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."
Israel broke camp and headed for the Jordan – the Ark leading the way. The Jordan was at flood stage, yet the moment the priests stepped into the water parted. They walked right in carrying the Ark and stood on dry land in the middle of the river until the entire nation – including the fighting men of Reuben, Gad and ½ Manasseh – had crossed safely.
After everyone had crossed, 1 man from each tribe was commanded to get a stone from the middle of the river and set the stones up as a memorial at Israel’s 1st camp in Canaan - Gilgal.
Joshua 4:21-24 - Joshua said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground. For Yahweh your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. He did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of Yahweh is powerful and so that you might always fear Yahweh your God.’"
When the Amorite kings and the Canaanite kings, west of the Jordan, heard how Yahweh had dried up the Jordan, “their hearts melted and there was no spirit in them any longer.”
Before Israel continued into the Land, a couple of things had to happen:
• All the men born in the wilderness had to be circumcised. The men who had come out of Egypt had been circumcised, but none of the subsequent generation had been.
• Passover was celebrated. The day after Passover the people ate some of the food of the land – unleavened bread and roasted grain. The next day the Manna stopped.
Let the CONQUEST begin….
Jericho was tightly shut – no one was going in or out. No doubt it’s wall bristled with soldiers armed to the teeth.
As Joshua stood and looked at Jericho he must have felt some apprehension. Yahweh had told him to be strong and courageous - to not be afraid. Yet the walls of Jericho were tall and thick – impregnable. How could Israel possibly defeat such a fortified city?
Lost in thought, Joshua looked up and saw a man – a warrior with sword drawn. Going over to the man, Joshua asked him, “are you on our side or our enemies’ side?” A logical question considering the circumstances.
The answer, however, was a surprise. “Neither. I come to you as Commander of the army of Yahweh.”
Joshua did what all those who encounter God do; he fell face down on the ground.
"What message does my Lord have for his servant?"
"Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy."
Joshua took off his sandals and Yahweh gave him the battle plan.
Joshua went before the people: “Here’s how this is going to go down. An armed guard will go first followed by 7 priests carrying trumpets, followed by the priests carrying the Ark, followed by a rear guard, followed by the people. Every day we will go around the city 1 time for the next 6 days. The Trumpets will sound as we march, but the people are to remain silent until the day I give the command to shout – then you are to shout!”
For 6 days the people silently followed the Ark around Jericho as the trumpets sounded.
On the 7th day they marched around Jericho 7 times. On the 7th time around, as the priests sounded the trumpets, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to Yahweh and must go into his treasury."
With 1 voice 2 million people shouted at the tops of their lungs as the trumpets blasted – what a sound that must have been.
Suddenly, everything began to shake. Then a crack as the impregnable walls of Jericho fell.
The fighting men of Israel walked straight in and completely destroyed the city.
Only Rhaab and her family were spared and they went to live with the Children of Israel.
Meanwhile, someone was disobeying the direct order not to take plunder from the city….
Joshua 6:27 – So, Yahweh was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Until Next Time…………..
