The Promise of Victory

The Israelites prepared for their conquest of the promised land, and first up was the fortified city of Jericho. God’s works and power had gone before the Israelites, and the people of Jericho were terrified, just like God had promised.

Exodus 23:27 NASB

“I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

Deuteronomy 2:25 NASB

‘This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

Yet the awareness of that terror did not prevent everyone in the city from retreating behind their city walls for what they thought or at least hoped was safety, hoping they could hold out against the advancing Israelites, everyone except for a woman named Rahab. We will see that Rahab alone, among the people of Jericho, believed that God would be victorious and appealed to Him and His people for an act of kindness: to spare her and her family from the coming destruction.

Session Outline

++God’s power and Godhead can be seen by all (Rom. 1:20), but it is accepted by few (Josh. 2:8-13).

++God’s justice and power is unstoppable (2 Thess. 1:6-8), but He is faithful to the few who surrender to Him (Josh. 6:15-17,20-21).

++God’s pardon is irreversible (Isa. 55:7), and His blessings last forever (Josh. 6:22-25).

Session in a Sentence

God responds to whoever accepts His mercy and provides salvation to them that cannot be taken away.

Christ Connection

Rahab recognized God’s future victory and appealed to the spies for mercy so she would be spared from the coming destruction. When Jericho fell, Rahab received mercy and was brought in to become part of the people of God. God’s future plan for her descendents was accomplished according to God’s eternal decree, she believed the promise in faith, and was saved.

Missional Application

Are we willing to recognize, like Rahab, God’s future victory in our lives and appeal to Him in faith to protect us and fulfill His promises to us? Are we willing to trust God in where He leads us while at the same time being open to what He may be doing in others?

Group Time

Introduction

DDG (p. 57)

If your car has ever run out of gas, had a flat tire, or broken down, especially in an unfamiliar area, you probably understand what it is like to feel vulnerable and helpless. Perhaps you even needed to rely on the mercy and kindness of a stranger to call a tow truck, give you a ride to a gas station, or help you repair your vehicle.

Ask the following question.

What have you felt when you found yourself at the mercy of others?

Why do you think you had that response?

(be prepared to give an answer of your own to jump-start the conversation)

Relying on the help of others can make us fell like a failure, weak, or vulnerable.

· Times like these can be challenging, even frightening. Many of us want to be strong on our own. We want to be able to handle ourselves, to provide for ourselves, to make our own way in life. We don’t want to be a burden to others, and we don’t want to be viewed as weak. And so, relying on the kindness, generosity, and mercy of someone else makes us feel like a failure.

· Times of needing others can actually be good for us, however. God can use them to chip away at our pride and independence, both of which are antithetical to the gospel. Relying on the kindness, generosity, and mercy of another is at the very heart of the gospel. We cannot come to God in any other way than in a posture of humility, submission, and neediness. As has often been said, no one comes to the cross standing; we can only come on our knees. Our idea of strength is actually weakness, and it is only through our weakness that we are able to find true strength.

1 Corinthians 1:24–25 NASB

but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The news of God’s works and power had gone before the Israelites, and the people of Jericho were terrified. Yet that did not prevent everyone in the city from retreating behind their city walls, hoping they could hold out against the advancing Israelites, everyone except for a woman named Rahab. Rahab alone, among the people of Jericho, believed that God would be victorious and appealed to Him and His people for an act of kindness: to spare her and her family from the coming destruction.

Point 1: God’s power and Godhead can be seen by all (Rom. 1:20), but it is accepted by only a few (Josh. 2:8-13).

Original Point 1: An enemy recognizes God’s future victory and appeals for mercy (Josh. 2:8-13).

At the command of Joshua, two Israelite spies infiltrated the walls of Jericho and scouted out the city. They took shelter with a woman whose reputation was tarnished but whose profession would provide them with cover and anonymity: Rahab the prostitute. When their purpose was discovered by the city authorities, she hid them and protected them from arrest, and then she made an important request of these spies.

Read Joshua 2:8-13 (DDG p. 58).

8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”

DDG (p. 58)

Rahab, along with all the people of Jericho, had heard about the God of the Israelites. They heard the stories of their escape from Egypt and their victories over their enemies, stories they accepted as fact, and they were so afraid. But there was something different about Rahab from all the other residents of her city—she knew the Lord would be victorious for His people and she put her faith in the only One who could save her.

· Rahab had heard of God’s mighty acts (v. 10), but she also knew what was coming (v. 9): God would be victorious and the Israelites would conquer the land and destroy the peoples of the land. She found herself on the losing side with no weapon that could withstand such power.

· Rahab followed her understanding with a statement of faith that the God of the Israelites is God alone in heaven and on earth (v. 11). Though she had only heard about Him secondhand, she called on Yahweh Elohim, the Creator God, through His representatives, the spies, to show mercy to her and her family.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith and hope are intertwined. We see in Rahab’s conversation with the spies that her hope and faith were not in herself, her city, or her people but in God because He alone is all-powerful. When all the others of her city were without hope, she could hope because she put her faith in the only One who could save.

Next thing in DDG (p. 58).

