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Joshua chapter 2, beginning in 
verse 1. Now Joshua the son of Nun sent 
out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly saying, go view 
the land, especially Jericho. So they went and came to the 
house of a harlot named Rahab and lodged there. And it was 
told the king of Jericho saying, behold, men have come here tonight 
from the children of Israel to search out the country. So the 
king of Jericho sent 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 country." Then the woman took the two men 
and hid them. So she said, yes, the men came 
to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened 
as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went 
out. Where the men went, I do not know. Pursue them quickly, 
for you may overtake them. But she had brought them up to 
the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she 
had laid in order on the roof. Then the men pursued them by 
the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who 
pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate. Now before they 
lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, 
I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror 
of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the 
land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how 
the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you 
came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites 
who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom 
you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these 
things, our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any 
more courage in anyone because of you. For the Lord your God, 
he is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now, therefore, 
I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you 
kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's 
house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, 
my brothers, my sister, and all that they have, and deliver our 
lives from death. So the man answered her, our 
lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours, and 
it shall be when the Lord has given us the land that we will 
deal kindly and truly with you. Then she let them down by a rope 
through the window, for her house was on the city wall. She dwelt 
on the wall. And she said to them, get to 
the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days 
until the pursuers have returned. Afterward, you may go your way. 
So the men said to her, we will be blameless of this oath of 
yours which you have made us swear, unless when we come into 
the land you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through 
which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, 
your brothers, and all your father's household to your own home. So 
it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house 
into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will 
be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the 
house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on 
him. And if you tell this business 
of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made 
us swear. Then she said, according to your words, so be it. And 
she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet 
cord in the window. They departed and went to the 
mountain and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. 
The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find 
them. So the two men returned, descended 
from the mountain, and crossed over. And they came to Joshua, 
the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. And 
they said to Joshua, truly, the Lord has delivered all the land 
into our hands. For indeed, all the inhabitants 
of the country are fainthearted because of us. Amen. Well, what 
we have here, we've mentioned last week, is a display of God's 
grace and God's kindness and God's mercy to this woman of 
Jericho, this harlot, this Gentile, this one who by all appearances 
would be the last one to be a recipient of the kindness of God. But here, 
before they get into the conquest, before they actually go into 
the promised land to enter the land, to take the land, possess 
the land, and retain the land, God shows mercy to Rahab the 
harlot. And I want to consider three 
things this evening. First, the mission itself, the 
reconnaissance mission in verses 1 to 7. Secondly, the central 
portion of the passage is found in verses 8 to 14. confession 
of God's sovereignty, which incidentally, this is the longest, one of the 
longest sections of uninterrupted dialogue by a woman in the entirety 
of the Bible. So the verses that she speaks 
are quite unique in that she reveals many things about God 
and His mercy and His glory. And it's unique in the sense 
that there's not a lot of extended dialogue from women in the Bible 
itself. So the second point is the confession 
of God's sovereignty and then thirdly the agreement made with 
Rahab and that finishes the chapter in verses 14 to 24 and then also 
we'll look at chapter 6 verses 22 to 25 to see the fulfillment 
of this particular agreement or this promise that was made. So first of all the mission itself 
in verses 1 to 7 There is precedent for what Joshua does here. Some 
commentators speculate that Joshua was out of line. Joshua shouldn't 
have done this. He should have just obeyed God. 
Well, there's nothing in the text whatsoever that suggests 
that what Joshua did here was wrong. The Bible speaks well 
of it. As I said, there was precedent 
in Numbers chapters 13 and 14. If you remember, Moses told twelve 
spies, or had twelve spies go in and spy out the land of Canaan 
to survey the situation, to look at the enemies, to look at the 
fruit, to look at all those things. The twelve spies returned. Joshua 
was one of them, of course. It was Joshua and Caleb who were 
the faithful ones. The other ten were unfaithful 
men. They said the land was not a 
good land. The land was filled with giants. 
