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You can turn in your Bibles to 
Joshua 2. Joshua 2. I know that this is 
a passage that we have looked at before in our pulpit ministry. We've also looked at this passage 
recently in our Wednesday night Bible studies as we're going 
through the book of Joshua. But it would be difficult to 
engage in a study of the grace of God in the Old Testament and 
not stop at Jericho to witness God's kindness to Rahab the harlot. So if you are in remembrance 
of this message before, hopefully it will be just another bit of 
help to you to appreciate afresh the grace of God. If you're not 
familiar with this portion of scripture, the grace given to 
Rahab by the God of Israel truly is an amazing picture of his 
kindness, of his mercy, and of his long-suffering. And I'll 
just pick up reading in chapter 2 at verse 1, and we'll read 
the whole chapter, and then we'll pray. 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. And 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 shot 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 faint-hearted 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 sisters, 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. And 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, let 
us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for this, your word. And we pray now for the ministry 
of your spirit. We pray that you would give us 
understanding. And again, a fresh appreciation for your graciousness, 
and your mercy, and your kindness, and your love. Help us to appreciate 
the forgiveness of sins through our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's 
in His name that we pray. Amen. Well, as I've said, Joshua 
chapter 2 is a wonderful picture or a display of God's grace at 
Jericho. In Joshua chapter 1, we see that 
Joshua is identified as the leader of Israel. Just to give you a 
bit of the history and what is going on up to this particular 
point. You'll remember that God drew 
his people or brought his people out of the land of Egypt out 
of bondage. He redeemed that. And then his 
people grumbled and complained and he brought judgment to bear 
upon that generation according to Numbers 13 and 14. It was 
the second generation that assemble in the plains of Moab where God 
repeats his law to them. This is the book of Deuteronomy. In the midst of Deuteronomy, 
God selects from Israel Joshua to be the leader of his people 
when Moses dies. So Moses dies, Joshua assumes 
leadership within the covenant community, and now he is going 
to engage in what is called the conquest. In fact, if you look 
at the book of Joshua, it can be divided into four major parts. Chapters 1 to 4 concern entering 
the land. Chapters 5 to 12 deal with taking 
the land. Chapters 13 to 21 are about possessing 
the land. And chapters 22 to 24 are tasked 
with retaining the land or keeping hold of it, maintaining faithfulness 
in the land so that they do not forfeit and lose this gift that 
God had given unto them. As we read Joshua chapter 1 and 
following, Jericho is the place where the children of Israel 
would enter into the promised land. When they're at the plains 
of Moab, they're on the east side of the River Jordan. When 
they cross the River Jordan in Joshua chapter 3, they will be 
right there at Jericho. So it's absolutely crucial that 
they take this particular city. And one of the amazing things 
in Joshua is that if you read chapter 1 and then went right 
to chapter 3, you wouldn't miss anything. There would be no disruption 
in the narrative whatsoever. The task or the purpose of chapter 
2 is a bit of an interlude, a bit of a pause, a bit of a stop, 
a bit of a let's consider this gracious God. Let's look at the 
beauty of His grace. Let's look at His magnificence 
in display or on display here in Jericho with the saving of 
Rahab and her household. Before we get into the destruction 
of Jericho, God has His elect there and He wants to bring them 
unto Himself. It truly is a wonderful depiction 
of the magnificence of God's grace, and I hope that you will 
be encouraged. I hope that you will be strengthened, 
and I hope that you will appreciate afresh this God whom we serve. Let's carve up the chapter in 
three broad sections. First, the contact with Rahab. Secondly, the confession of Rahab. And thirdly, the agreement made 
with Rahab. So let us notice first the contact, 
verses 1 to 7. There is historical precedent 
for this reconnaissance mission. This is what Joshua wants these 
men to do. He wants them to go spy out Jericho. He wants them to survey the land. 
If you remember back in the book of Numbers, Joshua was one of 
the 12 spies that went in to spy out the land of Canaan. There 
was a man each from the several tribes in Israel tasked with 
going into the land. Look at the roots. Look at the 
threat. Look at the potential danger. 
