Passage: Joshua 2
The Big Idea
Anyone can be brought into God’s family through faith in Him. That’s the inclusive, transforming power of God’s grace. What about prostitutes? Drug dealers? Liars? Thieves? Joshua 2 answers with the story of Rahab.
Spies at a Harlot’s House (Joshua 2:1)
Armed with God’s promise from chapter 1, Joshua sends two spies to check out the land, especially Jericho. The first lesson: God will save anyone.
They go to the house of a harlot named Rahab. As you do.
Just so we’re on the same page: she was a prostitute. She was probably lost and empty, sad, with little sense of worth. A life full of shame. Israel would have seen her as among the worst people in society, hardly part of society at all. No hope for her.
But somehow the spies end up at her house. God is up to something.
The Lord doesn’t see as man sees; man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He knew something special was in Rahab’s heart: faith. You can’t judge a book by its cover.
Someone Snitched (Joshua 2:2-3)
The king of Jericho hears about the spies and sends men to Rahab’s house.
I imagine the spies in fake mustaches, asking suspicious questions: “So, this is the door that protects the city? Is there a back door? How many guards? Oh, I’m just curious about doors and guards. Don’t mind me.” Pretty normal Tuesday in Jericho.
Rahab Hides Them (Joshua 2:4-7)
Rahab hides the men under stalks of flax on her roof and sends the king’s men off on a false trail.
She protects these Israelite strangers. Why? Faith. She actually believes God’s promises.
She also lies. Does that mean I can lie if I have faith? Nice try.
- First, the Bible tells the truth, even about its heroes. No sugarcoating.
- Second, this story highlights God’s grace for messed-up people, and Rahab was one of them.
The point of the story is her faith, not her methods. And God will take that faith and transform her life through all this mess. Just watch.
Rahab’s Confession (Joshua 2:8-11)
Before the spies go to sleep, she comes up to the roof and tells them she knows the Lord has given them the land. Everyone heard how He dried up the Red Sea and what Israel did to the kings Sihon and Og. Their hearts melted and no courage was left, because the Lord their God is God in heaven above and on the earth below (Joshua 2:8-11).
That’s a powerful declaration of faith, based on God’s work. Just as we trust in the work Jesus did for us on the cross.
No courage left
God commanded Joshua to be courageous. But God’s enemies live in fear.
Fear is the opposite of faith. Doubt is just another name for fear. God never asks you to be afraid. Replace every fearful thought with a promise you can believe, like Rahab’s confession that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below (Joshua 2:11). He’s in control. I can calm down. I can rest. I can trust.
Says the prostitute whose life is a disaster. What will you say when your moment comes? “God is in control”? Or “I need to freak out and take over”?
Saving Her Family (Joshua 2:12-14)
Rahab asks the spies to swear they’ll spare her father, mother, brothers, sisters and all they have.
She loves her family. We don’t even know if they were speaking to her. But she wanted them saved too.
The Scarlet Cord (Joshua 2:15-24)
She lets them down by a rope through her window, since her house was built into the city wall. She tells them to hide in the hills for three days. They tell her to tie a scarlet cord in her window and gather her family inside. Everyone inside will be safe.
She ties the scarlet cord in the window.
What does that foreshadow? The redemption of Jesus, bought with blood. Just as the blood on the doorposts at Passover protected those inside (Exodus 12:13), the scarlet cord marked the house God would spare. Tying it was an act of faith.
The spies return and report that the Lord has truly given the whole land into their hands (Joshua 2:24).
What Is Faith?
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). It’s confidence that what we hope for will actually happen.
Hebrews 11 lists the heroes of faith. They died in faith, not having received the promises, but seeing them from far off and embracing them, confessing they were strangers and pilgrims looking for a heavenly country. So God isn’t ashamed to be called their God (Hebrews 11:13-16).
And right there in the list: by faith Rahab the prostitute didn’t perish with those who disobeyed, because she welcomed the spies in peace (Hebrews 11:31).
Faith is the whole point of her story. She was saved by faith.
Faith that works
But how do we know she had faith? Because of what she did. James says Rahab was justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way, for faith without works is dead (James 2:24-26).
Does that mean I need a lifetime of good works to prove I have faith? No. Every example James uses of real faith is a one-time response to God. It’s not about earning righteousness through a lifelong record. James isn’t contradicting justification by faith alone. He’s saying living faith naturally shows itself in what we do.
For us, faith in Christ, resting on His finished work, naturally leads to expressing His life and love as we respond to the Spirit.
- You are justified by faith.
- That faith means you’ve been made new at your core, in your spirit.
- Jesus lives in you, through you, as you. That’s our union with Him, the deepest truth of the gospel (Galatians 2:20).
Rahab believed God’s promise and then aligned herself with it. If you believe a side is going to win, you naturally join it, even if it seems dangerous. That’s where faith takes courage.
Why Faith Takes Courage
- Trusting the unseen. It takes courage to trust God’s promises, character and plan when you can’t see them.
- Going against the grain. Faith sometimes means decisions that go against the culture or your own desires.
- Facing uncertainty. Faith means letting go of control and believing God is good and has your best interest at heart (Romans 8:28).
- Enduring trials. It takes courage to keep believing God is good when life is hard (James 1:2-4).
- Embracing grace. Resting in Christ’s finished work goes against our “earn it and deserve it” mentality. It takes courage to fully accept the grace that declares you righteous, forgiven and complete in Him (Colossians 2:10).
And even that courage is provided by the Spirit within us.
From Harlot to Ancestor of Jesus
Here’s the last thing. Rahab, the prostitute who chose to trust God, became an ancestor of Jesus. She married Salmon and became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth and became the great-grandfather of King David (Matthew 1:5-6).
That’s a place of honor. Why would God do that? Because He wants us to know His promises are for everyone. Anyone who humbles themselves and trusts in His Son will receive all the grace God can give.
Humility and faith lead to blessing, honor and life. Test it and see.
Grace Takeaway
Your past doesn’t disqualify you. Rahab’s didn’t. Tie the scarlet cord of Jesus’ blood in your window by faith, bring your family under its protection, and watch God turn shame into honor.
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