Two Spies & a Harlot | Sunday, March 5, 2023

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Thank you. Last week here at Cross Connection Church, we started to get into the Old Testament book of Joshua. We have spent the last several years going through the book of Deuteronomy, and now we have finally come to the Book of Joshua.

Right at the end of the book of Deuteronomy and the beginning of Joshua, Moses, that great lawgiver and leader of Israel, dies. Thirty-eight years prior to the death of Moses, the people of Israel stood at the border of blessing, right on the border of the Promised Land, in the plains of a place called Kadesh Barnea. It was there, as they were gathered together just a couple of years after they came out of Egypt, that Moses directed the elders of the twelve tribes of Israel to each send an individual from their tribes to go into the land to spy it out.

So, twelve spies went into the Promised Land thirty-eight years prior to Moses's death to survey the land, to look at the fortifications, and to see the enemies they would face when they entered the Promised Land. They were also to observe the fruitfulness of the land. God had promised for generations that He was going to give them a land that flowed with milk and honey, a fruitful land.

The twelve spies went into the Promised Land for forty days to look at all the fortifications and to see the fruitfulness of the land. Then they returned to the children of Israel and brought back an account, which we find in the Book of Numbers. We actually looked at this a few weeks ago. In Numbers Chapter 13, we read that they returned from spying out the land after forty days. They departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, showing them the fruit of the land. Then they told them and said, "We went to the land where you sent us."

Truly, the land flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who dwell there in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.

Then, in verse 32, they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it were men of great stature. We saw the giants; the descendants of Anak came from the giants, and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

Everybody in your tribe, get ready, because in three days we are going to cross into the Promised Land. Immediately after Joshua's announcement to that group of people, we move into chapter 2, verse 1, where we find a curious situation. Joshua, the son of Nun, sent out two men from Acacia Grove, or a place called Shittim, to spy secretly, saying, "Go view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and they lodged there.

As we delve into this text in Joshua chapter 2, we see that this passage of Scripture is pretty straightforward and clear. You don't have to do a lot of deep searching to grasp the gist of what is happening in this story. However, its placement and the events that unfold here seem to slow down the narrative. It raises the question of what exactly is going on in this little parentheses within the passage.

The children of Israel are about to cross the Jordan to possess the land that was promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Immediately prior to crossing into the land, similar to his predecessor Moses, Joshua now sends some spies into the land. Remember, Joshua was part of a group of spies who went into the land 38 years prior to survey it, and that did not turn out well.

Now, you might wonder, "Okay, Joshua, what exactly are you doing?" Here you are, getting ready to enter the Promised Land, having already told the people that within three days we are going in, and now you are sending spies into the land. What is going on here?

Again, this is a relatively simple and straightforward story. There isn't a lot of deep investigation needed to understand what is happening. However, I believe that what occurs in Joshua chapter 2 raises some important questions. The first question is this: Was this situation, as Joshua prepares to send spies into the Promised Land before leading the children of Israel, a lapse in his confidence and faith in God? He is preparing to lead the children of Israel over the Jordan into the Promised Land, and he has already been told by God to be strong and of good courage, for to this people, he is going to give the land.

You're going to divide the land to them as an inheritance. God has emphasized that message of strength and courage to Joshua. In chapter one, He repeats it three times, and actually a fourth time if you consider the very last words of Joshua chapter one. Through the heads of the two and a half tribes, they also say to him, "Be strong and courageous."

Now, Joshua sends two spies into the land. This raises a question: Is Joshua lacking strength, courage, and faith? I think that's a valid question. God has already told him to be strong and that he is going to lead these people into the land. He has already informed the people that they are going in three days, and now he sends two spies into the land. This brings up the question of whether he is lacking some confidence.

The second question that arises from this passage is about the two spies. They went into the land and came to the house of a harlot. The text is very clear about this; her name was Rahab, and it says they lodged there. These words bring up another question. If you look at some of the commentary on this passage of Scripture, did one or both of these two spies engage in some sort of immoral act with a Canaanite harlot in her household when they went on this mission?