Try and figure out what the enemy has and if we will be able to 
take them in battle. And along the way, survey the 
land. See if it is in fact a good land, 
flowing with milk and honey and grain and all those things that 
we need to support life. So Joshua and Caleb and ten other 
spies go in to spy out the land. And when those 12 spies return, 
Joshua and Caleb say, the land is good. There is a threat, but 
we can neutralize that threat. In fact, Caleb says, let us go 
at once into the land. The 10 other spies, however, 
grumble. They whine. They complain. They 
say, it's not that good of a land. There is big people there. We 
are not going to be able to get it. And of course, the congregation 
sides with the whiners. It is an unfortunate reality 
that we tend to sympathize with or we tend to identify that position 
that does not believe God. Remember, the Lord promised that 
He was giving this land. So Joshua and Caleb thought it 
was a no-brainer, let's go take the land. Well, it was as a result 
of that grumbling that that first generation was then judged by 
God and died in the wilderness. So there's historical precedent 
here for Joshua to send out spies to look at Jericho and to assess 
the potential threat, to survey the route of entry, and to figure 
out the best way to destroy it. Because up to this point, they 
didn't know. They would simply march around the city and God 
would bring destruction upon it. One commentator says, Joshua 
2 thus justified the character of Joshua as a leader concerned 
for his people. For he gathers intelligence before 
leading them into hostile territory. So there is the precedent. Notice 
secondly, with reference to the reception, their contact with 
Rahab. You need to understand her livelihood. 
I don't want to get too graphic, I don't want to get too detailed, 
but suffice it to say that what we have translated here in the 
New King James is accurate. She is a harlot. That means she 
has relations with men for money. We will leave it at that point. 
Again, I don't want to get too graphic, but you understand the 
nature of harlotry. In the New Testament, when Rahab 
is mentioned, she is there called the harlot. Literally, the pornea, 
the immoral one, the woman who engages in relations with men 
for money. That's her particular livelihood. Notice the particular threat 
that is upon her. The king of Jericho hears that 
some men entered into Rahab's house. Now what does Rahab do? She lies to protect these men 
from Israel and in so doing she commits the act of treason. She is a traitor to Jericho. She is a traitor to this Canaanite 
king. She is putting her neck on the 
line for the God of Israel and for the mission of Israel to 
conquer the land of Canaan. Again, Hes says it was treason 
against Jericho and its king to aid these men. Rahab's helpful 
deeds indicate her renunciation of her allegiance to the Canaanites 
of Jericho. I mean, she's drawing the line 
in the sand here. She does not want to identify 
with Jericho. She does not want to identify 
with these Canaanites, so much so that she will tell this lie 
to throw them under the bus, to use a modern parlance that 
we so often employ. She is throwing her city under 
the bus for the God of Israel. Treason is what she's engaged 
in. He goes on to say, Rahab's helpful 
deeds indicate a renunciation of allegiance to the Canaanites 
of Jericho and her acceptance of the rulership of Joshua and 
his agents. Now we can just follow the story 
and see what she does. The men come, she hides them 
on her roof, and she covers them with flax. She camouflages them. She makes sure that nobody can 
see, and nobody can determine, and nobody can figure out that 
these spies of Israel are here in the land of Jericho." She 
then tells, according to verse 4, the king's agents that, yes, 
they did come here. They weren't with me, but they've 
left. And then she tells the king's 
agents, why don't you pursue them so that you can catch them 
before they escape the city-state? She lied to the king's men. She 
said the spies had already left her house when she knew good 
and well those men were on her roof covered with the flax and 
breathing in God's air. She understood the nature of 
the situation. Now, it is just here that we 
oftentimes start to want to get ethical. We want to start discussing 
Christian ethics. And we want to ask questions, 
is it ever right to lie to a king? Is it ever right to engage in 
treachery of this nature? Is it right to engage in being 
a traitor or treasonous to an ungodly state or situation? Now, I doubt I can satisfy all 
of your questions with reference to Rahab's lie, but let's just 
consider a few things the Bible does tell us with reference to 
her lie. The first thing is that we need 
to understand that the Bible oftentimes reports on things 
without necessarily condoning those things. In fact, several 
weeks ago we looked at the grace of God given to a rebellious 
king. I don't think any Christian would 
ever conclude that I can commit adultery and murder like King 
David of Israel did because God the Lord will forgive me. No, 
Paul counters such a mindset in Romans 6, 1. What shall we 
say then? Shall we continue in sin? That 
grace may abound? Certainly not. May it never be. God forbid it. You don't knowingly 
engage in sin and say, well, I know that the Lord is going 