WHY DID RAHAB DESERVE JUDGMENT?

++She was a Canaanite of Jericho

++She was a prostitute

++She was a sinner

· Why Did Rahab Deserve Judgment?

It might be tempting to look at Rahab and wonder why she would be spared.

First, she was of the wrong people: a Canaanite, numbered among the enemies of God and His people.

Second, she was of the wrong profession: a prostitute.

Third, and in summary, she was a dreadful sinner, an enemy in open rebellion against God.

But here’s a key point of Scripture: All sinners deserve God’s judgment.

If we are honest, we will be able to see ourselves in Rahab, for none of us are the right people.

Therefore, equally so, although we are numbered among the, “all sinners,” of that statement--all sinners and any sinner can repent and turn to God for forgiveness.

WHY COULD RAHAB HOPE TO RECEIVE MERCY?

++She believed in the Israelites’ God

++She asked for mercy

++She acted on her faith and hid the spies

Why Could Rahab Hope to Receive Mercy? Rahab knew God’s reputation, and she took the next step and acted on what she knew, placing her life in the hands of this all-powerful God in whom she believed. Were Rahab’s knowledge and faith rough around the edges? Without a doubt. Did she understand God’s law? Most likely not. But did she understand that God was a God of mercy, a God who had rescued His people time and time again? This she understood, and this was what she clung to in her fledgling faith. This was the basis of her request for the Israelites to show kindness and mercy to her and her family and to spare them from the coming destruction—not because of who they were but because of who their God is.

She hid the Israelite spies: Faith is distinct from actions with respect to salvation from God—we are saved by grace through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9)—but actions are tied closely to faith in that faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:26). Works flow from genuine faith, giving evidence that one’s faith is real. Rahab showed kindness to the spies and asked for kindness to be shown to her, but she was clear that she believed in the Lord God and that He had handed the land over to the Israelites. Therefore, the New Testament points to Rahab’s actions as an example of her faith (Heb. 11:31).

None of us have lived in a way that is deserving of God’s love, mercy, and kindness.

None of us had shining faith the moment we first believed.

We all came to Christ needy.

We all came to Christ recognizing in a primitive way just enough of the gospel to be saved, just enough revealed to us by God Himself.

We all came to Christ dependent on His undeserved mercy. And in this, we see the beauty of the gospel.

Ask the following question:

What are things that you see we can learn about the nature of faith from Rahab’s example?

(faith is based on knowledge of what is true; faith is based on the fear of the Lord; faith works itself out in actions)

Point 2: God’s justice and power is unstoppable (2 Thess. 1:6-8), but He is faithful to the few who surrender to Him (Josh. 6:15-17,20-21).

Original Point 2: An enemy escapes destruction and lives to see God’s victory (Josh. 6:15-17,20-21).

Say: The spies left Jericho unharmed, thanks to Rahab’s protection, and returned to Joshua with their report: “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us” (Josh. 2:24). But for all their scouting, God gave Joshua a curious battle plan against Jericho: no fighting, no siege, no military tactics; just marching around the city, once a day for six days until the seventh day.

Read Joshua 6:15-17,20-21 (DDG p. 59).

15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

.................................................

20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

DDG (p. 59) Rahab was saved from the judgment that fell upon Jericho when their walls miraculously fell.

Israel escaped from Egypt through the judgment of the tenth plague (the death of the firstborn) and through the waters of judgment at the Red Sea (the Israelites crossed over on dry ground, but Pharaoh’s army was destroyed as God released the water upon them).

The last words before a battle hold significance. So we should note with care what—or rather who—Joshua mentions in his speech before the battle of Jericho: Rahab.

It would have been easy for Joshua to ignore the two spies’ agreement with her, but Joshua understood that this woman had professed faith in God and had risked her life to prove that she believed in Israel’s God. So the trumpets blew, the men shouted, and as the city walls fell around her, Rahab escaped through judgment.

Voices from Church History

“He hath changed sunset into sunrise, and through the cross brought death to life; and having wrenched man from destruction, He hath raised him to the skies, transplanting mortality into immortality, and translating earth to heaven.” 1 –Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215)

Ask the following question.

What should we make of God’s pattern of rescuing His people through judgment?

(though circumstances may be dire, God can and will rescue His people; the answers to our prayers for help and relief may not come as we expect them to; though the wicked may seem to prosper, victory and salvation are found in identification with God’s people; God is foreshadowing His ultimate rescue of people through the judgment of sin in Jesus on the cross)

The scene of Jericho’s destruction:

· Hear the shouting of the troops who have been circling the city in silence for six days but now free to yell their way to victory.

· Hear the trumpets sounding, declaring the presence and victory of the Israelites and their God.

· Feel the vibrations of the wall, the source of protection and pride, crumbling all around the city.

· See the troops of Jericho trying to determine what breached their wall and how to defend against a power they couldn’t even imagine.

· Then hear the terror of humans and animals slaughtered by the invading army of God.

· Now picture the scene through Rahab’s eyes: She had risked everything, believing that the men representing a God she had only heard about would keep their word. Everything around her crumbled away and the Israelites charged into the city. Would the God of the Israelites really come through for her?

DDG (p. 59).

The city was in ruins and the people destroyed, but when the dust settled, Rahab and her family were still alive. Her faith in God was vindicated. She had trusted that God would be victorious, so she placed herself at His mercy, and because of her faith, she lived through the destruction to see God’s victory. But God was not done with her yet.

Ask the following question.

When have you had your faith in God proven/vindicated?

(be prepared to give an answer of your own to jump-start the conversation)

The beautiful thing about when God does prove…vindicates your faith, His pardon is irreversible and His blessings last forever.

Point 3: God’s pardon is irreversible (Isa. 55:7), and His blessings last forever (Josh. 6:22-25).

An enemy becomes part of God’s people and shares in God’s victory (Josh. 6:22-25).

Read: Joshua 6:22-25 (DDG p. 60).

22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

DDG (p. 60)

When Rahab hid the spies, she asked them to promise that they would spare her and her family from death during Israel’s conquest of Jericho (2:12-13), but she would receive so much more. Removed from the city for their safety, they weren’t just sent on their way but were settled outside the Israelites’ camp, and later they were welcomed into the victorious people of God. In God’s mercy, Rahab and her family were allowed to live. In God’s grace, Rahab and her family were brought into the people of God.

Initially Rahab’s family lived outside of the camp, most likely because of ceremonial uncleanness, being that they were previously idolatrous Canaanites without the law of God. But the end of verse 25 suggests that at some point Rahab dwelled among, not just near, her new people.

Through Christ, God showers us with mercy and grace. We are spared from the punishment of our sin in God’s mercy, and in His grace, we are brought into His family, into His church. By faith, we become God’s children; once enemies, now righteous sons and daughters (Rom. 5:10), but only by God’s mercy and grace.

Fill in the blanks: DDG (p. 60)

People of God: Scripture describes the church as “the people of God.” Comprised of both Jew and Gentile, the church is created by God through the atoning death of Christ. As the people of God, the church seeks to live under God’s ruling care while we are protected and cared for by Him.

Essential Doctrine “People of God”: Scripture describes the church as “the people of God” (2 Cor. 6:16). Comprised of both Jew and Gentile, the church is created by God through the atoning death of Christ. The term “church” is used in two senses—of individual local churches composed of people who have covenanted together under the lordship of Christ and of the universal church composed of all believers in Christ in all times. As the people of God, the church seeks to live under God’s ruling care while we are protected and cared for by Him.

Pack Item 8: Jesus’ Lineage:

Use the genealogy on DDG (p. 60) to show how Rahab’s story continued, leading to the coming of Jesus, the King of kings.

Though she was now part of God’s people, God still was not done with Rahab. In Matthew 1, her story continued. Rahab married Salmon and had a son named Boaz, who fathered Obed, who fathered Jesse. Then came David, the king whose descendant would be the promised King of kings—Jesus.

Surely Rahab had no idea what was in store for her on the day she asked in faith for two spies to spare her life.

In the same way, we have no way of knowing what is in store for us when we turn to Jesus in faith, trusting in Him for God’s mercy and grace.

We cannot know what lies ahead of us, both the victories and the trials, but we can know one thing—God will use us beyond our greatest expectations.

God is at work providentially to use all we experience for His glory and to continue His unfolding plan of redemption through His Son, Jesus.

My Mission

As we read Scripture, our tendency is to identify with those like Joshua, the heroes in the biblical stories we read. But we might struggle to remember—we might not want to remember—that all of us were “Rahabs” at one time.

We all were sinners, enemies of God and in desperate need of His mercy and grace (Rom. 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”). No one was ever so good that he or she didn’t need the grace of God, and no one was ever so bad that the grace of God couldn’t save him or her. The “Rahabs” of this world need to hear the gospel, just as we have, so let us fulfill our mission to carry the gospel to every tribe and nation so even more people can be welcomed into the family of God by faith in Jesus Christ.

DDG (p. 61)

· How do we follow Rahab’s example of faith in the one true God?

· What can we do to grow as a welcoming group for all who are a part of it and all who could be?

· What people group will you pray for and strive to be part of reaching them with the gospel?

Remember:

Session in a Sentence

God responds to whoever accepts His mercy and provides salvation to them that cannot be taken away.

Close in prayer:

References

1. Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen, in The Writings of Clement of Alexandria, trans. William Wilson (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1867), 102.

2. Richard S. Hess, “Joshua,” in CSB Study Bible (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2017), 323-24, n. 2:8-11.

3. David Oginde, “Joshua,” in Africa Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 262.

4. K. Jesurathnam, “Joshua,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Brian Wintle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 274.

5. Richard S. Hess, “Joshua,” in CSB Study Bible, 329, n. 6:21.

6. Ken Fentress, “Joshua,” in The Apologetics Study Bible (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2007), 329, 331, n. 6:17.

7. David M. Howard Jr., Joshua, vol. 5 in The New American Commentary(Nashville, TN: B&H, 2003) [Wordsearch].

8. K. Jesurathnam, “Joshua,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Brian Wintle, 274.

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