That may seem like a strange question, but as you start to look at some of the commentary, it is an honest question. The word that is translated as "lodged" in this passage is translated in other passages of Scripture in a way that might imply something more was going on. Now, that's not to say that there is; we'll get to that in a moment. But it is a question that arises among people as they examine this text. Why did they go to the house of a harlot? Why did they stay there? What exactly is going on in this passage?

The third question that comes up when reading through this narrative of the children of Israel coming into the Promised Land is this: Joshua has told them they are going over in three days, so why not just get ready and go over in three days? Why this whole thing of sending in the spies? Was it right or justified for the Canaanite woman in Jericho, Rahab, to hide the spies secretly and to lie to the king?

The authorities of the city of Jericho came to her house and asked her about the spies. She tells a lie. I am giving away some of the story at the moment, but I think it is worthwhile to put the questions out on this passage before we get into the story. There is a fourth question that I am not really going to get into today; we will discuss it in a few weeks when we talk about the city of Jericho a little bit more.

Christians believe that the text of Joshua and all of the other Old Testament books are historically reliable. This passage establishes the destruction and conquest of a verifiable city named Jericho that existed in a specific time and place. The question that arises, and it has been a question among Bible scholars, secular scholars, historians, and archaeologists for a very long time, is whether there is actual historical and archaeological evidence to validate the account we see here in the Book of Joshua. Joshua provides specific names of specific places at a specific time in history, so we should be able to verify that. Some people question whether this is verifiable or if it is just fiction.

I believe we will talk about this in a few weeks when we discuss Jericho further. This is not fiction; this is history. At the very least, there are some questions that come to mind when you look at this passage of Scripture. There may be other things to consider as well, but when looking at what appears to be a strange kind of parentheses in the narrative of Israel's conquest of Canaan, these are some of the important questions that people have wrestled with.

Before I address these issues, I think it is important to remember some things as we get into the text and as we discuss Old Testament passages of Scripture. What we have before us here is not merely historical accounts. I believe that it is history when we read about the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, crossing the Red Sea, coming to Mount Sinai, and then crossing the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land and take possession of it. These are historical accounts of Israel's move into what would be their national homeland, which continues to be today. However, it is also important for us to recognize as Christians that there is something more going on here than just a historical account. First and foremost, we need to remember that this account is...

Ultimately, this is a setup for God's much bigger mission. The Bible reveals the creation of God, and then, after the creation, it reveals the fall of humanity. Why do we live in a broken and fallen world if God created everything, as the Bible says, very good? The Bible explains that while creation was indeed very good, it also reveals the fall of humanity and the curse that comes upon all of creation as a result of sin.

We see the creation of God, the fall of humanity, and the effects of the fall upon all of the Earth. However, the Bible also reveals to us God's redemptive plan and His work. Ultimately, what we see in the very end of the Bible, in the last book, Revelation, is that there is a future restoration of all things that is prophesied and predicted.

As I have shared many times before here at Cross Connection Church, this overarching story is typically called the meta-narrative of the Bible. The meta-narrative unfolds in four acts: creation, fall, redemption, and ultimately, restoration. God created all things and declared that they are very good. Then, humanity brought a stain upon God's good creation through sin and disobedience.

The rest of God's work in the Bible, since the fall revealed in Genesis chapter 3, has been focused on the redemption that God is bringing for a fallen creation and fallen humanity. In the end, God will ultimately bring about a great restoration. From the very first book of the Bible to the very last, we see that God is seeking to bring about this redemptive plan.

God ordains that this redemptive plan will happen through a people in a specific place. I have been discussing this quite a bit over the last several weeks here at Cross Connection Church. God has a redemptive plan for all peoples in all places, but He chose to use a specific people to bring about this redemption plan. The people that God called are the descendants of Abraham, and the place that God ordained to fulfill this redemptive plan through His people is the promised land, which the descendants of Abraham are about to come into possess.

