REHAB’S ADVENT HOPE
JOSHUA 2:1-21; 6:22-25
Jesus is the
True
TRUE HOPE WILL…
up the status quo. (Joshua 2:1)
Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, “Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there.
2The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land.”
3Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land.”
4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from.
5At nightfall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!”
6But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof.
7The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the city gate was shut.
8Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof… —Joshua 2:1–8 (CSB)
We must…
Be
by something trustworthy. (Joshua 2:9)
Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof
9and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you.
10For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed across the Jordan.
11When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.
12Now please swear to me by the LORD that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign
13that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.”
14The men answered her, “We will give our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the LORD gives us the land.”
15Then she let them down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city.
16“Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won’t find you,” she said to them. “Hide there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.” —Joshua 2:8–16 (CSB)
We must…
Be
through a scarlet cord. (Joshua 2:17-18)
The men said to her, “We will be free from this oath you made us swear,
18unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house.
19If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his death will be his own fault, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his death will be our fault.
20And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.”
21“Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window. —Joshua 2:17–21 (CSB)
The blood will…
Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.”
23So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
—Joshua 6:22–23 (CSB)
believers from certain judgment. (Joshua 6:22-25)
24They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.
25However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today. —Joshua 6:24–25 (CSB)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What fears keep you from putting hope in God? How does Rahab’s courage shape your own response to uncertainty?
Rehab looked beyond the surface to see what God was doing. What enabled her to do that? How can we put ourselves in a position to do the same?
Rehab’s faith was well-informed. What about yours? Why/Why not? Which of Rehab’s responses stands out most to you?
Rehab saw God’s covenant kindness in addition to power and judgment? What keeps people from seeing the same today?
The scarlet cord was a symbol of God’s redeeming grace. Why did God place blood and sacrifice at the center of his plan for redemption? Why causes people to resist that truth today?
Discuss the objections that people give to substitutionary atonement and what responses you might give from a biblical perspective. How have you managed this tension?
Rehab’s faith was proven by her actions. What does “faith in action” look like for God’s people today? Why does God require proof of faith before he brings salvation?
Rehab’s redemption was universally offered but restricted in application. What does this teach us about God’s appeal through Christ? How do you live in light of that reality?
How is your faith impacting those who live around you? If positive, negative or neither then why?
Why do you think Rehab is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ? What practical application can we draw?