Joshua: Courage Over Fear

A Sermon Series

“The Scarlet Thread of Faith”
Joshua 2

Introduction

The first person we meet in the book of Joshua (other than Joshua) is a non-Jewish prostitute named Rahab. What we will discover is that God brought two men across her path for the purpose of her and her family’s salvation. So, from the beginning, the story of the conquest of the Promised Land is one of judgement of sin[1], but it is also a story of salvation from the judgement of God. It is a story of wrath and mercy. And from the beginning of the Bible until the end is that those who understand the consequences of sin, must have faith in how God has provided for the forgiveness of that sin.

Prayer

The Mission (v. 1a)

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”

Joshua, as they begin the journey into the Promised Land, secretly sent out two spies to go before them to view the land, “especially Jericho.” Even though God would fight on their behalf, they still had to fight, because “the promise of divine aid never rules out human responsibility.”[2] God had the power to wipe out the enemy before them, but Joshua and his army would have to fight. The mission is God given, Holy Spirit empowered, and people delivered. God chooses to work through us to accomplish His will.

We pray for our neighbor to be saved, but there will come a time when God will say, “you go and tell they about me.” Jesus told the disciples as He sat before the crowd of 5000, “you feed them.” God will go with us, but He still wants us to play a role in His redemption of the world.

The Misdirection (v. 1b-7)

And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then 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.” 4 But 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. 5 And 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 overtake them.”[3] 6 But 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. 7 So 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.

(1b) “they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.” Of all the potential places for two spies to hide out and rest, to go to a prostitute’s house was a great idea – men would be secretively coming into the home and sneaking back out. Their presence would not draw attention – But they were noticed and the king of Jericho was looking for them. But Rahab misdirects the king and his men pointing them in the wrong direction.[4]

Why would this woman help two people she had never met, even though there were high stakes, great risk to her and her family’s lives?

The Misdirection Explained (vv. 8-14)

8 Before the men lay 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. 10 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. 11 And as soon as we heard it, hour 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. 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 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 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.”

Rahab has many things going against her, she is a Gentile (not one of God’s chosen people), an Amorite (enemy of God), a prostitute (a sinner). But she has one thing going for her, she has heard about the God of Israel. As a result of hearing, she has believed and has put her faith in this God. Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” There is power in the hearing of the mighty deeds of God.

(v. 8) “I know that the Lord has given you the land,” – She says, “I know,” – indicating that she personally believed that the Lord’s army was going to win. She has placed her faith in God and knows that “he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” Rahab knows that the presence of the spies is an indication of an army that is to follow. “has given” as though it has already happened.

And she and her people have heard stories of this coming army. (v. 9) “the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.” There is no courage left in any man; it has melted away like wax. Rahab had already heard about the God of Israel. For forty years the stories of the crossing of the Red Sea, the defeat of the Egyptian armies, the overthrow of the Amorites (her own people), the pillar of cloud during the day, and the fire by night had circulated all throughout the land.

This knowing about God and how the Canaanites would react is predicted by God in Exodus 15:15b-16 “all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.16 Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased.”

(v. 12) “as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house,” this word for kindness is the Hebrew word hesed – which designates a reciprocal relationship of caring.[5] She says, Swear to me, give me a sure sign that you will deal kndly with me – so they give her the sign of the red cord.

She knew their presence was a message of either join God’s family and follow His ways or be defeated and killed. But not only did Rahab hear the message, but she heeded it as well. This message produced a response of faith in the heart of Rahab. She told the soldiers to look elsewhere.

The fact that she believed the message is proven by what she says about God. In verse 9, she calls Him “the LORD”, using His covenant Name Jehovah. In verse 11, she expresses her faith in Him as THE God of Heaven and of earth. In verse 12, she again expresses her faith in Him as she calls God to witness the agreement she is about to make with the spies.

All people must hear or understand the message and then they must act on that message by accepting Jesus as their Savior by faith. It is not enough just to know the truth, we must receive the truth as our own. Romans 10:17 again says “faith comes from hearing and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.”

Notice that she did not have all the pieces, there was many things she did not know. She did not have the law, the covenants, the many promises of God. But she did have the stories of what God had done, and she responded to what she had. You may not understand all of the Bible, and you may not know how all the pieces go together, but you can respond in faith to what you do have – what you do know so far.

Salvation is a gift given by God, but must be received openly by a person. He holds it out to all, but only a few reach out and take it. Rahab’s showing faith is when she hid the spies, trusting God to give her protection. If the spies would have been found, she could have been killed as a traitor. But she held to courage over fear and helped them escape.

Steps of Faith Taken (vv. 15-21)

15 Then 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. 16 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 afterward you may go your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 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 mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. 19 Then 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. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” 21 And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord[6] in the window.

There is coming a day soon, when this army of God’s wrath will fall upon the city and all those inside of it. Everyone will be destroyed and Rahab knows She wants salvation for her and her family. So, Rahab is told to gather her family together, stay inside when the battle starts. Everyone inside her house would be spared – because of the promise of the spies[7], and the signal of the scarlet rope.

