Rahab and the scarlet cord: faith in an unlikely place in Joshua 2

The spies needed a place to hide, and they found it in the house of a woman the Bible calls a prostitute. Rahab of Jericho risked her life to protect two Israelite men sent by Joshua. Her courage saved her family, and her name appears centuries later in the genealogy of Jesus.

Rahab's house and the hiding place

After forty years in the wilderness, Israel was camped east of the Jordan River, ready to enter Canaan. Joshua sent two spies to look over the land, especially the walled city of Jericho. The spies went to Rahab‘s house, which was built into the city wall. The king of Jericho heard about them and sent men to demand that she hand them over.

Rahab hid the spies under stalks of flax drying on her roof. She told the king’s men that the spies had already left and urged them to hurry after them. The soldiers rode off towards the Jordan.

Her confession and request

Rahab then spoke to the spies: “I know that the Lord has given you this land.” She explained that the people of Jericho had heard how God dried up the Red Sea, and their hearts had melted with fear. “The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below,” she said (Joshua 2:11).

She asked the spies to swear that they would spare her father, mother, brothers, sisters and all who belonged to them. The spies agreed, on condition that she kept their mission secret.

The scarlet cord and the fall of Jericho

Rahab let the men down by a rope through her window. They told her to tie a scarlet cord in the same window and gather her family inside when Israel attacked. Everyone in the house would be safe. In Joshua 6, the walls of Jericho fell. Joshua ordered that Rahab and her family be spared, and the spies brought them out. Rahab lived among the Israelites from then on.

In the line of Jesus

Matthew 1:5 lists Rahab as the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. That makes her an ancestor of King David and of Jesus. Hebrews 11 includes her among heroes of faith, and James 2 points to her actions as faith at work. Rahab’s story shows that God’s grace reaches people others might write off. Her past did not disqualify her. Her faith was shown in risky, practical action.

Who in your community might others consider beyond God’s reach? Pray for them, and ask God to show you how to welcome people as he welcomed Rahab.