There was no way that they would be able to take that particular 
land. Caleb says, we must go at once. Joshua's right there 
with him. Of course, the assembly listens 
to the ten. This is at Kadesh Barnea, and 
God brings judgment to bear upon them. It is as a result of that 
particular instance that the people of Israel, the first generation, 
die in the wilderness, and it's the second generation that then 
enters in. So there is precedent. So Joshua 
sends these two specific men from Acacia Grove. They're on 
the east side of the Jordan. He wants them to take one of 
the fords. As Gil says, it is fordable. I don't know if that's 
a word, but Gil says that at certain times of the year. You 
can't pass through the River Jordan. When we get to chapter 
3, it describes that it was not a fordable time. And it's probably 
a lot easier for two men to get through a particular river than 
thousands and thousands with women and children. That's a 
whole different ballgame. That's why God enables them miraculously 
to cross in chapter 3. So anyways, they cross the Jordan. They go to view the land, especially 
Jericho. When they enter or when they 
pass through the River Jordan, they're going to, first of all, 
defeat Jericho. So it's important. that we investigate. One man says, Joshua thus justified 
the character of Joshua as a leader concerned for his people, for 
he gathers intelligence before leading them into hostile territory. This is a wise and a strategic 
and a very judicious move that Joshua does. Go view the land, 
especially Jericho. Then it goes on to say, so they 
went and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab and lodged 
there. And it was told the king of Jericho 
saying, behold, men have come here tonight from the children 
of Israel to search out the country. We all, I think, know the particular 
story. Three things to consider with 
reference to Rahab. Notice her livelihood. She's 
identified here as a harlot. She's identified here as a prostitute. Some have tried to weaken this 
particular term and said that she's an innkeeper. But the specific 
word in the Hebrew that is used, zona, refers to a prostitute. The word applied to Rahab in 
the New Testament is the word porne, which means prostitute 
in the New Testament scripture. She was just that. She made her 
money. She had her livelihood by having 
relations with men for money. As I said, some are offended 
by this or they think it's unseemly and they translate it innkeeper. I think it is all the more marvelous 
that God's grace comes to Rahab the harlot. It comes to Rahab 
the prostitute, or in the language of Dale Ralph Davis, the shady 
lady of Jericho. Notice the threat. Notice what 
she's engaged in. She is engaged in treason. This is a capital offense in 
most countries. The person's lodged there, the 
king gets wind of it, so the king of Jericho sent 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 country. 
Again, Hess says, it was treason against Jericho and its king 
to aid these men. Rahab's helpful deeds indicate 
her renunciation of allegiance to the Canaanites of Jericho 
and her acceptance of the rulership of Joshua and his agents. I think it says something, too, 
about these two men. They really trusted her. I mean, they really put their 
necks on the line. The city gate is closed. All 
she had to do is say, they're right upstairs on the roof, and 
they would have been dead. just as soon as you could imagine. 
So this woman is acting in faith. She is acting in terms of treason 
to her own country. But I think he's right. She is 
renouncing allegiance to Jericho or the Canaanites of Jericho. 
And she is demonstrating her acceptance of the rule of Joshua 
and his agents. And then note. her particular 
plan. Verse 4, we could translate it, 
she had taken them. This is not necessarily chronological. The steps are all related, but 
I don't know that we're to read them specifically chronologically. When we get to 17 to 20, I don't 
think the guys are rappelling down the wall while they're still 
telling her, you need to have a scarlet cord, you need to bring 
your whole family to your house, and by the way, you gotta make 
sure... I don't think we're to read it that way. I think these 
events happen, they're structured in such a way as to bring emphasis 
to particular points. So she had taken them and she 
said, yes the men came to me but I did not know where they 
were from and it happened as the gate was being shut when 
it was dark that the men went out. Where the men went I do 
not know, pursue them quickly for you may overtake them. But 
she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the 
stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof. Then 
the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan to the fords. And 
as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut 
the gate." So what was her particular strategy to throw these men off 
of the track? She lied to them, right? She 
misled. We would never say in today's 
political climate, she lied. She stretched the truth. She 
misled them. She told them a non-truth. And this presents certain persons 
with a lot of difficulties. In fact, a lot of people come 
to this particular passage and instead of getting verses 8 to 
14, which we are supposed to get, we get hung up on this particular 
ethical question. Just a couple of things that 
we need to remember as we consider this lack of precision with reference 
to the truth, if we could call it that. The Bible often reports 
things without necessarily condoning them. In other words, when the 
Bible describes David's activities, it is not giving us a go thou 
and do likewise. The Bible reports details without 
at times condoning them or giving a judgment call upon those things. Now, the people who get hung 
up on this particular lie seem to neglect the treason. I mean, 
treason is terrible. Treason is a capital offense. I mean, she lied to these men. 
