God Fought The Battle

HER NAME WAS RAHAB AND HER OCCUPATION WAS “HOSTESS.”

Lonely travelers could find a hot meal and a warm bed at her “Bed & Breakfast.” But they could find even more – if her guests longed for companionship she would provide that too.

She was a prostitute.

HER NAME WAS RAHAB AND HER PEOPLE WERE AFRAID.

People haven’t changed much in the thousands of years that separate us from Rahab. Even without CNN and the Internet, news traveled fast – bad news even faster. And Rahab and her people had heard some very scary news. An army of desert wanderers was just across the Jordan River preparing to invade their land. This enemy had already defeated two great nations.

Rahab had heard many stories from the men who stayed with her. She knew the invading army would crush her hometown.

HER NAME WAS RAHAB AND SHE WAS READY FOR A CHANGE.

Rahab was worn out with the life she was leading. She was tired of feeling trapped behind the walls of fear and guilt. Rahab was tired of worshipping things that could not fill the empty hole in her soul.

Rahab had heard that the God of the Israelites was alive, that He lived with them, talked with them fought battles for them and best of all -- forgave their sins. Rahab wanted to worship their God. She was ready for a big change.

HER NAME WAS RAHAB AND SHE SAVED JOSHUA'S SPIES.

Joshua selected two spies to check out the land and the city of Jericho. When they entered the city they looked for a place to stay and found Rahab’s “Bed and Breakfast.” It seemed like a good place to overhear all kinds of information.

Shortly after they arrived at Rahab’s home, a squad of soldiers surrounded the place and demanded that she turn the spies over to them. She told them the men had already left and she had no idea where they were. The soldiers believed her and ran off in al directions to find the spies.

But Rahab had hidden the spies on the flat roof of her home. She saved the spies by keeping them hidden until the search for them was called off.

HER NAME WAS RAHAB AND SHE BELIEVED THE PROMISE OF GOD’S MESSENGERS.

Before the spies departed Rahab asked them to promise that her family would be spared when Jericho was attacked. She said, “Please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

The spies told her to hang a scarlet cord from her window and to gather her family into her home. If she would simply do those two things all of her loved ones would be saved.

Apparently Rahab believed them. Later as God’s people marched around Jericho they could all see a deep red rope hanging out of Rahab’s window. The two spies had told them about her and about the promise God had made through them. “No one in that home is to die. She saved us and God will save her family.”

Seven days later after Joshua and the people had walked around the city seven times, the priests blew their trumpets. The people shouted – and God knocked the walls down. Everything collapsed except Rahab’s home.

She believed God’s promise and she and all her loved ones were saved.

HER NAME WAS RAHAB AND SHE JOINED GOD’S PEOPLE – IN A PLACE OF HONOR!

Why spend time talking about Rahab? The answer is in “the rest of the story.” God completely saved Rahab from Jericho. She did not die when the city was destroyed and she did not go on living as a prostitute.

Rahab became the mother of a man called Boaz, who became the grandfather of David -- Israel’s finest king. Jesus the Messiah, God’s Only Son was his descendant. In other words, when you research His Family Tree you’ll find Rahab’s name recorded in that place of honor (Matthew 1:5). “Now you know the rest of the story.”

The Bottom-Line:

God fought the battle of Jericho

-- in order to SAVE Rahab –

and the walls came tumbling down!

Conclusion:

1) Two thousand years ago, God fought the battle for your soul when Jesus died on the cross. Then he defeated death, hell and the grave by raising Jesus from the dead on a Sunday morning like this.

God fought the battle of the Cross – in order to save YOU – and every wall that can keep you from being like Jesus must come tumbling down!