Introduction:
1. This morning is the second sermon in the series entitled, "Possibilities: The Dream of what lies ahead." God is doing big things in the lives of His people, there are great moments ahead for them, but those great moments start in some very unexpected ways. Have you ever noticed that things don’t always work out just the way we would like for them. We try to be pretty conscience about the way our bulletin turns out each Sunday morning, but if you attend here all the time, you know there are mornings when we miss some little something. I can assure you we aren’t the only church where that happens. In fact, a few years ago someone sent me a list of classic church bloopers. Though we’ve had a few things wrong over the years, I don’t think ours come even close to some of these: 1) Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a good chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands. 2) Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell" to someone who doesn’t care much about you. 3) The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict. 4) The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." Tonight’s sermon, "Searching for Jesus." 5) Barbara C. remains in the hospital & needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is having trouble sleeping & requests tapes of the pastor’s sermons.
2. I know all of you can relate to the times when we thought we knew what we were doing only to have things work out very differently than we thought. If you had been Joshua, at this moment in Israel’s history you would have been deep in thought & eager to see what God was going to do, but I believe I can safely say that you wouldn’t have had it all figured out. For certain, God had promised the people that He was going to lead them into the promised land, but the details of how He was going to do that were anything but clear. So, Joshua was left to make the preparations he needed to make.
3. There would be many surprising twists & turns in the story of taking the Promised Land, but God would be with them all the way. One of the first twists in the story takes place this morning. As the readers just read, Joshua had sent two men in to check out the city of Jericho. When they arrive, they encountered a most unexpected situation. However, they found themselves right where God wanted them to be. God was clearly at work. Let’s read the story together. . .
Cell #1—
1 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.
2 It was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land."
3 And the king of Jericho sent word 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 land."
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
5 "It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them."
6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof.
7 So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,
9 and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.
10 "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
11 "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
12 "Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth,
13 and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death."
14 So the men said to her, "Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you."
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.
16 She said to them, "Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way."
17 The men said to her, "We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear,
18 unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household.
19 "It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him.
20 "But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear."
21 She said, "According to your words, so be it." So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22 They departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had sought them all along the road, but had not found them.
23 Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them.
24 They said to Joshua, "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us."
Let’s pray . . .
Cell #2—
I. A Safe Place in a Dangerous City 1-7
1. The nation of Israel, God’s called out people, were moving out of a 40 year detour in the desert & into the territory God had promised to them. The problem was that the land was inhabited with lots of people, so the nation of Israel had to first go in and conquer all the cities before they could move in and settle down. The first of these was a massive, fortress of city called Jericho. (7)
1) Before attacking Joshua needed information about the: gates, fortified towers, military force, & the people’s morale. They weren’t far from the Promised Land. In fact, they were right on the border. Look at this map & you can see how close they were from the land & especially from the Jordan River.
2) For the most part the towns of Palestine were independent city-states at this time. Their rulers were called kings. Each one was operated like a very small country.
3) This time as Joshua sent out the spies to check things out he was determined to keep what he was doing a secret even from his own people because a negative report, such as the one brought back from an earlier spy mission in Numbers 13-14, would demoralize the people. Him sending out the spies wasn’t an act of unbelief. The promise of God’s help never rules out human responsibility.
2. As Joshua prepared to send them into the land, it must have brought back many old memories. He probably gave them a few bits of advise, but when you’re a spy you must think on your feet. You frequently don’t know what’s coming next.
3. That certainly was one of the first things that happened. We’re not told about them leaving or even how these two crossed the Jordan River, but we are told about their arrival in Jericho. Things immediately happened a bit unexpectedly. We’re not told how or why. However one of the first things people often wonder about the spies is this. . .
Cell #4—
Why did the spies go to the house of this prostitute?
1) Young men going in wouldn’t have attracted attention.
2) Prostitutes quite often talked to military officers.
3) Her house was on the city wall offering an easy escape route.
4) God led them to this particular house because He had plans for Rahab that no one could see at this time.
1) At first glance it might appear that this was the wrong thing to do. However, this situation was a special one & the reason they went to Rahab’s house was anything but sexual. This was one place where (Cell 4 #1) "Young men going in wouldn’t have attracted attention."
2) Not only that, but there was another very logical reason why in this situation Rahab’s house was the perfect place to go. (Cell 4, #2) "Prostitutes quite often talked to military officers." If your goal was finding out what was going on in Jericho, Rahab’s house was a logical place to go. Spies want to find out as much as they can in as short a time as they can.
3) But there was another very logical reason why they would go to Rahab’s house. When you are a spy you must be thinking ahead. You must have an escape route planned out of you could be trapped and end up in the hands of your enemy. (Cell 4, #3) "Her house was on the city wall, offering an easy escape route."
4) However, considering the fact that in the New Testament we will be told to run from sexual temptation, I think perhaps none of these very logical reasons would have been sufficient if it hadn’t been for the last reason I believe they went to Rahab’s house. (Cell 4, #4) "God led the to this house because He had plans for Rahab that no one could see at the time." As far as the spies were concerned they were merely gathering intelligence, but God was doing more. Just remember that, because we’ll come back to it later.