Yes, in the context of a greater crime, if we could say, the act 
of treason. Now, I particularly do not think 
that what she did was wrong here. And you ask me, why is that? 
Because the Bible only ever treats her positively. In Matthew chapter 
1 at verse 5, we read that Rahab is in the lineage, in the genealogy 
of our Lord Jesus. Now, if you ask the question, 
well, Jim, based on this, are there instances to lie? I don't 
think this is the passage we are to go to to discuss ethics 
in terms of battlefield ethics, reconnaissance missions. I think 
there's other portions of scripture we ought to go to to inform our 
ethics. But in terms of Rahab the harlot, 
Matthew 1.5 puts her in the line of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 
31. She is in the Hall of Faith, according to the book of Hebrews. 
And then as well in James 2.25, along with the patriarch Abraham, 
this prostitute Rahab is mentioned as an example of faith which 
yields or produces good works. In other words, what she is doing 
here in the context of James' argument is a good work. It is a manifestation that saving 
grace is operative in her heart. So it's hard to say that what 
she does here is bad when James uses it as a very proof that 
there is grace operative in her heart. Dale Ralph Davis says 
this, it is tragic when people snag their pants on the nail 
of Rahab's lie, quibble endlessly about the matter, and never get 
around to hearing Rahab's truth, which the writer has conspired 
to make the center of the whole narrative. Davis structures it. He shows how what we have in 
verses 1 to 7 are preliminary and what we have in verses 15 
and following are summary statements. But 8 to 14, literarily, is what 
we are supposed to take away from this particular passage. 
It is a confession concerning the living and the true God of 
Israel that is to consume the reader. It's not this issue of 
her treason and her lack of precision with reference to the truth concerning 
these spies. Hess says the ethical issue is 
not the concern of the narrative. The Bible says you are not to 
lie. The Bible says in the ninth commandment 
do not bear false witness. If you want to talk ethics, go 
to the Decalogue. When we survey this instance 
concerning Rahab, we remember and we realize that God operates 
in the midst of sinners. God operates and overrules all 
things to bring about his glory and his eternal plan. Hess says 
the ethical issue is not the concern of the narrative, It 
stresses the deception, not in order to condemn Rahab, but to 
magnify her personal risk in hiding the spies. So all of this 
is to cause the reader to bite their fingernails. Well, not 
this one, because I don't have any fingernails. I'm getting 
down to the nubs here. This is built and it's structured 
in such a way to create tension. She is literally telling Jericho 
policemen that, yes, these men stopped by, but they've departed. If you engage in hot pursuit, 
you should be able to locate them. All the while, these men 
are up on her roof. I mean, just imagine this. Most 
policemen would say, well, ma'am, would you mind if we took a quick 
look around? I mean, that seems to be the 
bare minimum response of any policeman worth his salt. Perhaps 
the Lord God is restraining these men and keeping them from journeying 
up, which probably wasn't difficult. I don't think we're dealing with, 
you know, a 12-story high rise. They wouldn't have to shimmy 
up the side of the wall themselves. They could have quickly popped 
their head up, moved a few stalks of flax, and seen or verified 
that these men weren't there. There is tension being created 
in this particular narrative so that the reader is poised 
and ready for what's coming in verses 8 to 14. Let's move there, 
the confession of God's sovereignty. Notice, she highlights four particulars. The first thing, she speaks of 