God has a plan for the redemption and restoration of all things.

Involves a specific people, the descendants of Abraham, in a specific place, the Promised Land. I want you to keep that in mind as you study through and read the Old Testament books, like the Book of Joshua. There are incidental stories, like the one we are going to look at today in Joshua chapter 2, that play into a much bigger story. God is doing something bigger. God's greater mission is the blessing of redemption for all nations. It is not just the redemption of the children of Israel from Egypt and a blessing upon the children of Israel in the Promised Land, but it is a redemption that is bigger than just the descendants of Abraham.

In fact, we are going to see a person today experience the redemptive power of God and God's blessing who is not a descendant of Abraham. When we look at a story like this in Joshua chapter 2, it plays into a much bigger story of God's greater mission of blessing and redemption for all people in all places at all times. Remember God's call and promise to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12, which was that He would bless Abraham and that Abraham would be a blessing to all the families of the earth.

As an aside, as I say that this incidental story in Joshua chapter 2 plays into God's bigger story, the incidental stories or happenings that occur in our lives—kind of the parenthetical encounters we go through—might play into the bigger story that God is seeking to work out in His redemptive plan. What I mean by that is that the things you are experiencing right now in your life are being used by God in His redemptive plan. There are people in your life that God wants to reach through your experiences, as we will see in the story here.

So, that's the first thing to keep in mind. This small story in Joshua chapter 2 is just a part of the much bigger and greater mission that God is seeking to accomplish to bring redemption to all people in all places.

The second thing to keep in mind when studying a passage like this and others in the Old Testament is something I have shared with you before if you follow along with us here at Cross Connection Church. In the New Testament book of First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul, writing about the children of Israel in the Old Testament, says, "Now all these things happened to them, the children of Israel, as examples, and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the age have come."

What does that mean in First Corinthians chapter 10, verse 11? It means that everything we...

In the Old Testament, the first two-thirds of the Bible, God inspired these things to be recorded and written down for a purpose: that they would speak to us today. He wants to teach us something; He wants to guide and direct us. These accounts are not merely written so that we would know what Israel's history was thousands of years ago. They are not just records of what life was like in the ancient Near East during the Middle Bronze Age. These things were recorded so that we might learn of God's mission and His ways, so that we might know God, and so that we might learn how God works and what He does. They are recorded so that we might be admonished and trained to know and walk in the ways of God.

In this passage, we see Joshua, the son of Nun, sending out two men to spy secretly. He does not do this publicly; instead, he gathers two individuals, two young men, and instructs them to go and view the land, especially Jericho. The text tells us that they went out and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and they stayed there.

There have been those who have taught that this was a lapse in Joshua's courage and faith. Remember the four questions that come to mind when reading a passage like this. The first question is whether this was a lapse in Joshua's confidence and faith in God as he prepared to lead the children of Israel over the Jordan into the Promised Land. Some Bible teachers and commentators on this passage ask if he was lacking courage, strength, and faith. I don't think that he was.

It is interesting that Joshua sent two spies. He was one of the two faithful spies among the twelve who went into the land 38 years prior to this. There were twelve spies who went into the land, and only two of them were faithful. I think it's significant that Joshua chose to send two spies. He was well aware of what happened 40 years earlier when the twelve spies went into the land, as recorded in Numbers Chapter 13. Those spies went out with the knowledge of all of Israel; they went out publicly, and everyone knew they were going into the land. They were there for 40 days surveying the whole land. This time, however, Joshua sends two spies secretly to view specifically the region right by where they are going to cross the Jordan to enter the Promised Land.

The land he refers to includes the city of Jericho. Jericho, as we are going to see, is the first of the cities that Israel will encounter and conquer. Joshua apparently wanted some advanced intelligence, some reconnaissance on both Jericho and the surrounding land. He was trying to gather good information about where they were about to go.

