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“The Salvation Of Rahab” • 10.27.13
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- God keeps His promises. That's what Joshua is
all about. God promised a land to a people who had once been only a small tribe
of 70 people.
- In these people, the entire world of families
would be blessed, as their Messiah would be the Savior of the World, Jesus
Christ. This is why Joshua's job is of the greatest importance.
- We left chapter 1 with Joshua readying the
people, calling them to get provisions ready for the journey into the Promised
Land.
- At about the same, while all others are
otherwise occupied, he calls two men together for a clandestine mission that
will provide some insight into what is before them.
Text
• Joshua
2:1-7 : "Now Joshua the son of Nun
sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, 'Go,
view the land, especially Jericho.' So they went, and came to the house of a
harlot named Rahab, and lodged there." : Joshua's
two spies are silently sent in on a final reconnaissance mission centering on
Jericho.
- This was a secret both to the people of
Israel as well as to the inhabitants of Canaan. Rahab's place situated on the
wall was their base of operations.
- Rahab is a harlot and this is a house of
ill-repute. Undoubtedly, there was a place to drink and socialize as well
as...well, you know!
- Some have attempted to soften Rahab's
business by mentioning that the word "harlot" can also be translated
"inn keeper" which is true. The same word is translated elsewhere
that way.
- However, what really kills it is that when
she is mentioned by James, the word "harlot" appears right next to
her name! There's no getting around it.
- Her life before God was nothing to write home
about, her backstory, an R rated affair! Certainly, there are not many of us
who have much to brag about before we met the Lord either!
- It might not be the most savory concept to
you and I, but it makes a lot of sense given the location of Rahab's place and
the type of privacy they sought.
- Her business was built on secrecy, and the
likely accompanying tavern meant loose lips for information. It was her
location on the wall, near an exit, that probably sold it!
• Joshua
2:2-7 : "And it was told the king
of Jericho, saying, 'Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of
Israel to search out the country.' So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, 'Bring out the men
who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search
out all the country.' Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, 'Yes,
the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened as the gate was
being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do
not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.' (But she had brought them up to the
roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on
the roof.) Then the
men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those
who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate." : 40 years earlier, Moses had sent 12 spies who were able to go
through the land for 40 days and nobody thought anything of it. Things have
dramatically changed since then.
- Only two have crossed into the city and on
the very day that they have come into town, the King already knows about their
presence and their intention to explore the country.
- The King sent to Rahab. When the King reaches
out to you personally and it's within your grasp to do a favor for him, it
would be difficult not to do it!
- Rahab makes a decision, the ramifications of
which she could not have known. She turns down the most powerful man she knows
for the chance of something that she can't possibly know!
- She has taken her own life in her hands, not
only lying about their whereabouts, but then misdirecting the men who had come
to search for the spies that were right on her roof!
- In those days, the city gate would be secured
at night fall and not opened again until daylight. Her story would have been a
common one, of men leaving secretly and hastily by cover of darkness.
- The soldiers were now on the wrong trail,
working on misinformation. The spies are quietly laying down under a large
collection of flax, which will be important in a moment.
- At this point, there is no way out of the
city. It's shut in and the only real way out is controlled by Rahab.
• Joshua
2:8-13 : "Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: 'I know that
the Lord has given you the land, that the
terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are
fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of
Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other
side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these
things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone
because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to
me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness,
that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true
token, and spare my father, my mother, my
brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from
death.'" : Before they laid down to hide
themselves, Rahab wants to make her intentions for saving them clear. She's not
just being nice! She sees her opportunity.
- The spies are beating themselve up over their
failed mission and the lack of intelligence that they were going to be able to
gather.
- What they didn't know was they would know all
that they needed to know sitting right there!
- Rahab's assessment of the situation for the
people of Jericho was a dire one. She knew these things with a greater
certainty and clarity than the people of Israel!
- She knew that God had given the Israeli's the
land. This was obvious to her senses.
- The two unnamed spies had been staring at the
impenetrable walls, but from the wall, the view was quite different! There was
no safety there. Rahab knew that it was over.
- The second thing that she speaks of is the
terror that had fallen on the people of Jericho. The word "terror" or
dread or expectation of a horrible thing, had settled on the people.
- A foreboding sense that life was about to
change for the worse was prevalent! Everyone in the land had melting hearts
before the Israeli army encamped just on the other side of the Jordan.