the fear of God. Notice in verse 8, Now before 
they lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to 
the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land, that 
the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants 
of the land are fainthearted because of you. This is an incredible 
admission, an incredible statement from this Canaanite harlot who 
occupies or lives in the city of Jericho. Remember what we 
have seen working our way through the book of Deuteronomy. Remember 
how many times it's mentioned in Joshua chapter 1 that God 
is gifting the land to Israel. She understands something of 
that gift. She understands something of 
that grace. She may not have a Pauline-developed 
idea about the grace of God, but she knows this. Israel's 
Lord is giving Israel this parcel of land. She has heard this, 
she understands this, and she says as a result that the entirety 
of the land, or that terror rather, has fallen on us and that all 
the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 
She then deals secondly with the power of God. It's the power 
of God that has communicated this message to them and has 
promoted or produced in them this fear of God. Notice in verse 
10. For we have heard how the Lord... 
Notice she's using the covenant name of the Lord all the way. 
She's using Yahweh. That capital L, capital O, capital 
R, capital D is the covenant name Yahweh. This is what Rahab 
has on her lips. This is what she is speaking. 
This is how she is communicating. For 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 the two kings 
of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan Sihon 
and Og, whom you utterly destroy." So Rahab refers to the great 
redemptive event wherein God delivered his people from Egypt. 
We have heard. We have listened. We know the 
story. Israel was in bondage to a superpower. Israel was in bondage to Egypt. Not just any nation marches out 
of Egypt while the Egyptians are throwing gold at them. That's 
simply not heard of. This is unique in the history 
of the world up to this particular time. The Exodus was to produce, 
it was to promote fear in the hearts, not only of God's people, 
but fear in the hearts of those who were not God's people. In 
the Song of Moses in Exodus 15, verses 14 to 16, it says, the 
people will hear and be afraid. 30 Sorrow will take hold of the 
inhabitants of Philistia. 31 Then the chiefs of Edom will 
be dismayed. 32 The mighty men of Moab trembling 
will take hold of them. 33 All the inhabitants of Canaan 
will melt away. 34 Fear and dread will fall on 
them. 35 By the greatness of your arm 
they will be as still as a stone. 36 Till your people pass over, 
O Lord, till the people pass over whom you have purchased. So this powerful display of God's 
redemption, God's deliverance of Israel, seen in the exodus. But as well, God's power displayed 
in their conquest over these two kings of the Amorites, Sihon 
and Og, remember those particular instances. where the children 
of Israel decimated these enemy armies. And this is what she 
reports in this instance. So the fear of God has seized 
her heart. She acknowledges the power of 
God. Notice then, thirdly, she highlights 
the majesty of God in verse 11. And as soon as we heard these 
things, our hearts melted neither did there remain any more courage 
in anyone because of you for the Lord your God he is God in 
heaven above and I'm sorry he is God in heaven above and on 
earth So, and on earth beneath. So what she takes in her heart, 
in her mouth, is Israel's confession and hope. Deuteronomy 439, remember 
back in that context, Moses is encouraging the people, this 
is how you are to function, this is how you are to live in the 
land. Deuteronomy 439, therefore know this day and consider it 
in your heart that the Lord himself is God in heaven above and on 
the earth beneath there is no other." The pagans had a God 
for everything. The pagans had a God for the 
storms. The pagans had a God for the 
sun. The pagans had a God for rain. The pagans had a multitude, 
a plethora of gods. Now she is taking Israel's confession 
of the uniqueness, the majesty, the solitariness of the one true 
and living God. In fact, in this instance, John 
Calvin says, here the image of Rahab's faith appears as if reflected 
in a mirror. When casting down all idols, 
she ascribes the government of heaven and earth to the God of 
Israel alone. You've got to understand this 
as we move through this. This isn't the Philippian jailer, 
you know, with all of the information he had in terms of Paul and Silas 
talking to him about Jesus, the cross, and the atonement. Based 
on what she had heard concerning the redemptive act of God in 
the Exodus, concerning their victory over these kings of the 
Amorites, her heart had feared. She understood something now 
concerning God. She realized there is one God 
who is over heaven and who is over earth beneath. Calvin says, 
for it is perfectly clear that when heaven and earth are declared 
subject to the God of Israel, there is a repudiation. That 
means a putting away of all the pagan fictions by which the majesty 
and power and glory of God are portioned out among different 
deities. And hence we see that it is not 
without cause that two apostles have honored Rahab's conduct 
with the title of faith. Hebrews 11.31 and James 2.25. These men are not reading in 
to the section here in Joshua chapter 2. What she is demonstrating 
really is incredible. For a harlot living in Jericho 
in Canaan to make these statements is absolutely amazing and it 
bespeaks the power of God's grace at work in her heart. And then 
notice, fourthly, this whole idea of the mercy of God. The 
mercy of God. The fear of God is prevalent. 