The city of Jericho, in that area, was a prominent fortified city in ancient times. There is archaeological evidence that shows Jericho, which is just about eight miles north of the Dead Sea, is one of the lowest cities on Earth, lying at 900 feet below sea level. It has supported civilized life in that area for nearly 6,000 years. The name Jericho speaks of a city of palm trees, and it is an oasis in the desert near the Dead Sea. There is actually a spring of water right where the ruins of the city of Jericho are located.

People have been living in that area, right next to the Jordan River, just north of the Dead Sea, for thousands of years. Jericho lies at a strategic point in the ancient world, at the crossroads of north-south and east-west travel. If you were traveling from the Sea of Galilee or the northern part of what we know today as Jerusalem or Israel, you would come down the Jordan River Valley and then ascend into the mountains toward Jerusalem. The last stop you would make to gather provisions and water would be the city of Jericho. It is, as I mentioned, eight miles north of the Dead Sea and about 15 miles west of Jerusalem. This location had a lot of foot traffic and road traffic passing through Jericho.

Why does Joshua send two spies to this place? Was it proof that he lacked confidence, or was it rather by God's direction and plan? As I have thought through this passage, not just this week but many times before, I believe what we see in the story is that Joshua sent the spies by God's sovereign direction and will.

Even if Joshua wasn't fully aware that it was God who was directing him to send the spies, I think it was God who sent the spies through Joshua into Jericho. Why? Well, the first reason is that there was a person in the place called Jericho that God wanted to redeem and rescue. Not only did He want to redeem and rescue this person in the city of Jericho, but ultimately, He wanted to use that same person in a redemptive way.

Keep in mind that God has a redemptive plan that involves a people and a place, and this redemptive plan is bigger than just Joshua chapter 2. God has a huge story of redemption that He is weaving from Genesis to Revelation and throughout all human history. God is involved in this redemptive plan. So, why does God inspire or direct Joshua to send two spies into Jericho? Because there was a person in that place whom God wanted to redeem and rescue, and then to use them in a redemptive way.

I want to emphasize that God is still doing this. He still has ways of sending people into dark, difficult places to redeem and rescue others so that He might use those people in His redemptive plan. That's your story as well. One of the reasons that God directs Joshua to send the spies into Jericho is because He has a redemptive mission. God's sovereign direction, apart from Joshua's foreknowledge, was that the spies were sent to rescue and redeem Rahab, a woman in that city.

So, that's one of the reasons why I believe God directed Joshua to send the spies there. The second thing that I believe God was doing is that He directed Joshua to send the spies so that Joshua, the spies, and ultimately the people of Israel could hear the report from Rahab. There are two reasons: one, the redemption and rescue of Rahab, and two, to hear the report of Rahab, which we will see in this passage.

Joshua, as Israel's leader, was exercising wisdom and prudence while also trusting in God's providence. He was sending them in and doing the wise thing a leader should do to gather some advanced reconnaissance and intelligence. However, the next issue we are confronted with in this passage goes back to that second question I brought up a little while ago: Did one or both of these two spies—whose names we do not even know—?

Some assumptions exist about who these spies are, but did one or both of these two spies engage in some immoral act with this Canaanite harlot named Rahab when they went on their mission? What is all of this about?

Well, again, as I said in Joshua chapter 2, verse 1, notice that it says they went to the house of the harlot, Rahab, and they lodged there. The words "lodged there" can imply a deeper meaning than just lying down and staying somewhere. You can use your imagination about what that deeper meaning might be. However, Rahab was called a harlot, and while some have tried to argue that the word translated "harlot" in this passage should simply be translated as "innkeeper," there really is no way to whitewash the reality that Rahab had perhaps not the best background.