4. Even though they were using their heads and were very cautious, someone figured out that they were there. The entire city was feeling the pressure of knowing the Israelites were only 15 miles away. Whoever it was that saw them observed them entering Rahab’s house & reported it to the king. The king immediately sent messengers who demanded that Rahab turn the spies over to him. The situation was serious. Even if Rahab wanted to help them she would have felt intense pressure not to. Here’s why. . .
Cell #5—
According to the law of Hammurabi if Rahab was caught hiding the spies she would have been guilty of treason and executed.
5. The king would have expected Rahab to do her patriotic duty. In fact, the king’s messengers who came to tell her to turn over the men must have trusted her because notice, he didn’t inspect the house, he took her word for it that the spies weren’t there. She promptly sent them on a wild goose chase. She said the men had been there, but that they had left a little while before.
6. With the knowledge that they had been there, the city definitely went on high alert. They got together a search party to try to find the men before they could get report back to their leader. But I want you to notice something else that’s going to make matters worse. After the search party leaves did you notice what the city does? That’s right they lock the gate. They are probably trying to keep the spies from coming back into the city but the spies are still inside when the city gate swings shut. They are trapped inside.
Cell #6—
II. A Surprising Convert in a Sinful City 8-14
1. It doesn’t take much thinking to realize that most Jews & Christians aren’t going to be real comfortable with the Jewish spies being in the house of a prostitute. If there is a way to do it, they would like to rescue the heroes of the story from this "woman of the night." As it turns out there was an easy way to do it.
Cell #7—
The Hebrew for prostitute and innkeeper is the same word.
2. Some of you have heard of the Jewish historian Josephus, he suggested this was the logical explanation for Rahab. There is however, one major problem with this approach. When the New Testament speaks about Rahab, it always uses a Greek word that cannot be translated, "innkeeper." While it’s true that Rahab did run an inn of sorts, that wasn’t really what her house was.
3. There is another possible explanation for Rahab’s behavior which does make her role in Jericho a little more understandable, even if it doesn’t make it acceptable. Some scholars who are well acquainted with Canaanite culture at the time have suggested that Rahab was probably a widow. Let me explain why that suggestion has been made. Many widows in that society became prostitutes out of a sense of desperation. There was no public assistance & for many women there wasn’t another obvious way to feed themselves & their children.
1) The tragedy is that we pass by many Rahabs everyday. Many of us fail to recognize their worth, but God certainly doesn’t make the same mistake that we do. We serve a God who sees beyond their sinful exterior & who looks directly into their heart.
2) Rahab was very lovely, but she wasn’t really loved. If you & I had been picking someone God was likely to use, she wouldn’t have just been low on the list, she would have been very near the bottom on most of our lists. But what happens in this story and the way God works in and through her illustrates a very important spiritual principle. It’s a principle that needs to be shouted from the rooftops. . .
Cell #8—
Your past doesn’t determine your future, your choices do.
4. If it hadn’t been clear before, it was about to become crystal clear, that God had led these spies to the exact house they needed to be at. Let me show you why I’m so convinced of that. I want you to notice that . . .
Cell #9—
Rahab told the spies two very important bits of information—
1) She too believed in the Lord.
2) Her country was terrified by Israel’s coming attack.
1) This first bit of news made it clear that they had come to the right house. (Cell 9, #1) "She too believed, in the Lord." On first glance, that may not seem all that strange, but in reality, there probably wasn’t another believer in the entire city of Jericho and of all the places they could have gone to, they go to the one house in town that contains a believer.
2) But, she had other news as well & it related to one the reasons Joshua had sent the two men into Jericho in the first place. He wanted to know how the Canaanites had responded to the Jewish army a mere 15 miles away. They found out the answer, (Cell 9, #2) "Her country was terrified by Israel’s coming attack." They weren’t going around advertising their frustration but that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. Rahab had perhaps heard this from some military officer who had been in her house earlier that very day.
5. It may not seem as dramatic to us as it did to them, but I can assure you, it would have made a huge impression on both spies & on Joshua when they reported it back to him. In spite of the fact that she hadn’t been a believer for very long, her faith was quite impressive. If you have your Bible open look closely at what Rahab actually says in verse 9, "I know that God has given you the land." She spoke of Israel taking over the land in the present tense, as if was already done, though they hadn’t invaded yet. In spite of the fact that she hadn’t been a believer for very long. . .
Cell #10—
Rahab showed much more faith than the ten spies Moses had sent out 40 years earlier.
6. We’re not given the details, but from what she says, God had already been at work in her heart. When you read what the spies said to her you will see she was already aware of God & His mighty power. God brought the spies there not just for their benefit, but also for hers. I like the way author John Eldride puts it. He says.
Cell #11—
God brings moments of crises into our lives to halt our "business as usual" attitude and make us look to Him.
