Rahab's Faith - Joshua 2

Well, good morning beloved Welcome We're continuing this morning in the book of Joshua.

I am excited about this study I I've looked forward to this for a while and I I hope that You guys are already enjoying this study and benefiting from it as we've already seen the the book of Joshua is really very

Theological in nature. It's a book full of theological instruction and typology

We've seen lessons already That address the the providence of God and the role of faithful obedience in the life of the

Christian We've seen God's sovereignty and his his work in election just to name a few of the themes

We've already seen in chapter 1. I Hope you're already seeing this that Though we commonly call the book of Joshua is a historical book and it is in a sense a historical book

It's not just a mere dry accounting of historical facts

There's purpose here. In fact, I find it interesting and noteworthy that the

Jews at the time of Christ referred to The books of Joshua through second Kings as the former prophets.

I Testament where the authors were announcing God's plan and Purposes for his for his people and even particularly regarding the future for for blessings and cursings

But here I think we'll find that the details and the instruction given through Joshua To us are indeed very purposeful and aimed at theological formation they are purposely given by God to teach and instruct his people and to address them where they are and Where we are

While it is, of course Conveying a historically factual account it is crafted in such a way to have a distinct pastoral even sermonic

Purpose and quality what we have here is not just one man's understanding of what happened, but rather the precise revelation of God The God of heaven and earth and it was given to the

Jews to point them forward to Christ and It is given to us this morning today to point us also to Christ This morning we'll be looking at Joshua chapter 2 at the faith of Rahab the the harlot

So I'm gonna read for us Joshua chapter 2 in its entirety. I invite you to turn there

Joshua chapter 2 Now Joshua the son of nuns sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly saying go

View the land especially Jericho So they went and came to the house of a harlot named

Rahab and lodged there And it was told the king of Jericho saying behold men have come here tonight

From the children of Israel to search out the country So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab saying bring out the men

Who have come to you who have entered your house for they have come to search out all the country

Then the woman took the two men and hid them So she said yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from and it happened as the gate was being shut

When it was dark that the men went out Where the men went I do not know pursue them quickly for you may overtake them

But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax Which she had laid in order on the roof then the men pursued them by the road to the

Jordan to the Fords and as soon as Those who pursued them had gone out they shut the gate

Now Before they 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 That the terror of you has fallen on us and that all the inhabitants of the land are faint -hearted 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 Now therefore I beg you

Swear to me by the Lord Since I have shown you kindness that you also will show kindness to my father's house and give me a true token and Spare my father my mother my brothers my sisters and all that they have and deliver our lives from death

So the men answered her Our lives for yours if none of you tell this business of ours

And it shall be when the Lord has given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly with you

Then she let them down by a rope through the window of her house For her house was on the city wall

She dwelt on the wall and she said to them get to the mountain lest the pursuers meet you

Hide there three days until the pursuers have returned Afterward you may go your way

So the men said to her We will be blameless of this oath of yours, which you have made us swear

Unless when we come into the land you bind this line of Scarlet cord in the window through which you have let us down And unless you bring your father your mother your brothers and all your father's household into your own home

So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street his blood shall be on his own head and we will be guiltless and Whoever is with you in the house

His blood shall be on our heads if a hand is laid on him And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath, which you made us swear

Then she said According to your words So be it and she sent them away and they departed and she bound the scarlet cord in the window

They departed and went to the mountain and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned

The pursuers sought them all along the way But did not find them so the two men returned

Descended from the mountain and crossed over and they came to Joshua the son of nun and told him all that had befallen them

And they said to Joshua truly The Lord has delivered all the land into our hands

For indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted the cause of us

Let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for opening the pages of Scripture to us and by your spirit giving us this message of The gospel that saves sinners

Father, would you give our hearts? eyes of understanding this morning to behold this gospel to see the glories of Christ and His shed blood that is our only plea before you may we have confidence

In this gospel this gospel that alone saves In Jesus name we pray.

Amen So I'm dividing this this chapter into three headings first we will see

Rahab's courage in verses 1 through 7 and Then in verses 8 through 11.

We will see Rahab's faith and then in the remainder

Verses 12 through 24 Rahab's hope So Rahab's courage Rahab's faith and Rahab's hope

First just to address the context here chapter 1 established Joshua as the new leader over Israel and Here we see him sending these two spies out

He's taken on this God -ordained role to be the leader of this people and here he is

Commissioning his men to go out on mission into the darkness of this pagan land.

