Joshua 2:1-14
Disclaimer: Please forgive any typographical, grammatical, and/or content errors in the following notes. They are not meant to be an exact transcription, but rather a helpful guide for those who appreciate the written word along with the spoken word. If you have any questions on what was taught, feel free to reach out on our ‘Contact Us’ page.
How would you like it if every time someone heard your name they would link it with the most shameful season and darkest part of your life? An example from my life: It was the summer of 1997, I was 2 years into my marriage and wasn’t a believer yet. My wife came to me and shared something very personal. I responded in short by saying, “Well, I didn’t sign up for that.” I can look back on that time of my life and see Niko, the abandoner. In our study in the book of Joshua, the Israelites are about to cross the Jordan River and they meet one of the people in the Bible with a most checkered past – Rahab, the prostitute. Maybe you and I can’t relate to that kind of immorality, but perhaps we can allow the Holy Spirit to minister to a past that won’t let you go. Our God brings liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and frees those who are oppressed.
- Reading of Joshua 2:1-14 NKJV
So we have studied the preparation of the Israelites and in a short time we’ll be studying their crossing so this story almost seems like an unnecessary aside, but we know that there is nothing unnecessary in Scripture – it is useful for teaching, rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness. This woman is essential in the whole story of God’s people. We see a gentile harlot redeemed.
History has tried to gloss over Rahab’s occupation to label her an innkeeper, but the Word is clear – she was a tramp, a prostitute. In the Greek she is called “porne,” which is also the root of the word “pornea” which describes the sexually immoral and sinful acts talked about in Scripture. We could focus on so much in this rich piece of Scripture – God’s power and justice in overthrowing Jericho, His faithfulness in giving the Promised Land, … – but today we’re going to focus on Rahab’s redemption and the unexpected grace and undeserved mercy of our God.
Verse 1 starts as a mission of espionage and exploration and becomes a mission of evangelism. In the judgment of Jericho God brings salvation to Rahab and her family. We see this theme continuously in the Old Testament and on; that God provides a way of salvation to those who go through judgment. God’s mercy is on display and His actions towards Rahab declares good news to all people, good news to us. So whoever takes refuge in God will find salvation from this righteous judgment.
Culture
Jericho was a walled city about 7 miles into the Promised Land. It was full of wickedness and sin and everyone in it was condemned. They were given opportunity to repent (see Genesis 50) but the city had further devolved into a cesspool of idolatry where people’s hearts and minds were so deeply saturated with sin. Canaanite idolatry was so depraved – you need to let the Spirit minister to your mind as you listen to this for our world today – it was so depraved that its practices included human sacrifice of innocent children and gross fertility rituals that required the use of prostitutes. Jericho was Amsterdam on steroids and this was the pagan lifestyle Rahab lived in.
Rahab was less than a woman of regular standing in Jericho – worthless, a throwaway. Remember that the Greek name for her was ‘porne’, a prostitute. The Hebrew word is “zanal.” Think of the most vile ways to describe a woman in our time and that’s the description of Rahab that “zanal” renders. In a Hebrew’s mind, Rahab should already be stoned and dead. This was the woman who had her door knocked on by the Hebrew spies.
We marvel that she was the first and only one of her race to be called out by grace. We marvel and are fascinated when we see people rising out of a family that doesn’t have any true faith or relationship with God and her faith became acceptable with God. Rahab was the means that God used for salvation for others. I wonder how many God has used in this room? Meaning that you are first generation, born again believers like me and my wife. How many is God waiting on to do that for their family or others here? We see that for all that was wrong with Rahab she had such an intense love for her family. One last note to complete our picture of Rahab. She lived embedded in the wall of Jericho. This is where the poorest and most vulnerable to attack lived.
Confession and Chesed
Joshua 2:9-11 “[Rahab] 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.’” (Emphasis added)
Rahab confessed and surrendered herself to God’s mercy and received the two spies. I love Rahab’s “I know” of verse 9! It’s the ‘I know’ that was professed by Job through all his afflictions, pain, and loss – not I heard about, not I think about, but, “I know my redeemer lives” (Job 19). It’s the ‘I know’ that Paul proclaimed when he was facing execution in Rome – “I know whom I have believed” (2 Timothy 1). For some people, their curiosity about God is confirmed when they see God’s people and His Spirit over them.
In verses 2-5, Rahab chose to lie for God’s people and do what was a sin for righteous reasons because the other option would not have honored God. So here we have a streetwalker who makes a strong stand for God because of the word she has heard. That’s the power of Scripture – Faith comes by hearing (Romans 17).
Joshua 2:12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign…”
Rahab’s request of God’s people is “chesed.” This is a Hebrew word that means God’s covenantal love. It is a legal agreement that God makes with his people to cover them. A covenant. A covering. Just as she covered the spies with flax on her roof she was asking for a covering for herself and her family when the wrath came down. God covers you. Praise God that as saints and believers under the new covenant we are under divine cover. Amen!
