Preschool
Arise, go over this Jordan (Joshua 1:2).
Heathens Convert to God’s Kingdom
Memory Verses
Primary
Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them (Joshua 1:2).
Junior
Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel (Joshua 1:2).
Background Scripture: Joshua 2, 6
Lesson Scripture: Joshua 2:1-6, 15, 21-22; 6:22-23, 25
Introduction
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8 NIV). How the Lord leads people to his kingdom is truly a miracle of grace and a gift from God. In the account from which this lesson is taken, we have one of the most intriguing and surprisingly brave women of the Old Testament. In the end, Rahab, a harlot of the Canaanite city of Jericho, is noted for her great faith and her place in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Regarding her faith, Rahab said to the men of Israel, “I know that the Lord hath given you the land,” (Josh. 2:9) “for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (v. 11).
Key Verse
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace (Heb. 11:31).
Lesson Scripture
Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.
3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
22 And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.
6:22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.
23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.
25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Studying the Lesson
In its day, Jericho was an important Canaanite city in the Jordan Valley. It was a fortress directly in the path of the advancing Israelites, who had just crossed the Jordan River (Josh. 3:1-17). Rahab told the spies how the citizens of Jericho had been fearful of the Israelites since they defeated the Egyptians at the Red Sea approximately forty years earlier. Safely escaping the city, the two spies returned to Joshua and reported that the “whole land was melting with fear.” The Israelites crossed the Jordan into Canaan, where they laid siege to the city of Jericho. The city was destroyed, and all the inhabitants were killed. Only Rahab and her family were spared. Ultimately, Rahab married Salmon, an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. Her son was Boaz, the husband of Ruth. Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, was her direct descendant (Matt. 1:5).
Rahab was a young Canaanite harlot and as such not a very likely candidate for a heroine of godly faith. Jericho was one of the principal seats of idol worship, being especially devoted to Ashtaroth, the goddess of the moon. Here was all that was the vilest and most degrading in the religion of the Canaanites. By reason, Rahab was not in an ideal circumstance to come to faith in the one true God, the God of Israel. She was a citizen of a wicked city that was under God’s condemnation, and she was part of a corrupt, depraved, pagan culture. Rahab, however, had one asset—she had heard that the Israelites were to be feared. She heard the stories of their escape from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the wanderings in the wilderness, and their recent victory over the Amorites. She learned enough to reach the saving conclusion: “For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Josh. 2:11 NIV). It is this change of heart, coupled with the actions prompted by faith, that saved her and her family.
By her action of welcoming and hosting the spies, Rahab proved her faith in God. Likewise, Christians are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Although we are saved by an act of grace, “through faith” means that faith, in its true form, is exemplified by action (Eph. 2:8). The New Testament says, “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” (James 2:25).
Practical Truths for Today
Let us take special note of Rahab’s diligence in taking steps to save herself and her family. The spies gave her three conditions to be met: (1) She must distinguish her house from the others by hanging a scarlet rope out of the window so the Israelites would know which home to spare. (2) Her family must be inside the house during the battle. (3) She must not later turn on the spies.
Are these conditions similar to what we need to observe today? We must visibly hang the scarlet cord of faith out of the window of our life. We must stay inside the kingdom to be saved and must not turn against the church which brought us the faith. Christians must accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and then live in a manner that verifies their faith. Rahab could have indicated the location of her home in any number of ways, but the only way that she could be spared was to follow the directions given to her by the Israelite spies. The world tells us that there are many ways to God and salvation that are all equally valid, but the Bible tells us that there is one faith, one Lord, and one baptism (Eph. 4:5). Concerning Jesus Christ, “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NIV). Rahab’s faith enabled her to turn away from her culture, her people, and her religion and come to the Lord. Commitment to true faith in God will necessitate embracing values that are contrary to those of the world, as we are exhorted in Romans 12:2.
God can reach down and save whomsoever He will. In the life of Rahab, we find an inspiring parallel to all sinners who have been saved by grace. In her story, we learn that the amazing grace of God can save even the worst of sinners and bring them into an abundant life in Christ Jesus. “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth” (Rom. 9:18). The people of the earth are all God’s, and He longs to save every one, but in the end God will give to each one what they truly seek.
The news of salvation has gone to far-off places, and God’s Word has penetrated hostile cultures and locations. It is amazing to see where the kingdom has been established. When souls are impressed to follow God, He makes a way for them. It is God’s providence that helps souls from going so far that they cannot come back.
Once we come to Christ, the past no longer matters. The slate is wiped clean for all who believe and accept the sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf. By grace, Rahab was no longer viewed as an unclean harlot but as someone worthy to be part of the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as she was grafted into the line of Christ, so we become children of God and partakers of his inheritance (Rom. 11).
Questions
- Do we sometimes shut out the possibility of God saving souls in situations which differ greatly from ours?
- What diligence is needed for today to save ourselves and our families?
- What are some ways that the Lord inspires us to spread the gospel story?
- How does the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) relate to our lesson today?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).