I Into the world as messengers. I know that Joshua here refers to these two as spies

But the New Testament when James speaks of this event and what will happen here in this chapter

James calls them messengers Meaning that they had at least some aspect of a role as as herald as as carrying this message to this city at least to Rahab We'll come back to that It's an interesting note here that this place where they are at called the

Acacia Grove or Shittim in Hebrew It has been mentioned before It's been mentioned before in the

Old Testament Back in Numbers 25. It was here that Israel had incurred the

Lord's anger for their engaging in sin Numbers 25 the first three verses say now

Israel remained in Acacia Grove and the people began to commit Parlatory with the women of Moab They invited the people to sacrifice of their gods and the people ate and bowed down to their gods

So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor and the anger of the

Lord was aroused against Israel and this hasn't been forgotten

Joshua himself later in the book is going to bring up this event I'm sure that as the people are encamped here in this place

Finally on the verge of entering into the promised land. There was an awareness of what their sin had cost them of those years of wandering in the wilderness because of their faithlessness and How great

God's mercy is that they are here again and have an opportunity And have the promise of God to enter into the land that he has promised to give to them

I don't know about you But I can recall times in my life where God has brought me to a remembrance of my former failures

Not to shame me not for condemnation But because I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ his blood has fully paid for all my sins

God reminds us of it and Means to renew in us a proper fear of our sin and the cost that it incurs this fear this this trembling because of our sin and what we know we are capable of Reminds us of our constant need of God's grace to preserve us to keep us and for the promise of forgiveness

Well, Joshua here sends these two men in to spy out the land, especially Jericho It doesn't seem like they get very far into this mission when they come to the house of Rahab Whose scripture tells us just very bluntly

She is the harlot Rahab the harlot Now it's possible here.

Some commentators speculate that that she could have been involved in like temple harlotry of various sorts of Pagan worship with the

Canaanite gods. That's all speculative. We don't know The text though does make it clear

That this is how she's known. This is what she's known as we don't we don't know if she's still engaging in this behavior

At this point or not, but this is her reputation. This is is what she is known for It's worth mentioning here that The spies in coming to her house were not doing anything improper or indecent

Depending on your English translation and the the wording here may sound rather ambiguous

But the Hebrew makes it plain that they were coming into her house Seeking lodging and shelter and there's no euphemism implied here

Now it may seem like then a turn of bad luck That the king of Jericho heard of their presence at Rahab's house for he immediately

Sent for these men to be brought out and undoubtedly taken as prisoners

At best perhaps executed, but there's no coincidence here

For the text quickly reveals to us that this sinful woman Rahab was chosen

For this purpose and that their path led her to her home in order that the grace of God might be put on striking display

For here we see Rahab's courage as she literally risks her life to save these strangers this

Canaanite woman this Gentile not just any Gentile a Canaanite and not just any

Canaanite a Harlot a person of the lowest moral and social status.

She risks her life to hide these Jewish men from the king's men

We must understand the unexpected nature of this. It is meant in the text to be surprising to us

It's not a random act of kindness But a courageous act of rescue in God's good purpose of provision for his people

Now it's here that most of People's thoughts and most of the frankly most of the commentaries kind of get derailed in this passage

More often than not when someone talks about this passage Their primary focus is on the ethics of Rahab's actions and words here

To be sure she lies to the king's men in order to spare the lives of the Jewish spies by sending their pursuers off In the wrong direction under false pretense

Rahab claims she didn't know who they were or where they were going But that they left the city and that's it's it's simply not true

Essentially, she's saying if you want to catch them you better hurry because they've gone and I don't know where chase them that way

And it works without hesitation her deception works and the king's men are off in the wrong direction

And these spies these Israelite spies are spared We need to see that the account here for us in Scripture makes no comment on her choice to deceive it merely

Tells us that she did the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 11 puts forth

Rahab as an example for her faith in what she did here in receiving the spies and Then as I already mentioned

James goes even further to commend her works as a testament as a proof vindicating the sincerity of her faith

Now to be sure God is the God of truth He hates falsehood and there is no deceit in him.

God cannot lie and we as Believers are to be stewards of the truth.

We are to be known as those who speak the truth We are to be caretakers of the truth most most

Preciously caretakers of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to be known for that and we are to hate lying

Some will use this text as a basis For talking about rare Situations where wicked men can forfeit their right to know the truth and therefore it could be justifiable to conceal the truth

Or times when to disclose the truth To someone seeking evil could make you complicit in their evil

Others will talk about times of warfare being an exceptional circumstance and this legitimately could be considered such a circumstance now

I wrestled with this text for quite some time trying to Wrap my mind around how

God would have us rightly think through this and apply it but at the end of it,

I Think we really risk missing the point of the passage if we get hung up on this

Ethical dilemma the text doesn't defend or condemn her words here. It merely relays them

While emphasizing both here in Joshua But then again in Hebrews and James that the real miracle here is her faith that moved her

To side not with her own nation not with her own gods not with her own

Wicked authorities, but with the true God of heaven and earth with the nation of Israel That is the focus and that ought to be our focus as well

Now if we're going to comment on this ethical question here I'm I'm I'm willing to say