Rahab made a radical decision, both her confession and works, that went against her lifestyle, her culture, her occupation, her people. Follow the importance of our confession and works:
- Romans 10:9 says, “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
- John 3:16, 21 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life…But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
- Matthew 10:32-33 say, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
Confession is not merely for salvation to heaven. When you live out your confession, you walk it out. In our works we plug into the power of God. So if you want God in your history, in the here and now – confess Him! Don’t be covert hidden operatives, hidden believers! To know Jesus only for heaven tomorrow is to miss the joy of heaven on earth today and a growing, living relationship with him. The lack of walking out our confession robs us of the power to sustain – the power and stamina to endure in and through whatever life has for us at the moment.
Rahab made a public confession, lied to her ethnic people, and decided to identify with the Isrealites. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” Our public identification with God changes how God relates to you and I in the here and now of our life.
Rahab in Hebrews 11 – The Hall of Faith lists heroes: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses. And Hebrews 11:30-31 continues with the list saying, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who [j]did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.” God is telling us that even if you are a wicked worker of the red light district, a questionable character with a questionable past, you can still end up in the Hall of Faith. He can visit us anytime. He can do a new thing in us by His Spirit and put us in that Hall.
Rahab in James 2 – James 2:14-17, 25-26 says, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead…Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” The Word calls us out to be about it (action), not just talk about it. Rahab didn’t just hear, she lived out her confession. Middle Eastern hospitality invites the stranger in like Rahab did and we should do in our Seed Groups. It’s hospitality that says, “You are my friend, I have love for you.” It’s chesed – loving-kindness – in our homes. Rahab followed through. We see in Hebrews that she received the spies with peace and in James that she sent them out. God moves when we step out and exercise our faith. He doesn’t just move for us personally, but for our sphere of influence for our family, friends, coworkers – to save a whole household. Rahab ended up being defined by what God did in her life.
Rahab in Matthew 1- Matthew 1:5-6, 16 says, “Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king…And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.” Please note what is missing. Rahab is not referred to as ‘the harlot’ in the Messianic lineage. When we cross over in faith and believe and confess Jesus is Lord then all things are new – the old has gone, the new has come! He deposits his nature, his divine seed in us. Rahab is the great-great-grandmother of King David. When we believe, confess, and abide in Jesus our future is bigger than the past. Some say, “All time, heals all wounds.” No, it doesn’t! If it did, we wouldn’t need God. It’s Christ who heals all wounds. It’s Christ who can take a past and get rid of the darkest, most shameful seasons of our life. Christ’s influence is seen immediately in the next generation. Rahab was Boaz’s mother. Boaz is listed in Scripture as a kinsman redeemer – his actions pointing straight to Christ.
Isn’t it amazing how he can take any one of our pasts and make it useful to advance the Kingdom in the right now, right here of our history?! If you want that past erased, then identify with the right kingdom! Don’t look to fit in! Stand out and be set apart! I love how Paul refers to us as saints – “agios” in the Greek. Be set apart, holy ones. Don’t go down with our culture. It’s going down. Until you know who you are in Christ, you will go your whole life with a mistaken identity. Our identity isn’t our ethnicity, job, or so many things from our past script that was given to us. Jesus tells us, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus tells us who we are in him!
Rahab in Joshua 6:25 – “And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” Rahab was given a new people, a new home, and a new life. When you find God, you find his people. When you find his people, you find a new family. When you find a new family, you find a new future in Him. Our identity is first and foremost in God and then through his people. This is why Seed Groups are so important. We need one another. Iron sharpens iron, not by itself. People come to church and seed groups for many reasons, but they stay for one – friendships. In Seed Groups, we cover one another in love and kindness. We go on a journey together – studying God’s Word, walking in freedom and abundant life together – regardless of what is going on in the decaying culture, to discover our purpose and make a difference. We learn from each other – multigenerational, multiethnic. I plead with you to be a part of a Seed Group!
There are so many elements of Rahab’s story that personally hit home for me. My wife and I are first generation Greek immigrants. Getting out of the orthodoxy of the Greek church is like getting out of the mafia! If not for my wife’s pleading and fighting to be involved in a small group a long time ago our family’s trajectory might have ended up in a very different place. The Lord is sovereign and the Spirit moves, but I just can’t say enough about the impact of small groups in our lives and the lives of our children.
So Rahab turns to God’s mercy – the pattern of salvation – the center of this beautiful story. This repeats throughout the gospels where Jesus shows time and again his love and affection for the marginalized. Rahab is an example of what God can do. Leadership depends less on titles than it does on influence. 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 says, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
God wants to do this for all of us. Our job is just to believe and confess. It is negligent to not be in friendship with those who are thriving and living the abundant life which is Christ, the hope of glory. Don’t allow the many traps set today to identify you and erase your true identity and calling.