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Women in Jesus' Family Tree Rahab and the Spies Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. FULL SCRIPTURE LESSON: Joshua 2:1-24 Facts
Summary Right after Moses death, Joshua son of Nun served as the leader of the Israelites. Joshua sent two spies to check out the land, in particular, the city of Jericho. While the spies were in Jericho, they stayed at the house of a prostitute named Rahab. The king of Jericho had heard that Israelite spies were in Jericho. He sent men to Rahab's home to capture the spies. When the king's men arrived, Rahab told them the spies left when it was time to close the city gate. She even encouraged the king's men to go after them. Little did they know, Rahab had secretly hidden the men up on her roof under stalks of flax. As the king's men set out in pursuit for the spies, Rahab went up to the roof and professed a faith in a Lord she did not know personally. "I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in the country are melting in fear because of you...please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. " Rahab let the spies down through her window which was a part of the city wall. She tied a scarlet cord in the same window so they would know to rescue her family from Jericho's imminent destruction. Study When you think of a prostitute, you picture the world's oldest profession, in which a person demoralizes their selves as they sell their body for monetary gain. In the story of Rahab, we are able to see how God truly looks at an individual. Since Rahab was a prostitute, she was considered an outsider. Her house was built into the city wall away from the center of the city. Interestingly, it was an ideal place for the spies to hide. There was talk in the city of Jericho about the approaching Israelite nation. She was afraid and like anyone she wanted to protect her family. Stories about the Israelites passage through the Red Sea was told throughout the land. Rahab did not know anything about God, but her faith in Him was enough to help her hide the spies in her home. God lovingly remembered Rahab's faith despite her sins - her and her family were saved. Application In God's eyes, there is no big or little sin. Sin is sin, plain and simple. In this profile of Rahab, we can trust and believe that whatever our situations, we can overcome sin, failures, rejection by simply trusting in God. When sin lays heavy on your shoulder, do you wallow in self-pity and guilt ? Or do you repent and confess your sin immediately? Be another Rahab, walk out on faith - the Lord will be right there waiting.
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