I think we're supposed to see here that Rahab was in a compromised situation

Surrounded by sin and the effects of it Externally, she was put in this this predicament this situation by wicked authority who were sinning against God by abusing their authority

Even more than that if we're honest with ourselves All of our efforts as men and women in this life all of our efforts are tainted

By the stain of corruption of sin it is pervasive in everything that we do and everything around us

I'm not convinced that there is a perfectly righteous path out of this situation for Rahab for these external and internal reasons

Even in our lowly Miserable estate even in compromised situations though God works

God moves God is calling his people out of darkness out of the grip of paganism and unbelief and debauchery even a harlotry to confess the glory of God who reigns and rules over all and in and We see here we see here our great need of salvation

I think that is the point we're to take away from this Rahab isn't given to us as an example of how to be morally perfect Rahab is given to us as an example of how to be forgiven.

This is a picture of sovereign grace This is a picture of the goodness of God in unconditional election

Rahab will be delivered not because of her deeds not because of what she did

But because of the one who has mercy Listen to Rahab's profession of faith in verse 8 in verse 8.

It says that She goes to the men and she said to them 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 faint -hearted 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 the courage of this nation of Jericho has melted away

But for the courage of Rahab whose faith is in the living

God Rahab is like Christian in pilgrims progress

She knows that she's dwelling in the city of destruction and the day of judgment has come

She doesn't want to be found standing against the ruler of heaven and earth She doesn't fear what man can do to her because she knows that there is one greater who will deal out a greater judgment just like the words of our

Lord in Matthew 10 Do not fear the one who killed who? Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul

But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell

That's what Rahab is doing here in risking her life for these men

So we can see now that indeed it was God's providence that brought these men here to the harlot's house

For she is the one soul in that great and terrible city of Jericho that God has truly revealed himself to Paul tells us in 1st

Corinthians 12 that this is this must be this can only be a work of the

Holy Spirit Rahab has been given this great treasure of faith. And this is how the

New Testament directs us To think of Rahab in this story the faith of Rahab and the works that flow from her faith

You would be right then to ask how does this faith come about? How does this pagan

Canaanite woman this Gentile woman come to have faith?

And not just to have faith but but to to find herself in the the lineage of our

Lord The truth is faith doesn't materialize out of nothing fully formed in the heart of a sinner at least not ordinarily

How does it happen? The marvelous works of God that are recorded for us in the pages of Scripture are made known to them

And that's exactly what Rahab recounts here in verse 10, right? She says for we have heard how

God did these things for you We have heard how God delivered you through the waters of the

Red Sea and gave you victory over these kings Sihon and Og These reports of God's great wonders have produced dread in the hearts of the wicked but the same reports

When they come to the ears of Rahab Bear a different kind of fruit in her heart

She sees that the judgment is coming and she seeks mercy

This is the difference beloved between those who are chosen of God and those who are not

When you hear, when you understand your sin and what it deserves

Does it produce dread or denial? Or does it cause you to seek his face for mercy?

As a side note here, this will come up later in the book. It's worth mentioning. She mentions two main events here as this these

Unfathomable wonders that caused the courage of the the hearts of all those who dwell in Jericho to melt

She recounts the crossing of the Red Sea and the defeat of these kings

Sihon and Og There's a reason why their defeat is mentioned here as a miracle in the same degree as the parting of the

Red Sea These were two Canaanite kings of great renown

They were uncommonly feared and the fact that God gave Moses Victory over these mighty men was such a wonder that it struck fear in the hearts of those in Jericho and it was recounted all throughout the

Old Testament as the archetypal overthrow of the powers of Canaan Their defeat is first told to us in Numbers 21 and Then it's again remembered.

These two kings are mentioned by name again in Deuteronomy 31 in here in Joshua 2 again in Joshua 9 again in Joshua 12 in Psalm 135 as we read this morning in Psalm 136 and again in Nehemiah 9 and there are some other passing references to these two kings by name

But those are the the main recountings. Now, I know that when we tend to think of our

Old Testament, we think of it as a block as just this this this The the more ancient part of our

Bible, but you have to understand that this spans between between Moses Doing these events and recounting them in the book of Numbers initially for us and then

Nehemiah Years years years later recounting them again. This spans over a thousand years over a millennia a

Millennium later the Israelites are still wondering at this great miracle of how

God overthrow overthrew Sihon and Og these two great kings.

