“Grace is simply receiving what we don’t deserve.”

Question:

Or perhaps is “grace” the usual, natural behavior of a gracious person?”
Is it a difficult struggle for God to be gracious?

Question:

Do we get to decide who “deserves” grace?
And should we decide that in this case, grace is “deserved,” is it still “grace?”

Question:

Was God also using psychological warfare?

Question:

If so, was God’s psychology proving effective? Joshua wanted to find out:


Joshua 2


1 Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.”

Question: Why “especially around Jericho?”


Joshua 2


So, the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.

Question:

If the two Israelite spies were performing a mission for God, why would they choose to find a prostitute, and stay with her?


Bob Wresch: U.S. Army veterans from World War II have told me [in 1960] some details of their official training:


Should they find themselves behind enemy lines, and in need of help from someone they could trust, the Army taught them to seek first…

A Christian pastor,

or

A prostitute.

Question: Why?

Because these two professionals were the least likely to betray soldiers who needed their protection.

Question: Were there any other reasons to trust a prostitute?

Maybe she also managed an inn, that offered overnight housing, with no questions asked?


Maybe spies who stayed in her inn might overhear information that could prove useful to Joshua?

Question:

Is it important that spies conceal their own identity and the purpose of their presence in hostile territory?

Question:

Are spies the kinds of people who always keep their promises?

Question:

Why would Rahab trust these spies?

Question:

Did these two spies successfully conceal their identity?

Question:

Did anyone correctly guess the purpose of their visit to Jericho?

Question:

Did the king of Jericho learn about the Israelite spies, their purpose, and even where they were staying?


Joshua 2:2


But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.”


Joshua 2:3


So, the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”

Question:

If Rahab were a loyal, dependable, respectable citizen of Jericho, how should she respond to such demands?

Question:

And was Rahab in fact loyal, dependable, and respectable?
To whom?
Joshua 2:4 Rahab had hidden the two men…
Lesson Guide Monday, October 6:
”Central to Rahab’s story is the lie that she told to protect the spies.”

Question:

Can we believe that on some previous occasions, as she practiced her profession, Rahab might have been asked, “Have you seen him?” “Is he here?”

Question:

Might she have formed a habit of saying, “No, I haven’t seen him.” “No, he isn’t here?”

Question of Theology:

Imagine that you are one of the two Israelite spies, on Rahab’s roof, quivering under bundles of flax. If you overheard some of the noises and voices from downstairs, would this be an excellent time for prayer?

Question:

Might you pray for Rahab?

Question:

And if you made earnest prayer to God, might your prayer be, “Oh Lord, please help Rahab to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

Question:

Might Rahab have learned that the God of the Israelites had forbidden his people to “bear false witness against your neighbor?”

Question:

Could Rahab have reasoned that she had no intention of bearing false witness against her guests.

But might it be a good idea to bear false witness to protect her guests?

Question:

If Rahab were accustomed to telling a short and simple lie, why would she behave differently this time?


Joshua 2:4


Rahab had hidden the two men, but she instead replied,


“Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from.”

Question:

Why on this occasion would Rahab invent a new lie—one that was creative, complex, and brilliant?


Joshua 2:5-6


”They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.”


(Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.)

Question:

If Jericho’s authorities knew this much about the two spies, would they already know that these spies were members of the invading nation of Israel?


Would they have heard that the Israelites had already destroyed two powerful kings named Sihon and Og on the east side of the Jordan?

Would they know that Israelites, lots of Israelites, were at this moment encamped at a place called Acacia Grove on the other side of the Jordan River.


[Opinions differ about the exact location of this camping site, but it would not have been more than sixteen miles from Jericho.]

Lesson Guide Monday, October 6:

While it is true that the New Testament commends her faith, a careful analysis of the New Testament references to Rahab’s act reveals that none endorse everything about her, and none validate her lie.

Question:

Rahab asked only that her life, and the lives of her family, be protected.
Did she ask anyone to “validate” her lie?

Question:

Was Rahab concerned about how she might be regarded by other followers of God, who might live more than a thousand years in the future?


How did one early Christian author consider Rahab?


“It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” —Hebrews 11:31.

Question:

Might it have been part of Rahab’s professional policy to give “a friendly welcome” to any who chose to visit her?

Question:

Was Rahab’s welcome an act of faith?

Question:

Was it a response to terror?

Question:

Was it an act of treachery toward her own nation?


Lesson Guide Monday, October 6:


“God valued Rahab for her exceptional courage, for her brave faith, for being an agent of salvation, and for choosing Israel’s God.”

