I Will Be With You Series

September 20, 2025

The Israelites grieved for Moses 30 days….

During the wilderness travels, Joshua served as a Wise General (Ex. 17), a Faithful Scout (Num. 13), and as Moses’ Prime Minister (Ex. 33:11), but now that Moses was dead, the responsibility of leading the People into the Land of Promise fell squarely on his shoulders.

Can you imagine? You have been a front row witness to the past 40 years. You have been by Moses’ side throughout the wilderness wanderings and you have watched as the people rebelled and complained and grumbled along the way and NOW ---- YOU’RE OLD and IN CHARGE!!!

Over the next 7 or so years, the Israelites will begin to conquer and occupy the Land, but the command of God to fully drive out the nations will never happen.

That is future – this is present.

Joshua had a job to do and that began with getting the people ready to cross the Jordan River.

While the people prepared, Joshua secretly sent 2 spies on a fact-finding mission to Jericho.

Arriving in Jericho the spies found themselves at the house of Rahaab – the zônah – a prostitute.

It seems strange that 2 Israelites would go to the house of a prostitute – an activity strictly prohibited in Israel.

In the Aramaic translation of this section of the Hebrew Bible, the word “zônah” means someone who sells food and, in the 1st-century BC, Jewish Historian, Josephus, states that Rahaab was an innkeeper.

So, which is it - prostitute or innkeeper?

Was Rahaab’s bed open for business or was she simply the owner of the local Motel-6? Could she have been both?

While it is impossible to know the answer, what is important for us is that the word used to describe Rahaab could mean something other than what we generally assume it to mean.

“Rahaab the prostitute” certainly sounds more interesting and headline grabbing than “Rahaab the innkeeper,” but that is probably more our problem than hers….

At any rate, we spend more time judging her for what we THINK she was when we should be talking about the most important part of her story:

A Canaanite woman – an enemy of Israel, welcomed 2 Hebrews spies into her establishment,

hid them,

lied to her own people – at personal risk – to spare their lives,

somehow managed to help them escape by letting them down the imposing wall of the city

and gave them instructions on how get back to their own camp safely.

After all that the only thing she asked for in return was her life and the lives of her family.

Why do all that? In her own words:

Joshua 2:9-13 - "I know that Yahweh has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for Yahweh your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Rahab, whatever her profession was a woman of deep faith in the God of Israel. More than that, her character was such that one of the leaders of the tribe of Judah eventually married her and she will be included in the lineage of Jesus:

Matthew 1:1-6a - A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David…..

When the spies finally arrived back in camp they reported to Joshua: The Lord will surely give this land to us because all the inhabitants of the land are terrified of us.

Finally the people were on the move. They set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan. At the end of 3 days the people were given the following instructions: "When you see the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, you shall set out from your place and go after it. You are to remain 2,000 cubits (about ½ a mile) behind it. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before. Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you."