Rahab had lived in the protection of big rocks for years. Her house was
built on a wall and it would be pretty difficult for anyone to scale the wall
to attack. So you could say she lived in reasonable safety. Just like everyone
else in Jericho, Rahab had put her trust in those big walls of rock to
discourage roaming bands of outlaws and also the walls were there to protect
against foreign armies.
For hundreds of years the walls of Jericho had proven to be
impenetrable and there was no reason to doubt their invincibility. Or was
there? For weeks, the people of Jericho had been talking about and hearing
about a roving band of Hebrews who apparently were approaching Jericho with
take over in mind. The story told was that they had an invincible God looking
out for them. He had apparently already dried up the red sea so they could just
march straight across when they left Egypt.
This same God had given them victory over Sihon, the King of the
Amorites and over Og the King of Bashan. It was reported that both tribes had
been utterly destroyed. Now the fear of Israel and its God was gripping the
people of Jericho so the news was intensifying. When Joshua sent two spies into
the city of Jericho, Rahab had already made up her mind that the walls of
Jericho could not be trusted anymore.
So, Rahab hid the two spies out of sight of the soldiers of Jericho and
when the coast was clear she helped the two Israelites escape through her
window which was on the wall. She lowered them down to the ground by means of a
scarlet rope.
It was interesting to see that Rahab became a believer and that when
she did, she ‘confessed with her mouth’ that God was God. Joshua 2: 11 says, . . .for the Lord your
God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth below.” She confessed her new
found faith in God to the spies and then
struck a deal with them. This deal would ultimately write her name in history
with the likes of Abraham Moses and Samson, David and others in the heroes of
faith found in Hebrews 11.
So, the spies instructed Rahab, “Take
this scarlet rope,” put it in
your window so it can be seen from outside the city. When we see the scarlet
cord, we will spare everyone who is in your house. We all know the typology
behind this but it bears repeating. When Christ sees the blood covering us, He
will spare us from the wrath to come. When the people were instructed to
sprinkle the blood on the lintel’s and doorposts, the death angel was to pass
over the house and spare all in side.
I also like to think this is a picture of the world looking in on a
Christian. When they look at us from the outside, do they see the blood of
Christ or is it hidden. Do we exhibit
Christ in our lives to the point that the bloodline shows through us for others
to see just as the scarlet cord was hanging out her window for all to see.
Signifying there were believers inside? Rahab’s faith led to her obedience.
She placed the scarlet cord in her window, called her relatives to her
house and waited for deliverance. Here is a lesson. We are saved, we cover
ourselves in the blood of the lamb and then we call all into our belief who
will come and then we wait for the deliverer. The spies looked for the scarlet
cord in Rahab’s window and rescued Rahab and her family from Jericho’s
destruction. Rahab’s deliverance is a beautiful picture of redemption through
faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
God redeemed this Canaanite harlot and the New Testament apostle
Matthew tells us that she went on to marry Salmon (Matthew 1:4 & 5). Out of
this marriage was born Boaz who married Ruth and became the father of Obed. And
Obed was the father of Jesse, the father of none other than King David. So,
Rahab is one of only four women to be mentioned by name in the genealogy of
Jesus.
Rahab’s salvation was just an inkling of Jesus’ death for people of
every race and creed. Rahab’s deliverance through the scarlet cord is just one
of many pictures of Jesus in this wonderful action packed book of Joshua. Even
before the Israelites victory at Jericho, we can see Jesus in the lives of the
Jews. The book of John gives us the name of the place where the Jordan rolled
back and the Jews crossed over into the promised land: Bethabara. It is the
same place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus (John 1:28). Beth means ‘house’ and ‘abara’ means
passage; therefore Bethabara literally means ‘the house of passage.’
Jesus is our ‘house of passage.’
He is the way into all the promises of God: “For
all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God
by us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Through Christ we cross over into the
promises of the kingdom of God. The waters of the Jordan were rolled back all
the way to a city called Adam (Joshua 3:16).
What a beautiful picture! Jesus not only takes our sins away but He also cleanses
us from all sin all the way back to Adam.
Sin started with Adam in the garden of Eden, but Jesus is the ‘last Adam’
who did away with all sin. (I Corinthians 15:45).
That’s why Paul tells us to forget those things which are behind us and
reach for those things before us (Philippians 3:13). So, how far back are we to
forget those things which are behind? All the way back to Adam! So don’t say my
grandfather was this or my great grandmother did that, Jesus is your passage into the promises of God
and He has cleansed you all the way back to Adam.
The book of Joshua is powerful. Even the name Joshua, (in Hebrew Yeshua) means, “Jehovah (or Yahweh) is salvation.” In the Greek “Jesus” means Yeshua. In
Hebrews 4:8 Joshua is directly contrasted to Jesus. Joshua was the conqueror who led the
Israelites into their inheritance, while Jesus is the captain of our salvation,
bringing us into glory. (Hebrews 2:10)
Every rope that is in the British Navy has a red line running through
the middle of it. It denotes their faith in God and His ability to protect them
from harm. Similarly there is a scarlet thread of redemption that runs through
every book of the Bible and it identifies each book as belonging to God’s great
plan of redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. I do not think that red
thread is more visible than in the pages of Joshua. This book has tremendous
lessons for today and it also has tremendous pictures of Jesus life work and
death on our behalf.
The scarlet thread of redemption brings life wherever it goes. As we
read through the pages of Joshua we should allow God to speak life to our
spirits and to make us more than conquerors through the blood of Christ.