We know this because the New Testament twice identifies Rahab as a harlot, as a prostitute, in the books of Hebrews and James. It is also likely that her house functioned as something like an inn for people passing through Jericho. Remember, many people would have passed through Jericho because it was at the crossroads of the north-south and east-west routes through that region of the world. A lot of people would pass through Jericho, and her house probably served that purpose. Still, she didn't have the best background.

The question does arise, and you will find it in some Bible teaching and commentary on passages like Joshua chapter 2. There will be questions about whether or not the spies engaged in something immoral. I want to say that I don't think that is the case; it does not appear to be the case.

In addition to that, what we will actually see is that this encounter between Rahab and these unnamed spies ultimately leads to the transformation of Rahab. She did not have the best background; she was a pagan sinner, a woman with a shameful past. However, that will not be her end lot in life. There is something more going on here. Remember, God sent the spies to Jericho on a redemptive mission. They didn't know that, but that is why they were going there.

Ultimately, Rahab will be transformed through this encounter because there will be a redemption and transformation of this pagan sinner into a woman of great faith. In other words, the story of Rahab should inspire our gratitude and praise because, when all is said and done, it reflects the power of redemption.

We, just like the sinful woman Rahab, are lost sinners facing imminent danger and destruction. The city she lived in was facing the punishing hand of God. Like Rahab, we are in need of rescue and redemption, and God is the one who redeems.

Some may accuse Joshua of a lapse of faith and question the morals of his spies. The reality is that God was at work here at this point in time. God's ways and works often seem strange to us, but remember, God is working on a whole other level to fulfill His redemptive plan. The story in Joshua chapter 2 is just a very small part of a much bigger story of what God is doing. One greater than Joshua, the one to whom Joshua's life points, would come in the future to work the works of God and fulfill His redemptive plan. He would also be associated with harlots, sinners, and tax collectors. One of them would actually be a tax collector from the city called Jericho.

The one whom Joshua points to, who would associate with harlots, sinners, and tax collectors, was on a redemptive plan. Because He associated with people who may not have the best backgrounds, people maligned and mocked His character as well. God's ways and works are often strange to us. The way He is working may seem a little weird, even to the point that sometimes we are tempted to reject what He is doing.

Joshua, the son of Nun, as we see here in this passage, sent two men to spy secretly, saying, "Go view the land, especially Jericho." They went and came to the house of the harlot named Rahab, and they lodged there. I don't think they did anything crazy, wrong, weird, or immoral. However, we read on in chapter 2, verse 2, that it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country."

The terror alert was on red in that area. The people in Jericho were on edge because they knew that the children of Israel were camping less than ten miles away from them on the other side of the Jordan River. The king of Jericho heard that some spies had come from the people of Israel into their land. Therefore, 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. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from." 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 on the roof. The men pursued the two spies by the road to the Jordan, to the fords, and as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.

I said there were four questions that come to mind when we read this passage. The first one deals with whether or not Joshua was having a lapse of faith by sending the spies into the land. The second question concerns these two spies: did they do something immoral when they went to the Canaanite harlot's house and stayed there?

The third question revolves around the situation with Rahab. It is a challenging question: was this woman, Rahab, right? Was she justified when she lied about hiding the spies? She hides them secretly and then lies about their whereabouts to the authorities. We have here really an ethical dilemma, a challenge, because the commandment is very clear. The ninth commandment, which you may have read in the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, states, "You shall not bear false witness." In other words, you shall not lie. Among the things that God detests and hates, a lying tongue is mentioned as one of the seven things He hates in Proverbs chapter 6.

So, Rahab bears false witness; she lies. There is really no way around it. Was Rahab justified in this lie? Is it ever okay to lie? What, if any, circumstances are there where a lie might be warranted?

Looking at this, Rahab's lie is reminiscent of stories we hear about Christians hiding Jews and lying to the Nazis about their whereabouts during the Holocaust of World War II. You can read the story about one great saint, one great woman who did that: Corrie ten Boom. There were people during the Second World War who were hiding others and lying about it. This raises the question of the moral implications of Rahab's actions.