to be gracious and forgive me. We need to approach this that 
way, at least in a generic sense. Not everything the Bible reports 
is necessarily condone. Now, however, those who dwell 
on the lie fail to reckon with treason. I mean, that's a big 
crime, isn't it? When countries are at war and 
somebody engages in treason, usually the penalty for that 
is capital offense. I'm certain that the King of 
Jericho wouldn't have taken kindly to Rahab's activity here. Had 
one of those agents of the king shimmied up the stairs and looked 
under that flax and saw those men from Israel, I don't think 
she would have been tried in the sense of a North American 
trial. It wouldn't have been a big spectator 
event. You wouldn't have seen all the crack attorneys. You 
wouldn't have to have all the legal analysis. And then if she 
was convicted and given capital punishment, there would be no 
appeal process. I think in the States, it's an 
automatic 12-year appeal process. If you get told, sentenced with 
the death penalty, it's an automatic 12-year appeal process. That wouldn't have happened to 
her. They would have killed her. She committed treason. But let 
me just take this one step further. The Bible never condemns Rahab. The Bible never speaks ill of 
Rahab. The Bible never says that she 
was a bad person. The Bible tells us she was the 
harlot. The Bible tells us she lied to 
these agents of the king. The Bible tells us that she engaged 
in treason. The same Bible shows her as a 
champion of faith in the book of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 
11. The act that she engages in here, 
in Joshua chapter 2, is fodder for the saints, in Hebrews 11, 
to glorify the God who preserves his faithful ones. Rahab the 
harlot, when she hit the spies, was doing so by faith, according 
to Hebrews 11. But the other New Testament reference 
to Rahab the harlot is James, James chapter 2. Now in James 
chapter 2, the brother is dealing with a demonstration of our justification 
to others. He is not dealing with justification 
in the legal forensic sense of God justifying his people on 
the basis of the work of Christ alone. He's dealing with what 
men see, with what men observe, with what you can show. And he 
uses two Old Testament examples for faith demonstrated by specific 
works. He, of course, goes to Abraham. I mean, Abraham is the father 
of faith, isn't he? In Genesis chapter 15, Abraham 
believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. It's 
not for seven chapters later that that is evidenced or demonstrated 
or manifested in Genesis 22. When Abraham takes Isaac up to 
Mount Moriah to tie him up and bury a knife in him at the behest 
of God Almighty, we see his faith. We see demonstrably that Abraham 
did in Genesis 15 believe God and it was accounted to him for 
righteousness. The Genesis 22 evidences or demonstrates 
that Abraham possessed biblical saving faith. Well, not only 
does he appeal to Abraham, he also goes to the Shady Lady of 
Jericho. That's Dr. Dale Ralph Davis's 
way of identifying her, the Shady Lady of Jericho. And he says 
that when you see Rahab functioning here in Joshua 2, hiding spies, 
lying to the king's agents, that is a manifestation, a demonstration, 
an evidence that she has faith in the living and true God. So 
I am not going to tell you this morning, go out and lie for Jesus. The Bible forbids such a conclusion. But we ought not to condemn Rahab 
when the Bible itself doesn't condemn Rahab. David says it 
this way, 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. Remember we saw that last week 
in Jonah. People get hung up on the great 
fish and they miss the great God. People get hung up on her 
lie and they miss the truth. Do you know what the central 
portion of this chapter is? It's her confession in verses 
8 to 14. Davis says, they 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 structurally. All points, all things lead to 
this confession in verses 8 to 14. So that's a bit of a treatment 
dealing with our lie. Do not go home today and say, 
I can lie for Jesus because Pastor Butler said so. Pastor Butler 
did not say so, and if you say that, that is a violation of 
the ninth word. You are lying, and that's bad, 
and that's wrong. Okay? But when we come to Rahab, 
let's not miss the point. Let us not miss what's going 
on. And to that we turn. The king's 
men believe her. They depart from her house in 
search of the spies. Now notice the confession in 
verses 8 to 14. The first thing she expresses 
is the fear of God. That's a good thing. You see, 
the Apostle Paul in Romans 3, when citing and highlighting 
the reality that all men everywhere are under sin, all men everywhere 
have rebelled against God and rejected God, he underscores 
this whole section by saying, there is no fear of God before 
their eyes. You see, it is good and it is 
right and it is meet that men fear God. God made us. God governs us. God rules us. God gives us food. God gives 
us drink. God gives us air. God gives us 
all things. It is an offense. It is rebellion. It is rejection. It is ungodly 
to not fear Him. To fear the Lord is a good thing, 
and we see that penetrating, or we see that evidence in the 
harlot's heart. Notice in verse 8, 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. We have seen the God of Israel. 
