Joshua 2:8-21

The Covenant Made With Rahab Joshua 2:8-21

8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;
9 And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did here remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:
13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
16 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.
17 And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
19 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
20 And if thou utter this our business then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it, And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

9.

What was Rahab's view of God? Joshua 2:9

Her confession of faith remained far behind the faith which Moses at that time demanded of Israel. She discerned in Jehovah a deity in heaven and upon earth. Although she had not yet thrown off her polytheism altogether, she had come close to a true and full confession of the Lord. She knew that all evidence pointed towards the victorious conquest of the land on the part of the Israelites. Although she could hardly have known of the promise given to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), she had witnessed how terror had fallen upon the members of her community as reports reached them of Israel's exodus from Egypt, The people of Canaan had fallen into great fear.

10.

How much of Israel's history was known to Rahab? Joshua 2:10

Jacob and his descendants had gone out of Canaan four hundred years before the time of Joshua. Rahab demonstrates very little knowledge of the early history of Israel when she specifically mentioned how the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land. She also knew of the victorious campaigns they had waged against the kings east of the Jordan. She called Sihon, king of the Arnorites, and Og, king of Bashan, by name. These were kings whom the Israelites had conquered just shortly before the time of the death of Moses.

11.

How did Rahab describe God? Joshua 2:11

Rahab said, The Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. Rahab's confession of faith is very close to the cry made by the people of Israel on Mount Carmel after God had sent fire from heaven to devour Elijah's sacrifice and altar. At that time the people of Israel cried out, The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God (1 Kings 18:39). Even without the benefit of a great heritage among God-fearing people, Rahab came to the conclusion that the God of Israel was the God of the whole earth.

12.

What request did Rahab make of the spies? Joshua 2:12-13

Rahab was pleading for her life. She asked that the people of Israel save alive her father and mother, her brothers, her sisters, all that they had, and herself. When she asked them to give her a true token, she was asking them to appoint some kind of sign which would assure her that they were favorably inclined towards her, or that she be allowed to give them some pledge of her allegiance.

13.

What kind of men were the spies? Joshua 2:14

The men whom Joshua had sent to spy out Canaan were courageous, God-fearing, and appreciative men of war. They were honest and dependable. They were not sinful, covetous, or treacherous. They knew Rahab had spared their lives, and they were willing to make an agreement. They had a knowledge of God which led them to believe this God-fearing woman, though a sinner, would be accepted into the household of Israel if she believed on the Lord. They had not entered Rahab's house for any evil reason; and when they saw an opportunity to help a pagan to have faith in the true God, they were ready to act.

14.

What further actions did Rahab take? Joshua 2:14-16

The covenant into which Rahab entered with the spies was a matter of life and death. Since she had spared their lives, they were willing to spare her life. If she tricked them later and caused them to be harmed, then they would harm her. If she failed to meet the conditions which they laid down to her, they were not to be bound in any way to spare her or her family. When the covenant was completed, she let the men down over the city wall by a cord dropped out of the window of her house, Her house was on the town wall. She also instructed the men to hide in the mountain rather than to make an attempt to get back across the fords of the Jordan and to reach Joshua's camp immediately. In some way, she believed three days would be sufficient time for them to remain in hiding, evidently knowing the habits of expeditionary forces which went out from the city on such missions.

15.

What conditions did Rahab agree to meet? Joshua 2:18-21 She was to do the following things:

(1)

When the town was taken, Rahab was to make her house known to the Israelites by binding the cord of this crimson thread

(2)

When the town was taken, Rahab was to collect together her parents, her brothers, and her sisters into her own house

(3)

She was to agree to all the propositions made to her, especially not to disclose the mission of Israel

The rope by which the spies had escaped out of Rahab's house was made of crimson threads. It was this kind of cord which she was to hang from her window. There could be no mistaking the unusual and significant sign. The Israelites were furthermore disavowing any responsibilities for any of her family who might be scattered throughout the town. This would prevent someone from falsely identifying himself as a member of Rahab's house. Naturally, she was not to make any mention of the spies-' visit or in any way jeopardize their safe return. Rahab readily agreed to all of these propositions and was thus spared.