7. The Lord has planned these, "God moments" so that we’ll turn to Him & respond in faith. That’s what Rahab did. She took a risk on God. Rahab hid those men at the risk of her own neck. She decided to go with the "God moment" and it helped her to get past her past.
Cell #12—
III. A Successful Return from a Doomed City 16-24
1. Now that the arrangements were worked out Rahab had to tell her relatives about the coming judgment and the promise of salvation. This was dangerous because if even one of her family told the king what was going on the rest of them were as good as dead.
2. Where did that long rope come from anyway? It had probably saved the lives of several wayward husbands when their wives came calling. Perhaps more than one Jericho politician had gone out her window to escape from angry citizens. The symbol of Rahab’s shame became her salvation. But at this point, there was some danger attached to that rope. The city’s officials knew the Jewish men had been there & they may well have been looking for anything different she was doing. Someone could have noticed the scarlet rope hanging out her window. If they did there would have been questions to answer. Someone visiting Rahab’s house might have asked about it. But she couldn’t take the rope out of her window. It was part of a covenant between the spies and Rahab herself. The spies promised her safety but there were conditions. . .
Cell #13— (points come in 1 at a time)
The details of the covenant between Rahab and the spies—
1) There must be a scarlet rope dangling from the window.
2) Only those in her house at the time would be safe.
3) Neither she nor anyone in her family could tell anyone.
1) As I was talking about before, that rope was important (Cell 13, #1) "There must be a scarlet rope dangling from the window." The rope was so important because the warriors would be told to destroy every house except the one with the scarlet rope hanging out the window. If the rope was missing they wouldn’t know which house to spare.
2) The second condition of the covenant between Rahab & the spies was that (Cell 13, #2) "Only those in her house would be safe." The army couldn’t be responsible for anyone in Rahab’s family that wasn’t there. In the heat of battle they would have no way of knowing who was in her family & who wasn’t unless they were exactly where they were supposed to be.
3) Finally, there was one final condition to the agreement, (Cell 13, #3) "Neither she nor anyone in her family could tell anyone." If they told anyone else the whole agreement was off. This was serious business the details of the agreement were clear to both Rahab and the spies.
3. When the men slipped out her window using that rope, they knew the trip had been a resounding success. They had found out what they needed to know and amazingly they had found someone in the city who was a worshipper of God just as they were. They needed the encouragement of knowing that they weren’t alone, that God was involved every step of the way. After what happened they could say with assurance. . .
Cell #14—
God is always faithful to prepare the way for His people.
4. When the spies reported back to Joshua, they emphasized not just what Rahab had said, but even more significantly, what she had done for them. They even quoted Rahab’s own words. The passage concludes by literally saying, "and they told him everything that had found them." In other words, they recognized how clearly God had been involved in preparing the way for them. They hadn’t gone into Jericho on their own, God had been there ahead of them. .
Conclusion:
1. Not only did she survive the battle of Jericho, Rahab became a member of the Israelite community. She packed up and moved on with the people of God. She started completely over. The Bible informs us that she later married a nice Jewish boy named Salmon and raised a family of her own. She gained respect in the community and in her new nation because of her choices. You see, God wasn’t only at work in the nation of Israel. . .
Cell #15— (points come in 1 at a time)
God was also at work in Rahab’s life:
1) She would be included in Jesus’ family tree.
2) She was one of only two women included in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter.
3) She was linked with Abraham, in James 2 as an example of how faith & works go together.
2. Jewish tradition holds that Rahab was one of the four most beautiful women who ever lived. She even made it into the New Testament. She didn’t just make it into the New Testament, (Cell 15, #1) "She would be included in Jesus’ family tree."
3. In Hebrews 11, the Bible, illustrates faith from only two Joshua stories, the walls of Jericho & how they came down as well as Rahab & her faith. Interestingly enough, Joshua himself isn’t mentioned, but Rahab is. (Cell 15, #2) "She was one of only two women included in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter." God wasn’t just pleased with how Rahab changed, He was very pleased.
4. In a related passage, (Cell 15, #3) "She was linked with Abraham, in James 2 as an example of how faith & works go together."
5. In short, regardless of your past, God wants to use you in the future. Are there things from your past which have convinced you God couldn’t use someone like you?
6. Please hear me, if God could use Rahab, He can use you & me. The possibilities of the future don’t rest on us being worthy, they rest upon the fact that God loves us in spite of our failures.
Footnotes:
1) Warren Wiersbe, Be Strong: Joshua, (Omaha, NE: FindEx.com) 2004.
2) Frank Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Corporation) 1976-92.
3) John Walvoord, Roy Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament,
4) Adolph L Harstad, The People’s Bible Commentary: Joshua, (St. Louis, MO, Concordia Publishing House) 1991.
5) A Graeme Auld, The Daily Study Bible: Joshua, Judges & Ruth, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press) 1984.
6) La Juana Morris, God Can Use the Rahab in Us, (Sermoncentral.com) May, 2002.
7) Joel Smith, Getting Past Your Past, (Sermoncentral.com) May, 2001.
