Divine Encounter: Saving Grace in a Doomed Place
Joshua 2 (ESV):
2 And Joshua the son of Nun sent[a] two men secretly from Shittim as spies, say
ing, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.”3Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will over take them.”6But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
8Before the men[b] lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9and 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. 10For 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 Amo rites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to de struction.[c] 11And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12Now 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 13that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our
lives from death.”14And 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.”
15Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16And she said[d] to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.”17The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18Behold, 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 mother, your brothers, and all your father's house hold. 19Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, 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 the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.”21And 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.
22They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found noth ing. 23Then the two 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 hap pened to them. 24And 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.”
Introduction: Have you ever had an experience where, while cleaning, you came across a hidden treasure? Perhaps you found a $100 bill in an old wallet (money you had tried to hide from your wife), or maybe you discovered your missing dia mond ring in the trash. These moments can feel like finding blessings in unex-
pected places.
Think about a time when you felt trapped, as if there were no way out. Maybe you were heading toward destruction, burdened by an overwhelming need, or caught in a serious sin that you be lieved was beyond forgiveness. Then, just when you thought there was no hope, you were rescued. Your needs were met, and you experienced for giveness.
This is similar to the story of Rahab’s deliverance. Everything was stacked against her: she was a woman in a society that marginalized women, a pagan from a doomed city, and a harlot who lived contrary to God’s will. Yet, through God’s great mercy and amazing grace, she was saved and brought into God’s cov enant family. She transitioned from alienation to adoption, from destruction to salvation, and from folly to faith. This is one of the great salvation stories of the Scripture.
A. Joshua 1 – Divine speech (calling Joshua to lead Israel forward) B. The basic theological message of the book: God has given the land to Israel: “The land that I swore to their fathers to give them” (1:6)
C. Israel’s settlement in Canaan has two primary facets: The “giving” of the land to Israel and the punishment of the Canaanites on account of their sin (Daniel Timmer, Joshua, BT Intro to OT)
D. God is not a god of the status quo.
E. “Be strong and courageous” (God speaking to Joshua, 1:6, 7, 9; Israel speak ing to Joshua, 1:18)
F. The narrative may be anticlimactic on a military or strategic level, but it is satisfying on a theological level (Rahab’s is a story of faith in action).
I. The Spies who blew their cover
A. The command speaks of Joshua’s leadership, and the obedience speaks of their recognition of it.
B. The spies appear incompetent as they are immediately spotted upon entering the city. The mission was almost compromised when the King learned that there were spies in the land.
II. The Sinner who got converted - Rahab moved from harlotry to Hebrews 11 A. Rahab was a prostitute, and the passage didn’t sugarcoat it. She was also a liar. The lies were natural to her (fluent and without any pangs
of conscience). However, all false witnesses invoke the
judgment of God, who is the Truth. Rahab was on the
path to destruction, as the inhabitants of Jericho were
under God’s judgment, had she not believed.
B. Rahab’s helpful deeds were an act of renouncing her al legiance to the Canaanites and her acceptance of the rulership of the God of Joshua and Israel.
C. The confession and request of Rahab (2:9–13). This represents one of the longest uninterrupted statements by a woman in a biblical narra tive. David Jackman states, “The speech reveals a situation that not even the most optimistic Israelite could have imagined. Jericho, that impossible barrier to the people of God, is in fact already a defeated foe” (Preaching the Word, 36). The initial confession “I know” con trasts with the “I don’t know” that introduced her statements to the agents of the king of Jericho. It suggests that a true confession would replace the former deceit (Richard Hess, Tyndale Commentary).
D. They have received accounts of the great deeds of the LORD on behalf of his people.
E. Rahab didn’t have the pedigree of a true-blooded Israelite. She was not a member of the covenant family. She was not a recipient of the promise, “I will give you the land.” But Rahab has ears – She heard and she responded.
F. Rahab’s rescue is far more to the glory of God than any attempted whitewashing of her behavior.
G. A pagan, immoral woman would never have been considered as as a candidate for God’s rescuing grace.
H. It was Rahab’s “faith” that saved her and her family. She understood the impending judgment and realized her future depended on God. Therefore, she surrendered herself to His mercy.
I. Notice Rahab’s growing spiritual awareness – From confession, to casting herself upon God’s mercy, to her continuing obedience (that makes her an attractive example for James – James 2:14-26, faith re vealed in actions). “The life of faith is always to be expressed in the ac tivities of obedience” (David Jackman, no neutrality).
III. The Savior Who is Compassionate
A. “You shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through
which you let us down” (2:18). The spies gave it to her
(Woudstra, “[the spies] probably came prepared for var
ious eventualities.”)
B. If God can rescue Rahab, then no one is beyond His power to save. As stated in Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” We should never dismiss anyone based on their background or past. We must continually affirm the message that “Jesus saves” (John 1:14; 3:16; Romans 10:9-10).
C. God’s judgment is coming (opposition will lead to destruction: futility of the Canaanites’ investigations and pursuit). Now is the time for sal vation through faith in Christ.
D. Rahab is not a second-class citizen in the kingdom of God. The NT speaks of her great repute:
1. Hebrews 11:31 – “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly wel come to the spies.”
2. James 2:25 – “And in the same way was not also Rahab the prosti tute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”
3. Matthew 1:5 – “…And Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Bo az the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse.”