We learned during the weekend message that genealogies carried significant importance to people during Jesus’ day. The Israelites knew the stories of their ancestors and often thought about the legacies of those who had come before them. Because genealogies were so important, Matthew began the entire book of Matthew by detailing Jesus' family tree. It does not take long to look at this genealogy of Jesus to see that it was filled with what many people would see as broken branches in His family tree. Through these seemingly “broken branches,” God’s great power was displayed.
We read about Jesus' family tree in Matthew 1. It begins as expected with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As the genealogy continued, a number of surprising names were included in Jesus’ family tree. One of which was Rahab. Rahab’s story takes place in Joshua 2. At this time, the Israelites were preparing to enter a new home, the Promised Land, after fleeing slavery in Egypt. Part of this promised land was Jericho. To prepare to enter Jericho, Joshua sent two spies to scope out the land around Jericho (verse 1). These two spies went to Jericho and “came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night” (verse 1). Scripture tells us that the king of Jericho had found out that these Israelites had come to spy on Jericho, so he “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’” (verse 3). At this point, Rahab had a decision to make. She could send the men back to the king or conceal them. In an act of great courage, she hid the spies and claimed that the men had already left her house.
Why did Rahab protect the spies and risk her safety and reputation? She told the spies, “I know the Lord has given you this land” (verse 8). She also told them that she had heard how God had parted the Red Sea for them, along with the other miracles God had performed on their behalf (verse 10). Because of what she had heard, she concluded, "The Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below" (verse 11). Because she knew that the God of Israel was the one true God, she did not turn the Israelite spies in, and she helped them escape notice of anyone else in Jericho. In return, the spies promised to save her and her family when they conquered Jericho.
What a magnificent example of faith Rahab displayed! Surrounded by her people who did not worship God, Rahab saw God working and believed in Him. She risked her reputation and her safety and helped protect the Israelite spies. While many would have judged Rahab for her past as a prostitute, God honored her for her courageous faith and not only protected her family when the Israelites conquered Jericho but also included her in the lineage of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah.
As you read the Scripture in the Going Deeper section below, pay attention to the courageous faith that Rahab displayed. Ask God to give you the faith and courage that Rahab displayed to trust Him and stand firm in your faith no matter what.
1Then 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.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
2 But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 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.”
4 Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 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.” 6 (Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.) 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.
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. 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. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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. 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.”
21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.
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.
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.”