- This was the case first, by prophetic word.
God had promised that terror would go before His people in multiple places, most
notably Exodus 23:27 & Deuteronomy 11:25.
- To the Hebrew spies, this was a confirmation
of God's promise to them, a matter that encouraged their hearts greatly.
- This was the psychological aspect of God's
warfare against the religions of the Canaanites. But it wasn't an irrational
fear that drove the people of Jericho. It was an informed fear.
- They had heard of the mighty wars that the
people of Israel had already won and even the heathens had concluded that God
had been on their side to perform these things!
- The Lord had dried up the Red Sea. This was
40 year old information. Rahab was likely a little girl when that story came
out. She mentions it now as if it had happened yesterday!
- But then, she mentioned a current event when
she expressed knowledge of their recent victory over Sihon and Og which
happened just across the Jordan river, maybe a month eariler!
- Both were mighty kings living in well
fortified cities. Og was a giant of a man, the Bible telling us that he was
over 13ft tall and laid on a bed of iron!
- These were experienced mighty Amorite Kings
who fell to a wandering group of former slaves! These were sure signs to the people
that their God was not going to let them lose!
- He was more than a regional god, such as were
common in Canannite lore. The Lord God of the Bible, the God of the Hebrews,
our God, is the God in heaven and on Earth!
- Don't discount the victories that God has
given you as you walk with Him. They are meant to bolster your faith and be a
witness of God's reality in your life!
- What a confession for Rahab to make! But it's
made with a deal in mind, asking the two spies to consider her actions when the
time came for the city's overthrow.
- As with any person facing death, the most
important thing is her salvation and her family!
- She is staring down the barrel of a hopeless
cause, but knows that if there is any salvation, it's going to be with the Hebrew
god! Look at their response.
• Joshua
2:14-16 : "So the men answered her, 'Our lives for yours, if none of you
tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we
will deal kindly and truly with you.'
Then she
let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall;
she dwelt on the wall. And she said to them, 'Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers
meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward
you may go your way.'" : The two spies make sure
that they know that saving them is their number one priority!
- "Our lives for yours, if none of you
tell this business of ours." In that sentence, you can see the danger that
they knew that they were in.
- They still had to get out of there and still
needed their cooperation after the guards left. If they came back alive, when
God gave them the land, they promised to do well by them.
- Rahab doesn't answer them with words, but shows
her agreement by her actions, letting them down off of the city wall.
- We'll discuss more regarding the actual walls
of the city in a later chapter. Suffice it to say for now, Rahab lived in a
slum type environment and lowered the men some 30ft to the ground.
- She tells the spies that they are to get to
the mountain ranges of Pisgah and Nebo, which were about a day's walking
journey to the East of Jericho. I'm sure that the spies would be running!
- Three days would have been a standard search
grid for Jericho security. Rahab's intel was flawless having witnessed such
things before. She knew how to keep her clients safe and in secret.
• Joshua
2:17-20 : "So the men said to her: 'We will be blameless of this oath of
yours which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of
scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring
your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to
your own home. So
it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street,
his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is
with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him.
And if
you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you
made us swear.'" : Before the men left, they
wanted to make some things abundantly clear. Rahab had let the men down with a rope
which had a reddish purple hue.
- I told you to mark in your mind the flax that
Rahab had collected on her roof. In those days, the roofs were flat and were
used either for receptions or storage.
- Rahab's flax was less a roofing material and
more a side business. Flax might be the most valuable plant in the ancient
world for it's varied applications in linen and food products.
- Rahab's business however, was a bit more
laborious. For her purposes, flax would be collected from the fields and put it
into a large pot to soak
- After a few days, flax would be removed from
the pot and then laid out on the roof to dry. After a couple of days, the flax
would split open, having decayed in a process called "retting."
- At this point, Rahab would take a certain
indigenous rock, crush the mineral and then boil the remains, making a scarlet
dye.
- Because there were no viable means of
storage, a person would basically pour the dye into the flax and sell that to
distributors, who would dehydrate the flax and have dye for themselves.
- Because of the strength of the dye, only a
few inches of woven flax was need and could cover a whole outfit or two.
- She has at least a 30 ft scarlet cord that
she has just exposed as a means of escape!