The power of God, she understands. The sovereignty, the supremacy, 
the majesty of God, she recognizes. Now, notice the mercy of God 
is what she casts herself upon in verses 12 and 13. Now, therefore, 
I beg you, swear to me by the Lord since I have shown you kindness 
that you also will show kindness to my father's house and give 
me a true token and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, 
my sisters and all that they have and deliver our lives from 
death. So she shows concern for others. This is always a good sign in 
the heart that is being dealt with by God the Lord. But what 
we are to see is that she's casting herself upon the mercy of Yahweh. The fear of God, the power of 
God, the majesty of God, now comes the mercy of God. based 
on who he is, please spare us. You see, theology is not meant 
to be simply an academic pursuit. Theology isn't supposed to just 
settle on the brain. Theology is to move us Godward. Theology is to promote in us 
this pursuit of God. Davis says, genuine faith never 
rests content with being convinced of the reality of God, but presses 
on to take refuge in God. Just read that again. Genuine 
faith never rests content with being convinced of the reality 
of God, but presses on to take refuge in God. This is precisely 
what she does here. She knows the fear of God, she 
knows the power of God, she knows the majesty of God, and now she 
says, Lord God Almighty, show mercy through these, your servants. She moves from this place of 
understanding to embracing the Lord God Most High of Israel. It truly is a blessed confession 
of faith that we witness here on the lips of Rahab the harlot. And then notice thirdly, the 
agreement made with her. The spies make a promise, verses 
14 and then 17 to 20. Verse 14, so the men answered 
her, our lives for yours if none of you tell this business of 
ours. And it shall be when the Lord has given us the land that 
we will deal kindly and truly with you. Verse 15, then she 
let them down by a rope, and then that dialogue in 17 to 20 
follows again. I don't think they're shimmying 
or rappelling down the road making these final arrangements. I think 
the point is there was some dialogue back and forth. There might be 
some proleptic reading here. The bottom line is that these 
men make a promise to her. Specifically, they say, our lives 
for yours if none of you tell this business of ours. In other 
words, secrecy is paramount. These are spies. They cannot 
successfully carry out their mission if their cover is blown. Remember what is in view here. 
Perhaps at this time, well, it wouldn't seem at this particular 
time that Joshua knew how they were going to take Jericho. Because 
why the recon mission, right? I mean, if you're going to march 
around the city and it's going to fall down, it seems a bit 
odd that you would spend time. So at this particular point, 
this is normal strategy. This is warfare. We have to go 
in and destroy this particular city. Two men go in, check it 
out, see the lay of the land, see where the resources are, 
see where the strength is, see where the problems lie, come 
back, report to us so that when we cross that Jordan, we go into 
Jericho, we can destroy them. So these men are operating under 
this idea of covertness and secrecy. They said, it shall be when the 
Lord has given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly 
with you. The specific requirements, 17 
to 20, the scarlet cord and the window. Now some have seen in 
this the blood of Jesus. Wouldn't want to press that one. 