We have witnessed His mighty power. We have witnessed His 
majesty. We have witnessed His works. 
And instead of saying to so many, well, well, you know, that's 
just the way it works. That's just what happens in this world. 
That's just the way things sort of tumble out. No, they knew 
it was the personal God of Israel that was functioning and acting 
on behalf of His people. And they feared Him. They feared 
Him. That's one of the challenges 
in our day. People are naturalists. People just try to find an explanation 
in the created order for everything that happens. Earthquakes are 
because of shifting plates. And I know there is a degree 
to which that is true. But they neglect the God who 
shifts the plates. Naturalism is an offense against 
the living and true God. Anything that happens, any tragedy, 
any trial, it had to be this, it had to be that. We can never 
conclude there's a sovereign God in heaven who does whatever 
he pleases. That's offensive to man. Man 
would rather reject the thought of God altogether. He'd rather 
throw God out of his mind and out of his heart, lest he ever 
ascribe power and magnificence and majesty to this God. If man 
entertains the thought of God, he likes a God he can tame. He 
likes a God he can cuddle. He likes a God he can put on 
the shelf. He likes a God he can put into 
a box. You know, brethren, one of the best testimonies, just 
subjectively speaking, to the inspiration of Scripture, is 
what man, what fallen son of Adam, would design this God? 
Would you design this God? This God who's intolerant? You 
shall have no other gods besides me. I, the Lord, am a jealous 
God. Would you design a God who is 
holy, holy, holy? A God whose eye is too pure to 
look upon any evil approvingly? No man would design this God. This God reveals Himself in the 
pages of Holy Writ, and the good response from His creatures is 
to fear Him, to fear the Lord. This is what is penetrated Rahab's 
heart. We know the Lord has given you 
the land. This is a recurring theme throughout 
the Pentateuch. God graciously gave them the 
land. This harlot confesses His grace. This harlot realizes that this 
is a gift deposit from God. Whether she had a covenant theology 
of Abraham receiving the promise, we don't know. But she does know 
this. We know that the Lord has given 
you the land. And we know that our hearts are fearful. The terror 
of you has fallen on us, and all the inhabitants of the land 
are faint-hearted because of you." She has the fear of God. Notice, secondly, she recognizes 
the power of God. We have heard how the Lord dried 
up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt. She acknowledges that fact. She 
recognizes that reality. The great redemptive event of 
the Old Testament is the Exodus. How many times is that doctrine, 
how many times is that event, how many times is that issue 
rehearsed and celebrated both among the people of God and here 
those, at least technically, outside of the people of God. 
It is an amazing thing when God the Lord causes the waters To 
pile up on either side. And for his community to walk 
through without even getting their feet wet. And then, for Pharaoh and his 
armies to give chase. And while they're in the midst 
of that situation, their chariot wheels fell off. I know it's 
probably not the best thing, but I try to put myself into 
their position. I much prefer putting myself 
into the position of the community of Israel as they're marching 
through on dry ground looking at the fish. These walls of water, probably 
you'd see fish in there. It'd be pretty cool, I think. 