Many commentators have written on this situation, and many ethicists have weighed in on what is going on in this passage. Some would say that a lie is never justified; others might counter that a lie may be the lesser evil when it is intended to prevent a greater evil. So, maybe it's okay when something really bad is going to happen, and lying is the only way out of it. There are different sides to this. Some people say you should never lie, while others argue that it was justified in this particular situation.

I think we should say that a lie is always the breaking of a commandment of God. The ninth commandment states, "You shall not bear false witness." I don't think that you can lie and not bear false witness, thus not break the commandment of God. So, we should at least acknowledge that a lie is always breaking God's commandment. Yet, apparently, there seem to be some times when God permits it. As hard as this may be for some of us to wrap our minds around, it seems from a passage like this that there is even a time when God may account it as a righteous act.

Now, you might have a hard time with that and ask, "Okay, pastor, how could this possibly be accounted as a righteous act?" The only thing I can do is quote from the New Testament, where this woman Rahab is spoken of very well for her righteous works. James chapter 2 in the New Testament says, "But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.' You believe that there is one God; you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?"

That's another story from Genesis chapter 22, which we'll look at someday. Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by his works, faith was made perfect? The scripture was fulfilled, which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Faith without works is dead. Again, God's ways and works often seem strange to us. What we see here in this passage is kind of strange because James chapter 2 says that what Rahab did was a righteous thing in the eyes of God, and yet she also broke the Commandment.

As a rule, I think that we should endeavor to live our lives according to the Commandments of God, especially this commandment: you shall not bear false witness. On the very rare occasion, as in the instance of Joshua chapter 2, apparently God permits it. However, there is an ethical challenge here. She did something that was against the Commandment of God to rescue these individuals. Perhaps it is a lesser issue or crime that was going to stop a worse situation.

The dilemmas of this passage abound. Joshua sent spies secretly. Was it a lapse in his confidence, courage, and faith? That's a question that people have. The spies associated with a scandalous woman—was it an immoral action by them to interact with her? Rahab lied to hide the spies. Was she wrong in doing this?

One very well-known commentator, John Calvin, commenting on this, says that when the object is to rescue one's life from injury, violence, or robbery, provided it be done without offense or harm to anyone, necessity excuses it. In this situation, John Calvin suggests that perhaps out of necessity, it is an excusable offense. I don't know if that's the absolute best way to look at this, but God has a way of working all things together for good, even when some of the things He works around for good weren't themselves good things.

God is able to do some amazing things through our foolish actions. The one that comes to mind is at the end of the Book of Genesis when some of the sons of Jacob, the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, sell one of their brothers, Joseph, into slavery. He ends up as a slave in Egypt, and ultimately, at the end of the story, he says to his brothers, "What you intended for evil, God used for good."

How is God able to do that? I don't always know how He does it, but God has an amazing way of using evil for good. His ways and His works can supplant and supersede ours. One of my favorite passages from the Book of Isaiah is in Isaiah chapter 55, verse 8, where God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts."

Nor are my ways your ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. God will accomplish His will and plan and can redeem in spite of our shortcomings. We see this constantly in our lives; God is able to fulfill His will and His plan, and He is still able to redeem even when I fall short. I fall short constantly, and so do you.

I previously mentioned that I believe Joshua sent the spies into Jericho by God's sovereign direction for two reasons. First, I think he sent them to redeem and rescue Rahab. Second, it was for the spies, Joshua, and all of Israel to hear Rahab's report.

Now, look at what we find in the text of Joshua chapter 2, verse 8. Now before they lay down, she came up to them, the two spies on the roof, and said to them, "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. 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."

