Joshua 2:1-24
Q.1. Why did Joshua send the spies into Jericho? What made the men stay with Rahab? How did Rahab respond to the king’s demand to give up the men? – (Jos.2:1-7)
It would have been normal in warfare for spies to be sent out to the terrain, to work out the best strategy. Joshua needn’t have worried, because he would meet the ‘Commander of the hosts of the Lord’, Who would take control (c.f. Jos.5:13-15). One place in Jericho where strangers would be able to enter unnoticed, was a harlot’s house, so the spies sent by Joshua stayed with Rahab (see Jos.2:1). Unfortunately, someone saw them, and told the king that two men from Israel were spying in the area. The king then sent word to Rahab to bring the men out to him (see Jos.2:2-3). Rahab risked her life by hiding the spies in the loft, then telling the king that they had left Jericho at nightfall (see Jos.1:4-7).
Q.2. How did Rahab explain her extraordinary actions? What had she concluded about God? What was her request and how did the spies respond? – (Jos.2:8-14)
Later Rahab explained her reason for protecting the enemy. She believed that even as Israel had been delivered miraculously from the Egyptians and all their enemies, God would give them the land. She reported that her people were in a state of terror – When we heard it, our hearts melted, and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you (Jos.2:11 c.f. Jos.2:8-10). She had concluded that – the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath (Jos.2:11). Since she had dealt kindly with them, she sought a solemn pledge from the men to – spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death (Jos.2:13). They promised that her request would be granted, in return for the protection she had given.
Q.3. On what basis would the pledge of the spies to Rahab be honoured? What was the report of the spies to Joshua and the nation of Israel? – (Jos.2:15-24 c.f. Num.14:6-9)
She gave them counsel on how to escape, thus showing her resourcefulness. They did not leave before stating the conditions under which they would keep their vow. Rahab was to gather her family and tie a scarlet cord from her window (see Jos.2:18). This scarlet cord is often seen as symbolic of the continuity of the message of salvation from Genesis to Revelation. Ten of the twelve spies initially sent out had given a discouraging report that consigned Israel to forty years of wandering in the wilderness of Sinai. However, like Joshua and Caleb, these two spies told Joshua – … Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us (Jos.2:24 c.f. Num.14:6-9). This time it was not Israel, but the inhabitants of Jericho who were filled with terror.