- This was no small business. She had cornered
the market share of this dye process. Ultimately, it will be a means of
salvation for her.
- The spies told her, "We'll save you on
this one condition: Let this exact rope hang out of your window and everyone
that is gathered in your home will be safe." Notice a few things here.
- FIrst of all, they are willing to save a
group of people from this land who are willing to be saved. Israel was not just
a marauding band, killing all who were in their sight.
- If a person came out from these lands and
were willing to conform themselves to the Jewish community, they were spared. It's
telling that there were not more who sought to negotiate.
- What does this reveal? A stubborn, hard
hearted hatred toward the God of the Hebrews!
- Hebrews
11:31 tells us that she did not perish because she "received the spies
in peace."
- Second, notice the motif of deliverance. In
considering previous narratives, there is always a singular mechanism of
deliverance offered. For example, Noah had one boat.
- The people of Israel had one method on the
night of the Passover. Lot could flee to one city.
- Here, there is only one place in all of
Jericho that would be safe for them, provided there was that exact scarlet cord
hanging from the window. Why that particular cord?
- This was to show the two spies that nobody
else had commandeered Rahab's home.
- Everyone who could fit in that house needed
to be in that house if they were going to live! Anyone on the outside would be
guilty of bringing judgment upon their own head!
- The point is very clear to me and prayerfully
to you. Deliverance is a wonderful privilege that God affords to all who would
take it, but He offers only one!
- I'm fairly certain that these people who went
on to live long after their counterparts perished, were thankful that they took
the one way out!
- Noah's kids probably didn't care for the
smell of the huge barge of a ship that their Dad built, given all the animals
on the boat, but they were alive!
- Lot's kids most likely resented the long
middle of the night sprint, but they were not under the burning rubble that had
been their home.
- Rahab's family was no doubt crowded into this
home of hers, but when they see what they are about to see, they will be
grateful to feel crowded together!
•
Joshua 2:21-24 : "Then she said, 'According to your
words, so be it.' And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the
scarlet cord in the window. They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there
three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the
way, but did not find them. So the
two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came
to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. And they said to Joshua, 'Truly the Lord has delivered all the
land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are
fainthearted because of us.'" : Notice
the lack of hesitation. After the spies were let down she made sure to bind
that cord to the window!
-
She has been given the way to deliverance and she didn't waste a single moment
of time! Her faith was secure enough to act immediately!
-
Too many people would question whether the rope would be recognized, while others
wait for something to traumatize them before putting out the rope! Not Rahab!
-
I almost believe that she made sure that they saw her tie that rope on with all
of her might before they were out of sight!
-
When the men went, they went back out through the wilderness for three days,
the allotted time that Joshua had given to the people of Israel.
-
When they came back to the camp, they reported immeditaely to Joshua that the
Lord had given all the land to them! God's Word about His terror had been
fulfilled!
Conclusion
- What can you say about Rahab? What a sinful woman! She's a home
wrecker, a prostitute and a really good liar!
- She's also about to survive the greatest
catastrophe of her time simply by the act of her faith in a God that she barely
knew anything about!
- We don't have anything to brag about before
God and certainly not before He entered our lives! If we have any sense, we
have reason to be just as ashamed.
- That scarlet thread that saved the Israelis
also saved this Jericho rose! And it's the scarlet thread of redemption that
saves you and I as well!
- From the first animals whose lives were ended
to provide covering for Adam and Eve, through the countless lambs that were
sacrificed to provide continued fellowship among the Israelis.
- All the way to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ
who takes away the sins of the World, God has always only had one way of
salvation! But notice that salvation yields something in this life as well.
- What might have become of Rahab had she been
unyielding and obstinate against the spies? Certainly, she would have perished
with the rest of the people of Jericho.
- Her salvation though is much more meaningful
to us. God took a prostitute and changed her life forever as well as our, as
through her very body, God brought two Kings into existence.
- Israel's greatest King, David is her great,
great, great, great Grandson and the King of Kings, Jesus Christ Himself, is
her even greater Grandson! Imagine that!
- A body that she had surrendered to sin became
a body that would produce the one who would take all of her sin and ours in His
own body!
- You can spend all your time dwelling on your
past or you can say, "God, what will you do with my future!" Rahab
reminds us that if it could happen with her, it could happen with us!
- That's the joy of salvation and the glory of
our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!