Joshua 2:1-24 ESV
The following is a beautiful tale of redemption. God chose to use a less than perfect vessel as many of us have been at one time but if we've been on the potters wheel for most of our lives to allow God to create in us that masterpiece He so desires, pleasing to His Eye, we are transformed as Rahab became for what she did. God would say to her as He would to you: "Let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous (1Jn. 3:7 NLT)." Rahab is also the hero of this real life story.
In the end she and all her family got to live among the Israelites for protecting and hiding God's anointed spies. He chose her for a demonstration of what His Love and Salvation looks like.
Joshua 2:1-24
There were two men who were sent out as spies to view the land especially Jerico but when when the king of Jerico was told, men of Israel have sent spies to search out the land, the king of Jerihco sent to Rahab and told her to bring out the men who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land. But Rahab had hid the men. Then she said true, the men came to me but I did not know where they were from and when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out and I do not know where they went. Pursue them quickly the king said, for you will overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan after the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
Before the men had laid down, she came up to them on the roof 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. 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. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted and there was no spirit left in any man because of you. You also will deal with me kindly with my father's house and give me a sure sign that you'll save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death. And the men said to her, "Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you."
Then she let them down by a rope through a window for her house was built into a city wall. And she said to them, "Go into the hills or the pursuers will encounter you and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterwards you may go your way.
The men said to her, "We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down and you shall gather into your house your father and your mother, your brothers and all your father's household. Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house, his blood shall be on his own head and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in your house, his blood shall be on our head. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear." And she said, "according to your words so be it." Then she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
The men departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and they searched all along the way and found nothing. Then the men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. And they said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us."
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Footnotes:
* Although it was known that Rahab was a prostitute - but the Hebrew Word is translated "innkeeper" which in that culture was known as an innkepper of a brothel. The spies saw this as an ideal place to hide because people were coming and going all the time.
* In the end we see God's Favor all over Rahab's life for her faithfulness in doing the right thing, honoring God in the way she did while hiding His Servants. In the end she lived among the Israelites enjoying all the same blessings they had. We are not told if she knew or not that her name, one day, would be found in the genology of Jesus ! (Matt. 1:5)
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