But imagine when those chariot wheels started to fall off. You 
know, Pharaoh, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe 
we shouldn't give chase to the people of God. Maybe Yahweh of 
Israel is the true and living God, and maybe He's going to 
destroy us. Well, we know that He does because 
He collapses the water and destroys them. Their bodies populate the 
seashore, according to the narrative. Rahab understands the power of 
God displayed in the Exodus. She understands that it's the 
God of Israel that is God of heaven and earth. She not only 
cites victory in Egypt and thus sounds like the children of Israel 
in their song of Moses in Exodus 15, the people will hear and 
be afraid. This is what they sang. Sorrow 
will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs 
of Edom will be dismayed, the mighty men of Moab. Trembling 
will take hold of them. All the inhabitants of Canaan 
will melt away. Fear and dread will fall on them. 
By the greatness of your arm they will be as still as a stone, 
till your people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over whom 
you have purchased." You see, this was stated, this was prophesied. 
They understood that this effect would be had amongst the Canaanites. 
And here it is displayed in Rahab the harlot. She understands the 
power of God. and his victory in Egypt. But 
also these skirmishes with these two kings, Sihon and Og, king 
of Bashan. You see, as they penetrate northward 
into the land of the Moabites and Ammonites, they have to do 
some battle. And God delivers Sihon and God delivers Og right 
into their hands so that they are poised then to take the land 
of Canaan. Every step of the way, God is 
there. Every step of the way, God is with them. What is it 
in Liverpool? You'll never walk alone. That's 
what these children of Israel learned. You will never walk 
alone as the people of God. You may at times think that, 
you may at times consider that, but it's not true. You'll never 
walk alone. If it's Sihon and Og, God will 
give you victory. If it is Egypt, God will give 
you victory. If you're David and you're standing 
out there facing that giant from Gath, He will give you victory. The Lord God will never cause 
His people to walk alone. He is faithful. He is with them. 
He is present. And the Canaanite here understands 
that. She recognizes the power of God. Again, I'm so convinced that 
we see God's power in the big things. We see God's power displayed 
in the Egyptian deliverance. We see God's power displayed 
in the destruction of Sihon and Og. We see God's power displayed 
when He spares us from some calamity. Do we see that power displayed 
each and every day of our lives? That He has not allowed us to 
perish? That He has preserved us? That 
He has kept us from hell? That He has kept us from suffering? 
We need to look with the eye of faith and search the power 
of God as this Canaanite woman, this harlot, this woman of disrepute, 
this woman that wouldn't be welcomed into society. This woman that 
probably us would look down upon, she is teaching us theology in 
this passage. We have seen, we have heard, 
and it promotes in us the fear of the Lord. Notice she highlights 
the majesty of God in verse 11. As soon as we heard these things, 
our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any 
more courage in anyone because of you. Notice, for the Lord 
your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. This 
is an amazing testimony from a Canaanite. This is theology proper, preached 
by a Canaanite, who had everything but theology proper in her Canaanite 
days. They had a God for everything, 
didn't they? They had a God for heaven, they had a God for earth, 
they had a God for rain, they had a God for rivers, they had 
a God for you name it. You see what she's doing now? 
She's taking Israel's confession of faith and she's making it 
her own. Calvin says it this way. Well, just before Calvin, 
this was to be Israel's confession and hope. Deuteronomy 4.39, 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. 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. 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 getting rid of. a casting 
away, a disassociation with. Calvin says there is a repudiation 
of all the pagan fictions by which the majesty and power and 
glory of God are portioned out among different deities. You see, that's what Paganism 
is all about. That's what idolatry is all about. Portioning out among the various 
gods a particular task. There was even a daytime god 
and a nighttime god. She's done. It's over. She has turned her back on those 
gods. She confesses Yahweh of Israel 
to be the true and living God. He goes on to say, and hence 
we see that it is not without cause that two apostles have 
honored Rahab's conduct with the title of faith. You see, 
I don't know that we've come to grips with how blessed we 
really are. You know that every time in the 
scripture that it says, and God spoke, and God spoke, and God 
spoke, we ought to be thankful. Do you think these various deities 
revealed themselves to the worshippers? No, because they had mouths that 
could not talk. They had eyes that could not 