You know, the scarlet cord and the window, She's sparing the 
church and all that sort of thing. I mean, that makes for some cool 
allegory and all that sort of thing, but it was a scarlet cord 
in the window. I don't think it was the cross 
of our Lord Jesus Christ or anything like that. But just realize, 
if you read some of the older commentaries, you might see that 
interpretation come up. I don't think we should press 
it that way. It was a sign. It was an emblem. It was something 
that they were to look for. all her family were to be gathered 
into her house and again absolute secrecy is stressed by the spies 
in this section at verse 20. And if you tell this business 
of ours then we will be free from your oath which you made 
us swear. And then notice her response 
verses 15 to 16 and then in verses 21 to 23. Verse 15, then she 
let them down by a rope through the window for her house was 
on the city wall. She dwelt on the wall. And she 
said to them, get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide 
there three days until the pursuers have returned. Afterward, you 
may go your way. And then in verse 21, then she 
said, according to your words, so be it. And she sent them away, 
and they departed, and she bound the scarlet cord in the window." 
And then notice, she agrees to the requirements, and then notice 
the Lord's faithfulness. Verse 22, they departed and went 
to the mountain and stayed there three days until the pursuers 
returned. The pursuers sought them all 
along the way, but did not find them. So the two men returned, 
descended from the mountain, and crossed over. And they came 
to Joshua, the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen 
them. Now notice in verse 24, And they said to Joshua, Truly 
the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands. For indeed, 
all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us. 
If you got rid of Chapter 2, Joshua would still make sense. 
In fact, in many respects, Chapter 1 leads naturally to Chapter 
3. Now, if you didn't have chapters 
2, chapter 6 verses 22 to 25 would be very puzzling. We'll 
look at that in just a moment. But chapter 6 verses 22 to 25 
could actually be removed. I'm not suggesting we do that. 
The point is that 2 is not crucial in terms of the narrative of 
a warring nation going into another nation. But it serves various 
functions, and one of them is to encourage the children of 
Israel. Remember, Joshua has been given 
his commission in Joshua chapter 1. Joshua then gives the commission 
to Israel in Joshua chapter 1. These two spies go on their way 
And who do they happen to fall in with but the one faithful 
Canaanite in all of the land? The one who has heard of the 
Lord God of Israel and has responded favorably. You know, she says 
the nation is fainthearted, all of that. But she not only heard 
this, but she responds righteously. She gives them this information 
that they in turn take back to Joshua. Verse 24 would come as 
a great encouragement not only to General Joshua but to the 
children of Israel. We have been in the land. We 
have been on the other side. Here we've come back. This is 
completely opposite from Kedash Barnea and the ten spies who 
come back and whine and grumble and complain that there's no 
way we can ever take the land. That won the day with Israel. Here this wins the day with Israel. They said to Joshua, truly the 
Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all 
the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us. 
Verse 1 chapter 3. Then Joshua rose early in the 
morning and they sent out from Acacia Grove and came to the 
Jordan. He and all the children of Israel 
and lodged there before they crossed over. Probably with a 
spring in his step. probably with an encouragement, 
probably under the realization that these men went into the 
land, they met one of the inhabitants of the land, they successfully 
evaded the Jericho police, they have come back, and this is the 
report they had given. Much better than those ten spies 
in Kadesh Barnea who said the land is not good, the land is 
filled with giants, the land is not going to be hospitable 
to us, we shouldn't even bother. Again, Israel listened to those 
particular men. In this instance, the two men 
come back with this very favorable report. Hopefully, it was to 
encourage the people of God that they would go upon their particular 
task and truly root out the nations in Canaan. And then notice in 
Joshua 6, the fulfillment in verses 22 to 25. Joshua chapter 6, 22. But Joshua 
had said to the two men who had spied out the country, go into 
the harlot's house and from there bring out the woman and all that 
she has as you swore to her. And the young men who had been 
spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, 
her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought all her 
relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. But they 
burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the 
silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron they put into 
the treasury of the house of the Lord. And Joshua spared Rahab 
the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had. So she 
dwells in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers 
whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho." So you see, if you didn't have 
chapter 2, probably scratch your head at this, but really that 
is not crucial to the narrative, this section or to chapter two. It highlights and demonstrates 
God's mercy, God's kindness, God's goodness to sinners, specifically 
to really bad sinners, at least in terms of human beings. We 
look at prostitutes and think, somehow, we're better than them. 
