Rahab Helps the Spies

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Introduction

Last week we saw how God provided victory over the Amorite kings of the north and gave the people an example of the victory he would provide for them over the giants and the walled cities of Canaan—the promised land. Og was a giant king, but God showed himself to be greater.

As Balak recognized the advancing threat of the Israelites, he tried to get Balaam, a false prophet, to curse Israel that they might be defeated in battle.

• But rather than cursing, how did God use Balaam? Balaam could only speak the words that God put in his mouth, offering blessings to the Israelites and curses on their enemies.
• Did anyone have an opportunity to have a “talking donkey” conversation over the last week? Discuss any conversations people had about trusting the Bible as the absolute authority, in light of the activity from the last lesson.

  The Israelites who were age 20 and up at the time of the first spies had passed away. Forty years of wandering in the wilderness had brought God’s judgment to completion. But Moses had also been banned from entering the land of promise. If time allows, read all of Deuteronomy 34 to explain the end of Moses. If not, summarize the content for the class.

Turn with me to Deuteronomy 34 and let’s read about how Moses’ life came to an end. Read or summarize the passage.

Today, we are going to look at how Joshua assumed the leadership of the Israelites.

Joshua Takes the Reins

The Pentateuch ends with Deuteronomy—the last book of Moses. The next book is Joshua, the most likely candidate for the writer of the book that bears his name. This is the first of what are called the 12 historical books, Joshua through Esther. These historical books span the history of the nation of Israel. The poetic and prophetic books fit into this span and are referenced in the various history books. Refer to the Books of the Bible Poster and the Exodus to Malachi to illustrate this point.

Let’s read Joshua 1:1–18 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• When did this happen? After Moses had died.
• Who is talking to whom in this passage? God is speaking directly to Joshua.
• Where was Joshua instructed to go? He was to cross the Jordan River into the promised land.
• How much land was given to the Israelites? The boundaries are described as from Lebanon to the Euphrates River, the land of the Hittites, west to the Great Sea (Mediterranean).
• What three promises did God give Joshua in verse 5? No man would be able to stand before him, God would be with Joshua just as he was with Moses, and he would not leave or forsake Joshua.
• What command did God repeat three times? A variation of “Be strong and courageous” is repeated in verses 6, 7, and 9.
• What commands about the law were given to Joshua (vv. 7–8)? Joshua was told to obey the law, not departing from it to the right or to the left, meditating on it day and night.
• What is the connection between what Moses commanded (v. 7) and the Book of the Law? They are synonyms for the writings of Moses under the direction of God.
• What did God promise to Joshua for his obedience? God promised to prosper Joshua as he obeyed.
• What did Joshua do to demonstrate his new position of authority (v. 10)? He gave commands to the officers of the people.
• How long did the people have to prepare? Three days.
• What were the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh to do? The men of valor were to cross the Jordan to fight (v. 14) while the others would inherit the land to the east of the Jordan, which Moses had given them (Numbers 32:16–44).
• How did the people respond to Joshua’s leadership? The people agreed to obey Joshua just as they had obeyed Moses, holding others to obeying him as well (vv. 17–18).

Discover the Truth

So we see a clear transition of authority in this passage, as God is now communicating to Joshua as the leader of the Israelites rather than Moses.

• What does it mean that Joshua was to meditate on God’s law day and night? To meditate is to linger over and consider the truths of what God had revealed through Moses. And to do it day and night is a call to be constantly mindful of who God is and what he had called Joshua to do. Many people think of meditation as emptying the mind, as in Eastern mystical practices. But the biblical idea is to fill our minds with God’s truth so that we might know what he calls us to do.
• What attributes of God could Joshua look to as he sought to obey God? Joshua had seen God’s faithfulness to keep his promises since the Exodus. He had seen God’s omnipotence in parting the sea, providing the manna, and bringing water and quail to the people. He had also seen God’s sovereign hand in the defeat of the various peoples, despite the walled cities. Consider other ideas from the students.

  With this assurance in knowing God’s nature, Joshua immediately set things in order to cross over and take the promised land—just as God had commanded him. If Joshua had not known God’s commands, he could not have obeyed. If he had not obeyed, the Israelites would not have taken the promised land. Joshua’s obedience to God was blessed as he led the children of Israel into Canaan. As he obeyed God’s Word, Joshua prospered as a leader just as God had promised.