Her only hope of survival was to follow these given instructions. Jesus said something similar with regard to spiritual salvation, John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If we want to have eternal life, to be forgiven of our sins, and see God – then we have to have a relationship with Jesus.

The spies even say, if you don’t follow our instructions (placing the red rope out the window) then “his blood shall be on his own head.” Jesus has provided the way of salvation, if a person does not place their faith on the His shed blood, then “their blood shall be on their own heads.

(v. 13) When Rahab asks for the army to spare her and her family’s life, she was probably just asking for them to be spared and taken alive as prisoners.[8] But that is not how God works – Eventually, they would be assimilated into the nation of Israel (6:25). She would go on to marry a leader in the nation – and she would eventually be included in the lineage of Jesus (Matt. 1:5). This is how God treats those who put faith in His name. We are not spared only to serve as slaves – We are redeemed and made children of God and to sit at His table.

Two New Testament books mention Rahab, Hebrews and James for their acts of faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” That describes the saving faith of Rahab. She was surrounded by unbelieving Canaanites, and yet she stood alone in faith. Sarah, the wife of Abraham, is mentioned as a woman of faith, and then it says of Rahab, “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given friendly welcome to the spies” (11:31).

(look at James 2) James 2:21, 25 mentions two people who demonstrate a living, spiritual faith-the man Abraham and the woman Rahab. They are the only two people mentioned: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?… And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”

What they believed spiritually, led them to make a choice to believe in God, and to do something because of that belief. Abraham demonstrated his faith at tremendous cost, but he was willing to trust God and offer his son as a sacrifice. Rahab, as well, had a faith that was a reality in her life. She stood alone against the entire culture that surrounded her. We can say that she was a follower of the One True God because she abandoned faith in her pagan gods, and from her people to trust on the God of Israel, and to identify with His people.

Until Jericho fell, she had to make a choice to trust the God of Israel whom she couldn’t see, against the king of Jericho and the armies and the fortifications of that great city that she could see. By her faith, Rahab the prostitute was deemed righteous. (v. 21) “And she tied the scarlet cord in the window” and waited for the day of salvation.

Today, each and every one of us must make the same choice in faith – we respond to the story that we have heard. Do we trust and follow a God who we cannot see, and reject a world that we can see. Do we trust in His ways and follow with all of our lives, or do we follow the world and its’ ways.

The Mission Encouraged (vv. 22-24)

22 They 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 nothing. 23 Then 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 happened to them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land smelt away because of us.”

The spy’s mission was to gather information (especially about Jericho) and they now have what they need. Rahab’s retelling the stories she had heard, and her faith in God by hiding them was an encouragement to the spies “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands.” When we experience someone placing their faith in Jesus, and seeing how their lives are changed encourages us in the mission of our church – to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

What a change of heart from the first report of the spies when Joshua and Caleb reported back. The focus of the first spy report was on the stuff, the material, and on the outward superficial. Numbers 13:23 “And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs.” . . . “However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.” They brought back proof that the land was “flowing with milk and honey.”

Now in Joshua 2, the spies bring back a report of the inhabitant’s hearts, their spirit, the mentality of the people there – their courage is gone, and they are scared. It’s two different types of reports based on the heart of the spy (it’s the same land, the same inhabitants). Somehow the people in the promised land (over 40 years) have shrunk in size – they are no longer giants and God’s people grasshoppers. Now their God is huge and the enemy has become small.

“The spies violated God’s explicit command that none of the people living in the land were to be spared (Duet. 7:1-6; 20:16-18). Rahab, however, turned to God and sought deliverance. Her experience is proof of the gracious saving purpose of God. His overarching decree is that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” Joel 2:32.[9] Based on what you have heard today – would you like to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved?

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[1] “The sin of the Amorites had not yet reached its’ full measure” Genesis 15:16.

[2] Donald H. Madvig, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 3 (Grand Rapids. Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1992) 259.

[3] “The Hebrew concept of truth is not only conformity with fact but also faithfulness. Rahab chose to be faithful to the Israelites and their God. In so doing she committed an act of treason against her own people. Psalm 25:3 speaks of those “who are treacherous without excuse,” which suggests that there may be times when treason is justified. Madvig, 264.

[4] It was actually against the law to do this. “The ancient law code of Hammurabi contains the following provision; “If felons are banded together in an ale-wife’s [prostitute’s or innkeeper’s] house and she has not haled [them] to the palace, that ale-wife shall be put to death” (S.R. Driver and J.C. Miles, The Babylonian Laws (Oxford; Clarendon, 1956) 2:45).

[5] Madvig, 262.

[6] Typological connections between the color scarlet of the rope and the blood of Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross should be taken with great care.

[7] “And I to my pledged word am true, I shall not fail that rendezvous.” Alan Seeger, from “I Have a Rendezvous With Death.”

[8] Madvig, 263.

[9] Madvig, 264.