Question:

If Rahab had:

1. 1. exceptional courage,
   2. and brave faith, if she was
   3. an eager agent of salvation, and if she was4. one who chose Israel’s God—

Could it have been God who inspired Rahab to tell a bold and creative lie?

Question:

If Rahab’s questioners thus far believed her story, might they also accept her counsel to hurry toward the Jordan, hoping to overtake the spies who were fleeing east from Jericho to rejoin their army?

Lesson Guide Monday, October 6:

Joshua 2:7
7

So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut.

Our suspenseful spy story continues:

Joshua 2:8-10


8 Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them.


9 “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror.

Question:

Was God’s psychological warfare proving effective?


10 “For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed.”


11 “No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things.

Question:

OK, So Rahab is scared, and is motivated by fear. What more has she learned about the God who is leading Israel?


“For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”


Let us imagine that Rahab is comparing reports of Israel’s God with the gods with which she is already well acquainted.


Ancient records report that the gods of Canaan, as a routine part of their fertility worship, incited sexual perversion and violence. Canaanite people, as a part of their devotional lives, even killed their own children.


Rahab knows that her traditional gods are NOT kind gods.

Question:

In Rahab’s world, how did dominant gods treat the lesser competing gods?

Question:

Given so many gods, how would worshippers decide which gods to worship?
Today, in polytheistic cultures, what kinds of gods get the most worship?

Question:

Are the most popular gods the kindest and most benevolent gods?
Or the most evil and dangerous gods?

Question:

And why do people choose to worship the gods that are most evil?
Because those are the gods that are most likely to hurt you?

Question:

Does Rahab also know that the Israelites are forbidden to swear in the name of any of the Canaanites gods?

Let’s read from Deuteronomy 6:

12 be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.


13 You must fear the Lord your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name.


14 You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations,


15 for the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.

Rahab continues:

Joshua 2


12 “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that


13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”

Question:

Will the Israelite spies accept Rahab’s appeal? And what will be the terms of their deal?


14 “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.”

Question:

Was this deal an ordinary quid pro quo, [Latin: something for something]? This Latin fairness formula has been part of our English language for more than four hundred years.

Question:

Did Rahab give the spies any concrete evidence of her new commitment?


And since they were already known and being searched for, might she still be able to accomplish their safe escape?


Did she also offer the two Israelites wise tactical counsel?


15 Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window.


16 “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.”

Question:

Before the two men slid down Rahab’s rope, did they make any last-minute amendments to their mutual agreement?


17 Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions.


18 When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house.

Question:

Do we also make legal agreements?


Once we have considered a contractual understanding, have agreed in principle, and are about to sign it, how do we then feel about having to read several paragraphs of fine print?


19 “If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death.


20 If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”

Question:

At this point in the story, how might Rahab feel? Have negotiations produced an atmosphere of mutual dependence and mutual trust?

21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.

Lesson Guide Monday, October 6:

“God valued Rahab for her exceptional courage, for her brave faith, for being an agent of salvation, and for choosing Israel’s God.”

Question:

May we hope that in Rahab’s later life as a member of Israel, she learned new ways to


Become an agent of salvation,


and


Follow Israel’s God—


WITHOUT LYING?

Question:

If this story did not have a clear ending, would we feel frustrated?


22 The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned without success.

Question:

Let us again imagine that you are one of the two spies. You might have died during your one night in Jericho. But you have made beneficial contact with a prostitute who is willing to protect you by betraying her own nation. She already knows something about your nation and about your God.


Like her fellow citizens, she is terrified of you. Yet she is willing to a make a solemn oath, not in the name of any of her gods, but in your God, whom she now wishes to worship as her only God.


Now, how much detail will you include in your “mission report” to Joshua?


Joshua 2

23 Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan River, and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them.

24 “The Lord has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.”

Question:

Can we imagine a different story?


Let’s suppose that the two Israelite spies had strolled through the streets of Jericho, preaching a message of God’s mercy.

Question:

How many in Jericho might have paid them respectful attention, and happily joined Israel in worship of the true God?

Question:

Perhaps the most successful evangelist in history was the prophet Jonah, who according to the book named for him, was able to save more than 120,000 people, in just a few days.


Did Jonah preach a message of mercy, or of impending destruction?

Question:

Do evangelists still attract crowds by warning of impending destruction?

Question:

Did does God try to meet people where they are, speak in language they can understand, then lead them to mutual confidence as they are able to follow?

Shall we end with 1 John 4:17-18?

17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So, we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence, because we live like Jesus here in this world.


18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.