Well, God saves her by his grace and for his glory. One who's 
committing the act of treason, one who is not probably, or one 
who is risking her life to do these very things. So when we 
survey this particular chapter, we should see, as Davis says, 
the beauty of Yahweh's grace. Hess says, in one of the most 
nationalistic books in the Hebrew Bible, I mean, look at what Josh 
was about. we are going in to dispossess 
the land of the Canaanites. In one of the most nationalistic 
books in the Hebrew Bible, does it not serve the purposes of 
the promise to Abraham that all peoples on earth will be blessed 
through you, Genesis 12, 3, to place side by side with the choice 
of a military leader and his initial preparations for battle 
the story of a foreign woman who believed and was saved without 
arms or bloodshed. It truly is an amazing picture 
of God's mercy and grace. It really ought to cause us not 
to forget the Abrahamic promise and while Israel is going to 
go in and dispossess the land of the Canaanites, that does 
not abrogate, it does not militate, it does not do away with the 
promise that in Abraham all the nations of the earth shall be 
blessed. Remember there was a punitive 
function in this conquest. The Canaanites were wretched. 
God is bringing Israel to bring judgment upon the Canaanites. It doesn't mean there's not going 
to be Abrahamic blessing. It does not mean the nations 
of the earth will not be blessed. It does not mean that at all. 
And then as well, Ralph Davis makes this comment, and those 
of you who've heard me preach this sermon have heard this before. He says, Rahab is a harlot, a 
pagan, and a disreputable one at that. Yet she is welcomed 
into the church, 622-25. But Rahab the harlot, Joshua 
saved alive, and she dwelt in Israel to this day. Now that 
can be offensive. We say we can't have that. The 
church is only for respectable, clean, middle-class folks. But 
that is like saying that hospitals are only for doctors, nurses, 
and x-ray machines instead of sick people. Or it is like saying 
that only morticians and coroners belong in morgues instead of 
dead people. Who then should be in church 
but sinners? The church is not a club, but 
a refuge for sinners who have been touched by the grace of 
God. Apparently, Rahab's past did not bother the writer of 
the first gospel. Rather, Matthew seemed to see 
in Rahab a trophy of divine grace. Astounding, isn't it, that the 
shady lady of Jericho should be the ancestress of Jesus, the 
Messiah? Matthew chapter 1 and verse 5. So it truly is an amazing section 
of scripture that teaches us first and foremost about God. That's who the hero of Joshua 
chapter 2 is. She is saved by grace. This confession of faith comes 
as a result of God's work in her heart. It's by faith, certainly, 
Hebrews 11.31, faith demonstrating itself in the works, James 2.25, 
but it's God the Lord who has indeed redeemed this particular 
woman. Well, let us close in prayer. 
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. And we thank 
you for this account of your saving grace and mercy and your 
power. And we thank you, Lord Most High, 
that you have blessed us when we consider a woman like this, 
when we consider our own hearts, our own selves, and people that 
we know. We thank you that the Church 
of Christ is made up of redeemed sinners. We ask, God, that you 
would continue to save, that you would continue to add to 
your church, that you would continue to take people from all walks 
of life and cleanse them in the blood of the Lamb Add them to 
your church. We pray through Christ Jesus 
our Lord. Amen.