see. They had ears that could not hear. They don't deliver 
a revelatory word to the worshipper. They don't instruct the people 
on how to approach them. That is why the worshipper concocts 
worship. He throws his children into the 
fire. He dances around and he cuts himself. He does all these 
things to try to gain the favor of the deity, but not Israel. Not new covenant Christianity, 
the Lord spoke, the Lord reveals, the Lord tells, the Lord redeems, 
the Lord instructs, the Lord gives His word. It truly is a 
blessing to have the Bible that is in your lap, treasure it, 
prize it, and praise God Almighty that He spoke it for your benefit 
and for your instruction. Now notice finally, She's confessed 
the fear of God, the power of God, the majesty of God. Now, 
notice the mercy of God in verses 12 and 13. Now, therefore, she 
says, I beg you, you need to pay attention. You need to listen 
to this. You need to learn from this harlot 
this morning. 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." Now, when 
we set this text against Acts 16 for a moment, you know, when 
Paul and Silas are in the prison, And the jailer wants to kill 
himself, and Paul says, don't do that, we're still here. And 
he comes and he falls down before them and he says, sirs, what 
must I do to be saved? And then they say, believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That's a bit 
of a different approach than what Rahab manifests here. See, 
Rahab doesn't say, I want to ask Jesus into my heart. I want 
to walk the aisle, I want to sign the card, I want to raise 
my hand, I want to follow him. It's a bit of a different confession 
covenantally. It's a bit of a different approach 
than perhaps what we're used to in the New Covenant. But this 
is legit. She is expressing her faith in 
the mercy of the God of Israel. See, he is one to be feared. He is one that manifests great 
power. He is one that displays great 
majesty. But he's also one who is entreated. He's also one upon whom we flee. He's also one we take refuge 
in. That's the point of her confession. Now, therefore, she says, I beg 
you. Entreat this God. Appeal to your 
God. Let me cast myself upon your 
God's mercy. That's moving from confession 
to adoration. This moves from theology to doxology. This moves from bare ascent to 
a trust of the living and true God. You see, sometimes people 
make the good confession. They understand with the head 
that the Lord God is the God of Israel. In fact, Deuteronomy 
6, verse 4, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. But the text doesn't stop there. That is a great confession of 
monotheistic theology that we must confess, that we must possess, 
that we must own, that we must make our own. But it doesn't 
stop there. And you shall love the Lord your 
God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your 
strength. You see, confess the theology 
and rest in His being. Confess the theology and seek 
mercy at His hand. Confess the truth and find comfort 
for your soul. Confess the reality and take 
hiding under his wing. That's what Rahab does. Now, 
therefore, I beg you, she says, swear to me by the Lord, since 
I have shown you kindness, that you will also show kindness to 
my father's house and give me a true token. Spare my father, 
my mother, my brothers, my sister, and all that they have, and deliver 
our lives from death. That's what sinners need to do. 
We've heard of you with our ears. We've heard the gospel preached. 
We've heard the cross. We've heard that great story. 
By story, I don't mean something untrue. I mean the facts, the 
narrative, the reality that Christ came in this world, sinners to 
save. And the means by which He did 
this was being made like us. by obeying the law for us, by 
dying as a sacrifice in our place, rising again on the third day, 
so that everyone who believes in Him will have everlasting 
life. You see, if you've heard that truth, flee. If you've heard 
that truth, seek refuge. If you've heard that truth, run. If you've heard that truth, go 
to Calvary, go to the cross, go to the bloody Savior, go to 
the one who's died and risen again so that sinners like us 
might have everlasting life. You've got to understand, people 
don't become Christians because they memorize their Bibles. People 
don't become Christians because they go to church. People don't 
become Christians because they go to Bible study or they go 
to sermonaudio.com or they have a feed or a podcast, and every 
time you see them, they got sermons pumped into their head. That's 
not what makes Christians Christians. It is the grace of God. It is 
through belief in the Savior. It is through repentance unto 
life. Look and live, says the scripture, and you will find 
everlasting life. Truly, it's amazing. This harlot 
ought to instruct you today. If you've heard of God, you understand 
something about why you should fear Him, you understand something 
about His power, you understand something about His majesty, 
then do what she does. Now, therefore, I beg you, entreat 
Him. I beg you, spare us. I beg you, 
watch over us, keep us, protect us, provide for us quarter. That's what this woman does. 