Rahab and the Spies

Joshua’s next action was to prepare for the crossing into the promised land. Just as he had once been sent as a spy into Canaan by Moses, now he was sending spies into Jericho.

Now we are going to read chapter 2 and learn about these spies. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• What was the goal of the spies sent by Joshua? To secretly spy out the land they were about to move into, especially Jericho.
• Where did the pair find lodging? In the house of Rahab, the prostitute (harlot).
• How did the king of Jericho respond to hearing of the spies? He sent men to Rahab to bring out the spies.
• How did Rahab respond? She hid the spies on her roof among bundles of flax, and then she lied to the king’s men, telling them that the two spies had left at dark when the gate was about to be shut.
• How did the king’s men respond? They pursued the men toward the Jordan River.

  Show the Jericho Spies Map. Let’s stop for a minute to think about the geography around Jericho. The spies had come from the camp at Shittim (Acacia Grove), heading west toward Jericho. After Rahab’s lie, the king’s men pursued them east toward the Jordan along the road that led to a crossing. We will look at this a bit more in the next part of the passage.

• What had Rahab heard about the Israelites and their God? She had heard about the Red Sea crossing and how the Israelites utterly destroyed Og and Sihon.
• What had this news done to the people of Jericho and the surrounding lands? They were fearful of what would happen to them. Words like terror, fainthearted, and melting hearts are used to describe their fear.
• What did Rahab conclude about what would happen as the Israelites entered Canaan? She knew that the Lord would give the land to the Israelites (v. 9).
• What did Rahab proclaim about God? In verse 11, she acknowledged that the Lord God is God of heaven and earth.
• What request did Rahab make of the spies (vv. 12–13)? To spare the lives of her and her family.
• What conditions did the spies give Rahab to ensure her family’s safety? Rahab was to tie a scarlet cord in the window, and her family had to keep the spies’ business a secret and to stay within her house.
• What advice did Rahab give the spies? In order to avoid the king’s men, they should go to the hills to the west of Jericho and hide for three days before they returned to their camp.
• How did the spies escape Jericho? Because her house was on the city wall, Rahab let them out of her window by a rope so they could flee to the mountain.
• What report did the spies bring to Joshua? They reported their story and assured Joshua that God had given them the land, as evidenced by the fear of the people before the power of God.

Discover the Truth

Rahab had heard about what God had done for the Israelites, specifically at the Red Sea crossing, and their absolute victory over the kings of the Amorites. It was God’s mighty deeds for his people that made Rahab look to God for hope. She knew that he was the God of all creation, not just some little god who operated in some local area.

• What attributes of God did Rahab acknowledge? She recognized God’s omnipotence in controlling the waters of the Red Sea and his sovereignty in conquering the kings of the Amorites.
• How did Rahab demonstrate her faith in God? Rahab’s faith was demonstrated in her willingness to hide the spies at the risk of her own life. She knew she could trust a God mighty enough to part a sea and defeat entire kingdoms.
• How did the spies demonstrate their faith? They fulfilled the dangerous mission Joshua, God’s chosen leader, had sent them on, and they acknowledged that God would indeed fulfill his promise to give them the land.

A Righteous Lie? Activity

Pass out the A Righteous Lie? worksheet to the students. So, did Rahab do the right thing by hiding the spies and lying? Think through the following questions and passages, and we will talk about them together in a few minutes. Answer the first two questions on your own, and then you can work in small groups to answer the rest. Allow students time to answer the questions.

Connect to the Truth

Go over the questions and answers with the class.