Why is this? The Bible tells us pretty clearly that they were giants

Deuteronomy gives us the dimensions of Og's bed. It's not just large. It's superhuman superhuman strength supernatural strength empowered these kings to have this stronghold of dominion over this dark land

Later Joshua calls them the remnants of the Giants the Rephaim We tend to gloss over these realities in Scripture when we read through our post enlightenment lens but there's a reason why a generation before when the twelve spies were sent into Canaan and Joshua and Caleb were among them and they alone were found faithful that the ten spies were trembling with fear saying the inhabitants were of the land were

Devoured in the land and the Giants the descendants of the Nephilim were there great and mighty and terrible yet Joshua and Caleb alone trusted in God's promise

There's more we could say here. But the point is for our text this morning Rahab knows of this great evil and yet she

Recognizes that the God of heaven and earth is the ruler of all He has dominion over all and he is giving this land to his people

He is overthrowing this darkness these forces of evil. He has claimed it for his own special dominion on earth

Nothing can stand in his way Her city of Jericho will be overthrown because God wills it and then we see starting in verse 12

Rahab's plea for mercy Having established her faith in the one true

God both in word and in deed she now boldly seeks mercy

Rahab has hope Rahab has the hope of salvation

It's interesting that she seeks for deliverance from this destruction both for herself and for her family

Beloved it is right for us to plead with God to have mercy on those that we love

The text gives us no indication that they too are God -fearing people That they too have true and saving faith, but because of Rahab's plea

They too are saved at least from this immediate temporal destruction.

I want to be clear Each person will stand before God individually your faith

Will not justify another neither will someone else's faith justify you sinner

Rahab's faith secured her own justification before the throne of God just as she was covered

Such that she was covered by the righteousness of Christ We don't know what came of her family

But at least we see that on the basis of her plea God is going to spare them this day

When he overthrows Jericho and that evil there they will be spared

The last thing of note here for us that I want to comment on is this scarlet cord

This cord was the cord by which she let them down outside the wall This was the means of their deliverance from the king of Jericho and his men

But it also became a sign of her salvation Sorry to spoil the suspense for you.

If you're if you're not familiar with the rest of the story here But in a couple chapters when we cover the

Destruction of Jericho it is very clearly going to be completely a work of God The sign of the scarlet cord in the window was not so that the armies of Israel would know not to attack that house for God will do the violence to the city and God doesn't need the sign to know which household to spare

The cord is a sign for Rahab of her salvation and the cord is a sign for us

Dear one. It is a sign that God's mercy

That the mercy that God shows sinners is not

Something that they can earn it is something outside of themselves

That they must appeal to The text doesn't draw any Explicit connection here for us.

And so I want to be careful not to speculate too much But I I cannot help but notice the striking similarity between this scarlet cord and the blood of the

Passover lamb in Exodus chapter 12 God instructed the

Israelites to put the blood of The Passover lamb on their doorposts as a sign and that sign the sign of the blood of the lamb

Was the sign for their deliverance They were spared from the judgment that befell

Egypt and here the scarlet cord is the sign that Rahab's Deliverance from the judgment that will befall the nation city of Jericho Dear one the judgment that came upon Egypt on that appointed day and the judgment that came upon Jericho on that appointed day are just a small

Foreshadowing of the judgment that will come upon this earth when Christ returns with the sound of the trumpet

On that great and terrible day of judgment for the sons and daughters of Adam Just like the king of Jericho had claimed dominion and opposed the living

God He sought to do violence to the messengers in his land the prince of this age wants to do violence to the church

But God in his good providence will see to our care have courage but Satan's dominion is falling apart

For the day is coming when Christ will return when he will stand again upon the earth and On that day, he will do violence to the kingdoms of the world

He will as Rahab said of Sihon and Og utterly destroy them on that day

There is one and only one way of salvation It is not our works

It is not anything within us at all. We must appeal to the blood of the

Lamb of God If you would like Rahab, even though you are a sinner

Even though you are stained by the iniquities of your father Adam if you would confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is

Lord then his blood shed on the cross will be for your redemption Rahab was a daughter of Canaan But by her faith in spite of her sins though they were many

She was declared righteous she was washed clean by the blood of the

Lamb of God and She was adopted as a daughter of the king of kings

She is a picture she is a beautiful picture of redemption a Beautiful picture of all those who are dead in their sins and yet made alive together by the greater

Joshua by the Lord Jesus Christ and She was right to have hope

For in the words of our Lord from John chapter 6 all that the father gives to me will come to me and the one who?

Comes to me. I will by no means cast out and will raise up on the last day

Beloved this is the gospel. This is the only gospel that saves and judgment is coming run to Christ Throw yourself at the foot of the cross

Plead his blood for you that your sins may be washed away Let us pray our great

God in heaven. We thank you. We thank you for this this account of This great redemption that comes before a great judgment father.

I pray that the the faith of Rahab This bold faith from a sinner

Would cause us to look upon our own lives and our own sins and our own need of forgiveness that we might seek your face for mercy and find grace

To be made sons and daughters to be preserved to have courage in spite of the darkness around us that your kingdom will stand and That all these around will fall and may our hope be in Christ the

Lamb of God That we will on that last day be raised up together with him in Jesus name.