She casts herself upon the God of Israel. We have heard, we 
know, we understand His judgment. And instead of just waiting around 
for that day, she says, please, please, please. This is the Old 
Covenant equivalent to, foul I to the fountain fly, wash me, 
Savior, or I die. This is the Old Covenant equivalent 
of that blessed hymn. It is the Old Covenant equivalent 
to what we just sang there in 582. My hope is built on nothing 
less than Jesus' blood. righteousness. Mote nails that 
hymn. He says, I dare not trust the 
sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name. What's he saying 
there? Some days we don't have sweet 
frames. Some days our hearts are hard. 
Some days we're cold. Some days we're like dead fish 
at the best. You trust that sweetest frame 
and here's going to be your assurance. You trust that solid name. You trust the blood. You trust 
the righteousness. You trust covenant. You trust 
Christ with your soul. I dare not trust the sweetest 
frame, but holy lead on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock 
I've found. All other ground is sinking sand. That's what she's doing. She 
casts herself. on the mercy of God Almighty. That's what you should do. If 
you're not a Christian here this morning, I don't know. There's 
no lights above everybody's head. Hey, there's a Christian, there's 
a Christian, there's a Christian. But this much I do know. If you believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. I can say that 
with absolute certainty. If you believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, you shall be saved. What about predestination, Pastor 
Jim? I affirm that. What about election, Pastor Jim? 
I affirm that. What about the eternal decree 
of God? I affirm that 100%. And I affirm that if you believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall be saved. Don't let the 
eternal decree keep you from Jesus Christ. You know, I've 
heard it in the church before that unless I'm predestined, 
I can't flee to Christ. Flee to Christ. I've heard it before that if 
I'm not elect, I can't flee to Christ. Run. Don't walk. Run to Christ. All that the Father gives me 
will come to me. There's your election, there's 
your predestination, there's your eternal decree. You know 
what you need? And the one who comes to me, 
I will certainly not cast out. The decree, election, predestination 
is God's work. You are called with Rahab to 
renounce your pagan deities. You are called with Rahab to 
renounce your dependence on that which is not God. you are called 
to throw yourself on the mercy of God Almighty. And when by 
God's grace you do that, you'll realize it was by God's grace. 
And he'll receive all the glory and all the praise and all the 
adoration from his worshiping saint. Truly is gracious. Davis with reference to Rahab 
throwing herself upon the mercy of God here says, genuine faith 
never rests content with being convinced of the reality of God, 
but presses on to take refuge in God. Let me 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. Yes, He is to be feared. Yes, 
He is powerful. Yes, He is majestic. Yes, I must 
run to Him and throw myself upon His mercy, trusting in His Son 
alone. That's what Rahab teaches us 
this morning. And then notice, thirdly and 
finally, the agreement made with Rahab. Does the God of Israel 
deliver? Yes. Does Yahweh of Israel hear 
this harlot's cry? Yes. Does the God of Israel provide 
for her safe haven? Yes! Absolutely! This is 637 of John's Gospel, 
and the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. Rahab has come, Rahab has confessed, 
Rahab has cast herself upon the mercy of God, and he doesn't 
cast her out! The spies make an arrangement 
with her. They make the promise, they give 
her the requirements, put the scarlet cord in the window, all 
her family gathered in her house, Absolute secrecy. Do not let 
the King of Jericho know what we're doing, because that will 
compromise the entire mission, and as far as we know, all Israel 
will die. So you need to uphold your end 
of this. Again, it's not a direct correlation, 
one-to-one, with the way sinners come to the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Believe, and you shall be saved. But we see here, God's faithfulness 
in handing over to her the mercy that she has sought, and the 
protection that she desires. She provides escape. She agrees 
to their requirements. The narrative then ends in verse 
24 with, 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 faint hearted because of us. You say, well, 
whatever became of Rahab, this shady lady of Jericho and her 
family? Turn to chapter six. Chapter 
6 verse 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 
a 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 
out 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. I mentioned 
two places in the New Testament where Rahab the harlot is referred 
to. The book of Hebrews, the Hall of Faith, the book of James, 
as an example. Whether you're a patriarch like 