For each of the following passages, summarize what we learn about lying:

• Before you begin, do you believe Rahab did the right thing by lying to hide the spies? Allow answers.
• When is it right or acceptable to tell a lie? Many students may think it is OK to tell a lie to protect someone or in circumstances when a lie would not hurt anyone. People tend to use the terms “little white lies” and “half-truths” to try to justify lying.
  Slide #33

  Slide #34
  For each of the following passages, summarize what we learn about Rahab:
• Joshua 6:17, 6:25 Rahab and all those in her house lived because she hid the spies. Rahab then dwelt with the people of Israel.
• Matthew 1:5 Rahab became an ancestor of King David and Jesus.
• Hebrews 11:31 Rahab hid the spies by faith.
• James 2:25 Rahab demonstrated the reality of her faith by her works of receiving the messengers and sending them out to safety.
• Exodus 20:16 Bearing false witness against a neighbor (lying) is a sin.
• Proverbs 12:22 Lying is an abomination before God.
• Revelation 21:8 Liars will be cast into hell.
• Colossians 3:9 Lying is a part of the sinful nature of people before they are saved.
• Titus 1:2 God does not lie (and we are to imitate God according to Ephesians 5:1).
• Is Rahab ever praised for telling a lie? Nowhere in Scripture is Rahab’s lie commended or connected to her faith. Her hiding of the spies and sending them out in secret is, but not her lying.
• How have these passages influenced your thinking about the lie Rahab told? Discuss answers, noting that she was wrong to lie, even though a “good” result came from it.
• Is there such a thing as a righteous lie? Explain. There is not a case in the Bible where lying is commended, and it is consistently condemned as sinful. A righteous lie is an oxymoron.

Application

God used the leadership of Joshua and the faith of Rahab and the spies to accomplish his plans. Although Rahab’s lie cannot be commended, her faith in hiding the spies and giving them direction can be praised. She fully trusted what little she knew about God. The spies trusted that God was willing and able to give the promised land to his chosen people, just as he had promised to Abraham hundreds of years earlier. And just as he had provided a leader in Moses, Joshua was now the one chosen to lead God’s people.

But just as Moses was not the Messiah, neither was Joshua. But in Joshua’s name and role, we can see a shadow of Jesus. Joshua’s name was originally Hoshea, which means “salvation.” Joshua means “Yah is salvation.” This is the equivalent Hebrew name of Jesus. While Joshua will lead God’s people into rest in the promised land, it is Jesus who will ultimately give God’s people rest and the fullness of salvation in the ultimate promised land.

Let us make sure that we think of how we can apply these ideas as we leave and go out into the world we live in. We want to make sure that we are not merely hearing the Word, but seeking to be doers of what we read in it.

• Have you ever heard someone say that Moses could not have written Deuteronomy since he couldn’t have written about his own death? How would you respond to such a claim? Discuss various experiences, focusing on the conclusion that Joshua or someone else could have written the last few verses of these five books while it still was accurate to say that Moses was the author.
• What do we learn about God through this account where a lying prostitute was adopted into God’s chosen nation and became an ancestor of the Messiah? God is gracious to pardon sin for those who trust in him. He can take any life and transform it by his power. No sin is too big to be forgiven by the blood of Christ.
• How could the account of Rahab and her sinful life be used in an evangelistic encounter? Many people think their sin is too big for God to pardon. As a trophy of God’s grace, Rahab is a testimony that no one is beyond God’s salvation.
• How does an account like this—one where a person’s sin is put on display—demonstrate the authenticity of the Bible? It shows that the Bible is not a description of perfect people who were fabricated as moral examples, but that the heroes of the faith were flawed individuals who needed God’s grace. A record that whitewashed every activity and every person would not be trustworthy because we know that there are no perfect people. God uses broken vessels for his service.
• What have you learned about how Scripture supports itself as you’ve looked at the passages related to Rahab and what God says about lying? The Bible is a comprehensive book that explains itself and is self-supporting. All of the passages about Rahab tell the same story—she was commended for her actions of faith, not her lie.
• If you were faced with a situation where it seemed as though lying would be the action that would best protect someone from harm, how might you respond in a way that demonstrates your faith in God? God is holy and would never expect us to sin to accomplish his plans (Romans 6:1–2). He knows that believers still fail and has forgiven us in Christ, but we should never sin because we believe that something good might come from it. We must trust that God can accomplish his plans through us without a hint of sin. Things might not turn out for the best in our eyes, but we must obey God by faith, trusting that his will can be accomplished apart from our sin (Romans 8).

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class before you dismiss them.

• Praise God for his grace offered to us in Jesus—the better Joshua.
• Ask God for wisdom in responding to difficult situations like Rahab faced.
• Thank God for his clear guidance in Scripture.