The Story of Rahab: God Changes Us

Hello Friends,

Well, this is the week that many of you return to school…. Are you ready? Are you ready for new adventures, new stories, and to make new friends? Are you ready to learn new things? Some of you are ready, but some of you might be a little scared to go back to school–and that’s okay. Why? Because it is okay to be scared of something that we are unsure of. Many people are scared of doing something new or are scared because of what may have happened in the past. Feel safe where they are.

But let me tell you something: even when you are scared God is with you. And the best part is, He is not going to leave you. As a matter of fact, God might even strengthen you and remove your fear as He changes you into someone confident and courageous. When we allow God to change us, then we begin to do what God needs us to do, which is help others who are scared. There is a story in the Bible that talks about this: it is found in the book of Joshua.

Joshua 2:17-18 tells us, “Before they left, the men told her, ‘We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions. 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.” Let’s take a deeper look into this story…

Joshua was the new leader of God’s people, since Moses had passed away. He knew that he must lead the Israelites into the land that God had promised them. They were tired of wandering around in the desert–after all, it’s been 40 years since they left Egypt under the guidance and leadership of Moses. They were ready to build homes and have farms. They knew land was beautiful and good. It was the perfect place to live. Joshua knew about the land because he had been there as a spy forty years ago.

The new land was on the other side of the Jordan River. There were people living in the land but they did not believe in God. God wanted His people to have the land. So, Joshua chose two men–spies–to go and explore the land. They were to sneak into the large city of Jericho and see how strong the enemy was. The men pretended to be ordinary travelers just passing through. Once inside Jericho they looked for a place to stay. The two spies found their way to the house of a woman named Rahab. She had been a bad woman in the city but she had heard about the Israelite people and she decided to let the spies stay with her and her family.

Rahab knew that the King of Jericho would want to hurt the spies so she decided to hide them. Where could she hide them? She remembered that she had put stalks of straw on her roof. They were spread out to dry. That would be the perfect hiding place! She told the spies to go onto the roof and hide under the straw stalks. No one would see them there.

The king had been hearing all about the Israelites. He knew they might attack his city. He told everyone to watch out for strangers. He knew the Israelites might send spies. And he was right! Someone told him that the spies were staying at Rahab’s house. The king sent soldiers to find them. When they reached Rahab’s house they banged on the front door shouting, “The king demands that you bring out the two men that are staying here. We know they are spies in this house.” It was a good thing that Rahab had hidden the spies. She hurried downstairs to open the door for the king’s men. She said, “Yes, two men were here but they have just left. If you hurry you should catch them.” “They’ll have gone toward the river,” shouted a soldier and they set off in pursuit.

The Israelite spies lay very still in their hiding place. Soon Rahab returned. The two men asked her why she had risked her life to protect two foreign enemies. “I will tell you why,” she said. “I know the Lord has promised you this land and most of my people are afraid of your people. We have heard how God divided the sea for you and brought you throughout the wilderness. When you attack this city promise me that you will save my life and the life of my family.”

The men agreed. “If you tell no one about our visit we will see that you and your family are not harmed.” By then it was night and the city gates were shut, but Rahab’s house was built on the city wall. She brought a rope and fastened it to the window and the spies climbed down to the ground outside the city wall.

“Escape to the mountains,” she advised them. “Hide there for three days until the search is over.” Before they left, the spies said, “You must tie a piece of scarlet red cord in this window so we will know your house from a distance when we march against the city. Whoever is inside the house will be saved.” The spies were glad that Rahab saved their lives. Even though Rahab had been a bad woman in the past, and filled with fear, now she was helping God’s people! Rahab and the spies did not know it yet but, in the future, Rahab would marry an Israelite and her descendants would follow God. In fact, hundreds of years later, one of her descendants would be Jesus Christ. When the two spies returned to Joshua they gave their report. Joshua knew that it was now time to enter the land.

You see, Rahab was scared for her safety and for her family. She wanted to protect them to the best of her ability; and in doing so, she realized that God was with her during this time of fear. I’m sure Rahab would have been scared of the first day of school, but because she trusted God and believe in Him, her was gone and she was saved, although she was a bad person. God is willing to do the same thing for you.

This school year, do your best to let God remove your fear and do your best to help those around you because your helping them may remove their fear. Let God save you today and every day.

Your Friend, Holy Spirit!

Literature borrowed from Living Word: Light of Life – https://livingwordlightoflife.com/rahab-hid-the-spies