Rahab: God provides for the future...

Introduction

Is everyone having fun? So far in our story times we have seen God send someone special to protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We have seen God provide for the widow and her sons through the miracle performed by prophet Elisha. In tonight’s Bible Study we are going to see God provide for an entire family’s future because of one person being faithful.

Tonight’s Bible story comes from Joshua 2:1-24 and 6:22-27. Israel under the command of Joshua is about to enter the promised land; however, as any good military commander Joshua sends two spies into the land of Canaan to a town called Jericho to gather information about city. Its not long before the two spies are uncovered and must hide before they can be captured. They stop at the home of a woman named Rahab who hides them on the rough. Let’s look at our story!

Joshua 2:1–24 CSB

1 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, “Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 At nightfall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!” 6 But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof. 7 The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the city gate was shut. 8 Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of 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 Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed across the Jordan. 11 When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below. 12 Now please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.” 14 The men answered her, “We will give our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the Lord gives us the land.” 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city. 16 “Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won’t find you,” she said to them. “Hide there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We will be free from this oath you made us swear, 18 unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house. 19 If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his death will be his own fault, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his death will be our fault. 20 And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.” 21 “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window. 22 So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had returned. They searched all along the way, but did not find them. 23 Then the men returned, came down from the hill country, and crossed the Jordan. They went to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them. 24 They told Joshua, “The Lord has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.”

Did you notice that Rahab had already heard of the great miracles God had done for the Israelites as he brought them out of the land of Egypt? Rahab describes in great detail the reports her people had received about events at the Red Sea and the battles Israel had won up to this point. Rahab makes a very bold confession about her faith in God. Did you catch what she said?

“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 Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you destroyed across the Jordan. When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.” Rahab celebrates that God is one true God.

Rahab’s confession reveals a lot about her motives. She understands that God is with the Israelites and that she cannot overcome them. She decides the best course of action is to be faithful and serve God. Sometimes in our lives we are faced with difficult choices. Sometimes we are faced with hard choices. In those moments we have two choices we can make. We can go with God or go against God. I pray that we always choose to go with God.

Rahab asks the spies to give her a sign that they will show kindness to her family since she has sparred their lives by hiding them. They tell her to tie the robe she used to let them down from her window to the window, so they know which house to spare. She is also instructed to keep her family in the house when the battle begins. Because of her faithfulness God provided a way for family to be spared.

The story picks up in chapter six as the battle rages on. Joshua commands the two spies to go to Rahab’s house and bring her and her family out to there just as they had promised. Because of her act of faithfulness God provided a future for family.

Joshua 6:22–25 CSB

22 Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel. 24 They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.

God has provided a future for us through Jesus Christ. Through Christ we have been made pure more of which we will talk about tomorrow. But just like Rahab need to make a choice. We to must make a choice to follow Christ.

Memory Verse

Joshua 6:25 (NIV), “But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho-and she lives among the Israelites to this day.”

Joshua 6:25 (CSB), “However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.”