![]() Rahab’s house was built into the city wall so she was able to let the men down out of a window so they could leave the city. The men promised to protect anyone in her house. She asked the spies to spare her and her family when the Israelites invaded. She knew that Israel would overtake Jericho. She encouraged the men of the city to pursue them, saying that they should be able to overtake them.Īfter the king’s men left, Rahab told the spies what she had heard about Israel. She told them that two men had been there, but they had left the city at dark. The king’s men did not even look on the roof, however, because Rahab gave them a false lead. The roof would have been a common site for drying flax so the men could easily have been overlooked. Rahab hid the Israelite spies on her roof under stalks of flax. ![]() When he heard that there were spies in his city, he sent men to arrest them. He knew that they were an enemy to be reckoned with. The king of Jericho had also heard about the Israelites but he took the opposite approach. She heard about these things and decided to help the spies. She had heard about how the Lord dried up the Red Sea and how the Israelites conquered many cities east of the Jordan River. ![]() Rahab had heard what God had done for Israel. The spies would have wanted somewhere to stay where they would be inconspicuous. Jewish historian, Josephus, refers to her as an innkeeper. In Jericho, the spies lodged in the home of Rahab. He was sending spies into a land that he, himself, had spied on forty years before. This must have been an exciting time for him. It was located just five miles west of the Jordan. Jericho was a fortified city well supplied by strong springs which helped to make it an oasis. The Israelites were camped on the east side of the Jordan River across from the city of Jericho. The book of Joshua records Israel’s movement into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. One of her descendants was Jesus ( Matthew 1:5).Īfter they had wandered in the wilderness for forty years, it was time for the Lord to give his people the land that He had promised them. Later in her life she married an Israelite. Even though Rahab had lived a sinful life (she was a prostitute) she decided to change when she heard about the things God had done ( Joshua 2:8-11 Hebrews 11:31 James 2:25). Before escaping to the nearby hills, they instructed her to tie a red cord in her window so that they would know where she was when they came back. She told the spies that she would not turn them in as long as they promised to save her and her family when they returned to conquer Jericho. When the city officials searched for them, she hid them on her rooftop under stalks of flax. Rahab, a woman of the city, let the spies stay at her house. Joshua wanted to form a battle plan so he sent two spies over the Jordan River to the city of Jericho. The Lord had chosen Joshua to conquer the land of Canaan. Suggested Emphasis: Even someone with a sinful past can change and be an important part of the Lord’s work.
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