Rahab's Rescue (cont.)

Look at the rainbow.
It comes into existence after the thunderstorm with its flash and thunder unloaded its freight of rain. The rainstorm cleared the air from all the filth and dust that filled it. After the storm the sun steps back out from behind the clouds and warms the earth once again. In that instant, the rainbow appears in the clouds.

The dark storm stands for God's judgment.
The bright sun for his renewed grace. (Genesis 9, 15-19.)

Let's consider Rahab's rescue
Rahab was a young harlot in Jericho, who utterly despised her profession and abhorred the ugly idol she served. (In those historical times, all harlots were priestesses of some fertility god or godess, who received worship through sex for hire. Corinth for instance was home to 1000 "holy" harlots, priestesses of Aphrodite, who descended upon the town at night!)

Rahab would rather have been with the people of God outside the city walls, on top of which her house was built. She had heard of this clean and fair and wonderworking God, who was a spirit and did not dwell in a wooden statue. She wanted to talk about Israel's deliverer with somebody intelligent about him. But Canaan and Israel are enemies. There are no comings and goings between the two. If only she could make contact with some Israelites somehow...

Right then Israel's leader Joshua secretly dispatches two young men as scouts into enemy territory. And we don't know how, but they wind up in Rahab's chamber! (They were probably pursued by Jericho police and decided to hide at this harlot's house, because nobody would suspect them there. Holy men don't go to harlots. (Elijah used the same stratagem. When Baal-worshipping Ahab scoured the earth in search of him, the prophet hid out in Baal's own country, in Jezebel's Phoenicia (in the city of Sidon.) Ahab didn't suspect him there, and he was safe.))

Before she can engage them in any meaningful conversation, officers of the city police rap at her door. Hastily she hides the spies under a heap of flax on top of her house ...

She does not hand them over! That was an act of faith! (Hebrews 11, 31.)

... then she opens the door.

Yes, she answers the query, the Israelites had been here. But they left for the river. If you make haste, you'll probably catch up with them.

Rahab points the police into the wrong direction.

Rahab literally believed that God would give Israel the territories of Canaan. This is why she betrayed her own licentious and barbarous people and hid the enemy spies of this righteous foreign God.

By taking her life into her hands and lying to the authorities she saved two strangers from their certain death. She did that out of sympathy for the Israelites and their God. (Joshua 2, 11.)

After the police is gone, she finally gets to sit down with somebody knowledgable and can talk about God all she wants to. What a great day in her life. The two Israelites are amazed at her spiritual hunger.

Later she lowers the two spies over the city wall into safety. As they go down they dangle on a sturdy, crimson colored rope. Before they leave they promise her that she and her house will be spared in the coming onslaught. However, she is required to tie that bright red rope into her window, so everybody will know where not to attack. She agrees and bids them farewell.

The next morning she anxiously ties the crimson cord into her window. She for one does not want to die in her sin. She wants to be spared!

Militarily the two spies were irrelevant, since shortly after their return the Lord gave Joshua a specific plan as how to conquer Jericho. Joshua didn't have to rely on the spies' report, since the city would go down by supernatural intervention from God.
God's plan for conquest was: hiking! (Of all things.) Surround the city silently once a day. And on the seventh day: wander around it seven times.

Why would God want them to wander?
Why did the Lord resort to hiking?
The soldiers were not supposed to talk.
If you can't talk, you look all the more.

As the army marched mutedly around the monotonous walls of Jericho, the soldiers could not help but notice the only brightly colored speck in the whole grey wall: Rahab's red window.

As they noted the red rope around the window frame, they were probably reminded of their own red doorframes in the Passover night in Egypt. When judgment befell Egypt, blood covered Israel was spared.
That red window frame sure looks like it got painted with fresh blood. As if today would be Passover day for her and her family.
This is the place we are not to attack!
Better remember it.

Think:
First he supernaturally moved two militarily irrelevant spies into the chamber of this spiritually hungry little person, and now he makes the whole army wander around the wall, so they would learn whom to spare.

God was set on saving Rahab!

Her rescue was of utmost importance to him. Much more important than the sweet comfort of the marching band. The Lord moved heaven and earth in order to save one little harlot who hated her life out of a doomed city. In Rahab's case grace and mercy triumphed over judgment.

Repentant sinners receive the love of God.
Their faith makes the difference.

After Jericho fell, Rahab quit her profession and married Salma, rumored to have been one of the spies. With him she had a little boy by the name of Boaz.
Boaz married a famous lady named Ruth. Ruth's son was Obed. Obed's son was Jesse. Jesse was the father of king David, who in turn is the ancestor of the Lord Jesus.
Thus Rahab became one of the grandmothers of Jesus. That's amazing grace!

Wishing you courage in dealing with people,

your friend
Gert Hoinle, Editor of Teaching News