Abraham or a prostitute like Rahab, Biblical saving faith 
manifests itself, evidences itself to those around. You know where 
else she is? You all know. You've been here 
for a little while. You've sat under the sermons 
in Matthew. She's in a particular genealogy. The shady lady of 
Jericho is an ancestress to the Messiah of Israel. Rahab is in 
Matthew chapter one and verse five. With reference to her conversion, 
she heard of Yahweh. She was convicted by Yahweh. She flees to the mercy of Yahweh 
and therein demonstrates, by God's grace, commitment to the 
God of Israel. That is absolutely similar to 
what we find in the New Covenant. You hear the gospel. You hear 
the truth. You hear of a crucified and risen 
Savior. Conviction comes. Now, some places, 
some people teach, well, unless you've been convicted for, you 
know, two years, you can't come to Jesus. You just can't see 
that in the Bible. There's a man by the name of 
Matthew who happened to pen the first gospel, and he was sitting 
in his tax office, with his money, his fat stacks, as my kids would 
say, Jesus says, follow me, and he follows him. Yes, there had 
to have been some sort of conviction. He's holy, and I'm not, and I 
need him. But conviction is not quantifiable in the scripture. If you are convinced that you 
are a sinner and that Jesus alone saves, then go. flee, seek refuge 
in him, fly to him by the grace of God. A second practical concluding 
observation from the passage is there is at this juncture 
God's grace displayed at Jericho. As I mentioned, if you compare 
chapters 1 and 3, you will see that chapter 2 is not vital to 
the flow of thought. It's an interlude. It's a sideline 
note. It's very valuable and very important. 
I'm not suggesting it's not supposed to be there by the inspiration 
of the Spirit. But it's there in a book that 
is tasked with teaching us about how Israel goes in and conquers 
Canaan. It's almost as if to say, before 
we get into the conquest, never forget God's mercy, never forget 
God's grace, never forget that the promise made to Abraham is 
going to come true, and that in Christ all the nations of 
the earth shall be blessed. Certainly when you get to chapter 
6, verses 22 to 25, if you didn't have chapter 2, you might scratch 
your head and say, who is this Rahab character? The point is, 
brothers and sisters, it is a narrative designed to display for us the 
grace and the mercy and the kindness of our God. If, as we argued 
last week, Jonah serves the same purpose, you need to realize 
that as you bounce around in the Old Testament, there are 
some passages that aren't necessarily calls to action. They're not 
necessarily calls to Christian ethics. They're calls to worship. They're calls to prize. There 
are calls to adore. There are calls to consider. Before we get to the conquest, 
it's as if we're told, sit back, relax for a moment, and watch 
God save. That's what Joshua 2 is all about. Hess says 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? To play 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 blood shed. Don't take my word for it, read 
through Joshua later. What do they do? What's war all 
about? One country goes to another and 
kills people and breaks things. That's what war is. Killing people 
and breaking things. That's what's going to populate 
the book of Joshua. But before we go in and kill 
people and break things, let us remember God on high is merciful 
to people like Rahab the harlot. God demonstrates his compassion 
his power, his salvation, toward this Gentile prostitute in order 
for us to worship, praise, and adore him, and for us, if we 
have not, to realize that if God saves Rahab the harlot, there 
may be mercy and grace enough there to save me as well. Concluding 
with a statement by Davis again, so Rahab is a harlot, a pagan 
and a disreputable one at that, yet she is welcomed into the 
church, But Rahab the harlot Joshua saved alive, and she dwelt 
in Israel to this day." 625. He says, now that can be offensive. 
We say that 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 the 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. Christians, behold your God and 
worship. and thank Him and praise Him 
for the grace that has been displayed. If you're not a Christian, behold, 
you're God. Come, through the Lord Jesus 
Christ, believe on Him, and the scripture says you will have 
everlasting life. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word and we thank you for this wonderful 
account in our Bibles. And we praise you that you are 
a God of mercy. You are a God of great grace 
and loving kindness and forgiveness of sin. Thank you for the way 
you dealt so graciously with Rahab. Thank you for including 
this in your word to instruct us. May you indeed cause us to 
worship you and to adore you. And may you indeed cause sinners 
to flee to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. and we pray in 
his most blessed name, amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation.