One Person Can Make the Difference

Joshua  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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One Person Can Make the Difference

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2 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

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Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world, claims to be the oldest
first city that we know of to feature walls
has lots of wells
Bible calls it “city of palms”

2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. 3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.

The king of Jericho somehow gets word of the spies, maybe they stuck out and someone saw them and reported it to the king
The children of Israel seemed like a looming threat on the horizon to the local kings, because as we will see, people knew what God had done for them
how he parted the red sea for them and how all the things that happened to them while moses was alive
The king wants Rahab to turn them over to the king, for who knows what punishment
This brings Rahab to a point where she has to make a a decision, she is confronted by this ultimatum, she has to choose whether she turns them over or whether she chooses to take care of them

4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: 5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.

Some ask, was it okay for Rahab to lie?
On the whole, what she did was good. She hid the spies, saved their lives, and in so doing aided Joshua and the Israelites in what they were doing
We notice that God did not tell her to lie, this is just what she happened to do. We see other similar examples in the Bible where God’s plan worked out in the big picture, but sometimes people used not so great means to get to that point, because they were people, and therefore flawed
Jacob and Rachel and the blessing
This is not ideal though, God wants us to always tell the truth, in fact, God IS truth, as we saw in 1 John
“Closing the city gate at dusk was not an unusual practice for walled towns, but it was much more rigorously observed when an enemy was at hand. Hittite records speak of the diligence with which this was undertaken. The highest ranking officials in the town personally supervised the locking and sealing of the gate. Since the gates were massive structures with chambers between the several entrances, watchmen and even officers slept right by the gate.”

5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. 6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. 7 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

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Rahab tells the king that the spies have left, and that she doesn’t know where they went
she also encourages t he king to go after them
However, the spies were actually at Rahab’s house, because Rahab was trying to protect the Israelites, the men who were part of God’s plan
flax was often spun into yarn, flax was harvested between Feb and March in the region
We see that the army went after them
A ford, almost certainly the one mentioned here, is an hour or two's ride from Shittim. These fords were easy to cross save when the Jordan, as was now the case (Joshua 3:15), overflowed its banks. This may have been the reason why the pursuers did not cross the fords, but they pursued the spies to the fords, hoping to find their retreat cut off. This is rendered more probable by the fact (ver. 22) that the pursuers appear to have continued their search after leaving the fords.

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.

We see here Rahabs motivation for hiding the spies
She confesses that she knows God has given the Israelites the land, implying she knows of and believes in God
She says that the people of Jericho are terrified because of the Israelites, they know God’s people are near and all that God has done for them, and that God has given them the land
She believes in God’s power to help God’s people take the land

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, Sihon 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.

The stories of everything God had done for His people have traveled far and wide
they knew about the Red sea crossing, when God helped them conquer 2 kings and their cities previously, and possibly the other stories that had happened in Egypt and the wilderness
Everyone was afraid, back then, other nations usually had a multitude of God’s and apparently figured that God was one powerful god among a multitude of gods

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.

Rahab KNOWS that the Israelites are coming and that they WILL take over the city, she BELIEVES, enough to ask them to save her family when they come
“Literally ‘the house of my father,’ this expression refers to Rahab’s extended family, including the relations described in verse 13. This forms the basic sociological unit of West Semitic society (including Canaan and Israel) in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Traditionally, this family unit is led by the eldest male. Here, in a unique manner, Rahab negotiates on behalf of her extended family.”
“Moreover, in the language of Rahab, we see the faith described by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, when he calls it a sight of things not appearing. (Hebrews 11:1) Rahab is dwelling with her people in a fortified city: and yet she commits her life to her terrified guests, just as if they had already gained possession of the land, and had full power to save or destroy as they pleased. This voluntary surrender was, in fact, the very same as embracing the promise of God, and casting herself on his protection.
She, moreover, makes an oath, because often, in the storming of cities, the heat and tumult of the struggle shook off the remembrance of duty. In the same way she mentions the kindness she had shown to them, that gratitude might stimulate them to keep their promise. For although the oath ought of itself to have been enough, it would have been doubly inhumane not to show gratitude to a hostess to whom they owed deliverance. Rahab shows the kindness of her disposition, in her anxiety about her parents and kindred.”

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.

Kindness must be mutual if it is to be effective, whether for individuals or nations. It is a two way street.Considerateness must be reciprocal if it is to be something more than a word. The spies recognize the fairness of the plea and respond to it. We will deal kindly and truly with thee. A pledge is a pledge, no matter to whom it is made, and must be redeemed.

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.

“Houses built into the side of the city wall were common in this period. This benefited the city by adding extra width and support for the wall and benefited the resident by providing a firm wall to support the house. Excavations at Jericho have discovered houses built onto the walls. Sometimes between the inner and outer parts of the wall.
She let them out of the house in secret, keeping her promise to the spies.
As we see later in the chapter, she was rewarded for keeping her promises and her belief in God, her life was spared for this reason.

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.

Interestingly, she tells them to wait three days, 3 is one of those numbers that appears many times in the Bible, but I’ll let you do your own studies on that.
The conduct of Rahab proved that she had the real principle of faith.
A range of white limestone hills extends on the north, called Quarantania (now Jebel Karantu), rising to a height of from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred feet, and the sides of which are perforated with caves. Some one peak adjoining was familiarly known to the inhabitants as "the mountain." The prudence and propriety of the advice to flee in that direction rather than to the ford, were made apparent by the sequel.

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

Just as Rahab kept is keeping her promise, the spies promsie to keep theirs
They made this oath before God, they know that God will see them, and that they will be judged one day. They are being obedient to God by keeping their oath
God wants honesty and integrity from His people

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.

“The scarlet cord, like the blood upon the doorpost at the passover, recalls to remembrance the sinner's security under the atoning blood of Christ; and that we are to flee thereto for refuge from the wrath of a justifiably offended God. The same cord Rahab used for the saving of these Israelites, was to be used for her own safety. What we serve and honour God with, we can expect that he will bless, and make useful to us.”

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.

They both, people of God, kept their promises, according unto their words
“A harlot saw this; and she who in the destruction of the city lost all hope of any means of safety inside the city, because her faith had conquered, bound a scarlet thread in her window, and thus uplifted a sign of her faith and the banner of the Lord’s passion; so that the semblance of the blood, which should redeem the world, might be in memory.”
So, with a reference to the shedding of blood, it was a scarlet cord which the harlot Rahab hung in her window that she might be saved at the destruction of Jericho.
The spies might see it hung out before their departure, and so the better know it at some distance; partly, lest some accident might occasion a mistake or neglect about it; and partly, for her own comfort, it being pleasant and encouraging to her to have in her eye the pledge of her deliverance.
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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.

They fled to the mountains, like Rahab suggested to them, and they were delivered, saved, from those that were chasing after them
It was God working through all these people that enabled this to happen
Rahab believed, and therefore helped the spies, the spies believed, and therefore listened to her, then they were delivered
faith in God made this whole scenario work out, they were saved because of their faith, one might say

23 So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, 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.

They all knew God was giving them the land, and this knowledge was confirmed when they went in, saw the city, got inside knowledge, and learned how everyone was afraid of them
they were afraid for a good reason
if God is with us, who can be against us?
Jericho, very strong and historic city
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