Do not miss what is going on here in this passage. Thirty-eight years prior to this point, when the two spies are in the city of Jericho with Rahab on her roof, listening to her say this, ten spies came back from spying out the land for forty days with an evil report. They said the enemies of the land are too great for us and that we do not have the power or the strength to go in. They believed we will not be able to defeat them. That was the assessment of the faithless spies.

But what was the perspective of the inhabitants of the land? This is amazing to me. When the spies went through the land in Numbers chapter 13, all they saw were the enemies, and they were fearful of the enemies. However, what was the perspective of the enemies? Here is one of those people: she says, "I know that the Lord has given you the land. The terror of you has fallen on all of us, and all of the inhabitants of the land are faint-hearted because of you. We heard about what happened when you crossed the Red Sea. We heard about what you did four decades ago, forty years ago."

A long time ago, we heard about what you have recently done to the Amorites. As soon as we heard all of these things, our hearts totally melted within us. We lost our courage; we lost our strength. What does that mean? It means that thirty-eight years prior to this, Israel should have gone into the land. They could have taken it; it was theirs for the taking.

When I read this, I wonder how many times I or you have been fearful to step into what God has for us because we are certain that we will fail. All the while, God has given us everything that we need—sufficient resources of strength and power to be able to do what He is calling us to do. God will never call you to do something that He does not empower you to do by His Spirit.

The people of Canaan were overcome by the power of God through the word of Israel's testimony, and that is still exactly the way it is today. In fact, you can read about it in Revelation 12:11: we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. The word of the testimony of what God did through the children of Israel had spread throughout all the land of Canaan, and the people were afraid. God's power to accomplish His will is far greater than we comprehend.

Look at Rahab's confession of faith. The pagan harlot had greater faith than that Exodus generation. She said, "I know that the Lord has given you the land. The Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." Why did God direct Joshua to send the spies into Jericho? I think one of the reasons was that God wanted Joshua, the spies, and all of Israel to hear Rahab's report. He had been saying, "Be strong and of good courage. You are going to go into the land. In every place that the sole of your foot treads upon, it's yours."

Now they were hearing the report from people who lived in the land of Canaan, who were saying, "We've been scared to death of you for forty years." So, that's one of the reasons that God sent the spies into the land. Another reason is that God had a redemption plan for a believing sinner. Note this well: the heart of God is to save and rescue sinners. That is something we see throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation.

Look at what we see in this redemptive story here in Joshua 2:12. "Now therefore, I beg you," she says, "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, deliver our lives from death. She says, "Would you please save us? I know what you are going to do. You're going to come and you're going to destroy this city, but I'm asking you, because I've shown you kindness, that you would show kindness to my family and that you would save us."

The men answered her, the two spies, "Our lives for yours." I love that. "If none of you tell this business of ours, we promise that we will rescue you if you keep this a secret. 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. This is important to the archaeology of this region as well; she dwelt on the wall. She said to them, "Get to the mountain lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there for three days, for the pursuers have gone to the east toward the Jordan River to look for them." She added, "Go to the west and hide out there for a little while so they don't catch you. Unless the pursuers meet you, hide there for three days until the pursuers have returned. Afterward, you may go your way."

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. It shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be upon his own head, and we will be guiltless. Whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be upon our head if a hand is laid on him. If you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you have made us swear."

Then she said, "According to your words, so be it," or "Amen." She sent them away, and they departed. She bound the scarlet cord in her window. They departed and went to the mountain and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them along the way but did not find them.

So the two men, the spies, returned, descended from the mountain, crossed over, and came to Joshua, the son of Nun. They told him all that had befallen them and 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."

I said there were two reasons that God directed the spies to go there: number one, the redemption of Rahab; number two, to hear Rahab's report. They came back and said to Joshua, "Listen, this is everything that went on, and the people, they are scared to death of us. They are freaked out, and we now can go up with great confidence because God is going to give us the land."

That's why He sent them in there to redeem Rahab and to bring back this report. God is in the redemption business. He had a much bigger redemptive plan in mind than just saving a sinful woman in Jericho. It wasn't only about this woman in Jericho named Rahab; there's something more going on here. This is an incidental story in the much larger grand narrative of God.

