Rather, we recognize that in such situations deception is legitimate, not wrong. So also the OT recognizes that in war intelligence, counter-intelligence and decoys are all part of ‘the game’.

Waltke, B. K. (1994). Joshua. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 239). Inter-Varsity Press.

Other notable perspectives that don’t perfectly align with Waltke are:

Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The House of Rahab (2:2–8)

It is best not to excuse Rahab’s actions, but neither to be troubled by them. In so far as they were wrong, the narrator and Israelite readers would understand that her acceptance among the people of Israel would also provide the means for forgiveness of such sin. The ethical issue is not the concern of the narrative. It stresses the deception, not in order to condemn Rahab but to magnify her personal risk in hiding the spies. After all, she could have said nothing and allowed the agents to search her house. By pointing in another direction, she risked being caught, but in the end she delivered her new-found friends.

Still others explain the deception of Rahab in less “acceptable” terms:

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:7

To excuse Rahab for indulging in a common practice is to condone what God condemns. Paul quoted a prophet of Crete who said that Cretans were inveterate liars, and then added, “This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13). The lie of Rahab was recorded but not approved. The Bible approved her faith demonstrated by good works (Heb. 11:31), but not her falsehood. (However, some explain Rahab’s lying by saying that deception is allowable in war.)

I think this moment in the narrative will best serve us as followers of Christ and as students of the Scriptures to reckon that Rahab’s lie is never approved her condoned by God. Her misleading the Jericho soldiers could have easily placed her guilty before the King of Jericho.

Hesed - The steadfast loyalty between Rahab and the Spies (2:12-21)

Notice that Rahab “runs the table” in this dialogue. (Perhaps that’s the common way as some men know any “dialogue” with a woman :) - just kidding! I out talk Dez 2-1 EVERY day!)

Her request is for the “kindness”. In the OT kindness or hesed is a covenantal contract based in steadfast faithfulness and loyalty. It’s a kindness that God used to describe himself in relation to the covenants He made with his children, Israel. Here, Rahab asks for this covenant bond to be made between her and the spies. The serious of the contract is evidenced by her willingness to bring her family in on the deal. And, it’s reciprocated in the response of the spies -

Joshua 2:14 ESV

And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

The only “bargain” made by the spies is this… The cord they use to lower themselves down the wall… MUST be hung out the window so all Israel’s army will recognize this hesed covenant made between the spies and Rahab.

Rahab’s response… it’s much like Joshua’s response to God once commissioned to be strong and courageous… she IMMEDIATELY ties the scarlet rope out the window to wave in the light of sun until Israel marches around the city.

The Scarlet Cord of Deliverance and Salvation was draped down the walls of Jericho echoing the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt - seen in the Passover - (Exodus 12:23 “For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.” ) and it WHISPERED loudly the DELIVERANCE and SALVATION of mankind THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST as He was the door through which any may enter! That “doorway to salvation” was opened by His blood dripped from the cross! It was Scarlet Hope! Rahab's “lifeline” - was that scarlet cord. Remember, it was guaranteed by the soldiers lives! Likewise, for all mankind, our lives are saved and guaranteed by the POURED OUT BLOOD OF JESUS.

The Takeaway

Look at the lineage of our King; Our Messiah; Our Deliverer. If you’ve followed Jesus for some time, you may already know this… if you haven’t, perhaps this will enlighten your understanding of God’s unmitigated love for His people.

There are only 4 women noted in the entire 14 generation genealogy of Jesus. Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, and Mary - A twisted seducer, an impoverished widow, a prostitute and a teenage mother.

SOUND LIKE THE ALL-STAR CAST from which you would call for the “clean-up” batter? I don’t think so. BUT GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS OF TURNING THE ‘BAD NEWS BEARS’ INTO CHAMPIONS. He’s always been calling people who were sick, despondent, troublesome, troubled and depraved INTO THE VERY INSTRUMENTS from which He would strum songs of deliverance and amazing grace!

**NO MATTER who you are… NO MATTER WHAT you have done… Deliverance and Salvation are made available by God.**

Who. Are. You? And from whom do you come? What is your history? Are you and I not the same as Rahab - men and women of no repute before the King of Kings - but fully accepted and wholly included in the deliverance from our anti-god culture? Are we not the exact opposite of Joshua - the new national hero of the Israelites and ardent follower of Yahweh?

We couldn’t be further from the requirements of God necessary for salvation… but we couldn’t be more primed for the provisions made to receive deliverance and salvation. The Scarlet Hope is not just Rahab the prostitutes story of acceptance to the God of Israel… it’s the story of our welcome and inclusion into the promises of God for all who turn from their wickedness and follow the Conqueror of Nations (Egypt) and Death.