When studying the stories of the Old Testament, always keep in mind that God is calling a people to a place to bring about redemption—His redemptive plan and blessing for all peoples in all places at all times. To show the greatness of this redemptive plan and His Almighty power to accomplish it, He determined to even involve the sinful woman of Jericho in that plan.

Look at this; I think this is absolutely awesome. We think that it's just about this woman and them coming and taking Jericho. No, there's something much bigger going on here. In the New Testament, the book of Matthew opens like this: Matthew chapter 1, verse 1: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zara by Tamar. Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nation. Nation begot Salmon, and Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab.

Come back for just a moment to verse 5 of Matthew chapter 1: "Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab." This Rahab, this woman who did not have a great background—a scandalous, shameful past—ends up being in the line of the Messiah. Salmon begat Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the King. David the King begot Solomon by her, who had been the wife of Uriah.

God's power to accomplish His will is far greater than we can comprehend. His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours. This pagan woman with a sordid and shameful past was the first convert in the conquest of Canaan. In the process of time, according to the will and the power of God, she, Rahab the harlot, became the great-great-grandmother to Israel's great King David.

Being in the line of the Messiah raises the question: why send the spies into Jericho? Joshua didn't know the whole big picture. He may have done it for logistical reconnaissance issues, to appease his own conscience as the leader, or because he felt it was the best thing to do as a judicious leader. However, he had no idea what God was doing. God had a much bigger plan in mind; He always does. Never underestimate the greatness and power of Almighty God. He has a huge redemptive plan in motion.

There is so much in this passage that I want to explore, but I don't have enough time today to delve into it all. The whole picture of the family of Rahab being safe as long as they were in the household when judgment came is really important. This concept ties back to our being fully safe and secure in Christ when judgment arrives.

The scarlet cord is very similar to the blood put on the doorposts during the Passover. When they come into the land, it is right at the time of Passover. There are many aspects I could discuss further, but I encourage you to study it a little more on your own. We will talk more about Jericho in a few weeks.

God, I pray that You would remind us that You are doing a work and that You want to involve us in that redemptive plan. You redeem us like You redeemed Rahab so that we can share the report of Your redemption with others, that they might be redeemed as well. So, God, use us and empower us. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Happy, happy! Thanks for joining us for our broadcast today. As we close, we would love to invite you to our services at Cross Connection Church campus at 8:30 and 10:30 every Sunday. If you'd like more information about Cross Connection Church, go online at lifeinconnection.com.

Good morning, Cross Connection! It's Pastor Garrett here. We all know how we get when we're inviting guests over to our homes. Now, people, I want this place looking like Disney on Ice in one minute! The drapes need to be vacuumed. How are you happy? If you haven't read it, throw it away! It needs to be cleaned. Any sign of living in this house, and the sock drawer needs to be organized.

We know how much you care about your house, but we care about the house of the Lord. In five weeks, we have Easter Sunday coming up, and we're going to be encouraging you to invite your friends, your neighbors, and your acquaintances to come to our church to experience the love of Jesus for the first time. We want His house to be clean, so we're going to be doing a church workday cleanup on March 25th. It's a Saturday, March 25th. We want to encourage you to come to that and help clean up the Lord's house. Let's make this place spick and span! Let's clean it up and impress people when they show up and check out every nook and cranny of our church.

They’re loved, and we care about them. I just want to remind you all to set your calendars and watches. Next weekend, Sunday is going to be our spring forward time change. This is just a reminder that we are losing an hour of sleep, but we’re gaining an hour of daylight.

All those chores that need to get done around the house can now be completed after work. So, set the calendar and set your clocks. Just remember, don’t be at church late or early. I don’t care if we have to throw everything out; I want this place looking like a new Mediterranean fusion restaurant by noon.