Rahab: Three Kinds of Courage to Grasp God's Salvation

Introduction

In chapter 2 of the book of Joshua, we expect a dazzling battle. God has promised victory, Joshua must be strong and courageous, everything is ready for the offensive. And then the focus shifts: no wall falling, no heroic charge, but two spies sent to Jericho, entering the home of a prostitute named Rahab. This is not a narrative mistake, God wants to show you something. Through this woman's courage, you'll come to understand the courage you too need to grasp grace.

Sermon Outline

1. Victory Prepared: Intelligence in the Service of Faith

Joshua doesn't attack right away; he sends a reconnaissance mission: God lets him do it, approving in silence.
Using your intelligence is not a lack of faith; the Bible values neither recklessness, nor haste, nor a naive spirituality.
Faith does not mean switching off your brain, but using it under God's direction.
God's promise does not cancel your responsibility, it establishes it: God promises to provide for you, but you manage your budget; he promises to guide you, but you seek counsel; he promises his protection, but you put on your seatbelt.

2. Grace Revealed: Two Tricky Questions Before Rahab

Why do the spies go to a prostitute's house? According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (1st century), Rahab also ran an inn, as many prostitutes did in the ancient Middle East: a strategic place to go unnoticed, hear rumors, and flee easily (her house was built into the city wall).
Why does God accept Rahab's lie? Four markers: God could have acted through the truth; Rahab has a newborn faith; the cultural law of hospitality carried great weight; her lie protects two lives, with no personal interest. As with the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1, God looks at the intention of the heart.
Careful: don't say tomorrow that "the pastor said we're allowed to lie." Rahab acts in a specific situation, with courage and a faith just being born.

3. The Courage to Admit

Rahab belongs to a violent, cruel people, with formidable warriors. Yet in verse 11, she declares: "The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth beneath."
It takes courage to admit you are on the wrong side: her whole culture, her religious upbringing, the worship of idols, all of it is called into question.
This is the gospel ahead of its time. The first step of Christian faith is not knowledge, religiosity, or attendance at worship: it is the courage to say "there is a problem in me."
Jesus begins his public ministry with: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." To repent literally means to change direction. Jesus never saves the one who says "everything is fine."

4. The Courage to Ask For (and Grasp) Salvation

Rahab understood that admitting the truth was not enough: an outside intervention was needed, she could not save herself. In verse 12, she explicitly asks to be saved along with her family.
The whole city was trembling, but the others thought "we'll defend ourselves, we'll hold on." This is still what we hear today: "I'll manage," "I don't need God," "I'll negotiate when the time comes," "there are too many religions to know which one to choose." All these phrases say the same thing: I don't need you to save me.
The scarlet cord is the concrete sign of the covenant, the visible promise that she will be saved. It is not a work, it is a promise to grasp.
Our scarlet cord is Jesus. Rahab had everything against her: a pagan, a woman, a prostitute. And yet, she is saved and brought into the people of God. God is more interested in what you are going to become than in what you have been.

5. The Courage to Testify

As soon as she is saved, Rahab thinks of her family: father, mother, brothers, sisters, all the members of their household. She forgets no one; she has understood the urgency.
But the hardest part remains: convincing them. Imagine her brother, her sister, her brother-in-law retorting: "You? Saved? Have you seen yourself?"
How often do we feel unqualified to announce salvation? "I'm not qualified," "my boss will never listen to an employee." Yet God has chosen you.
The message is simple: the kingdom of God is coming, God is going to judge, grasp the cord, it's Jesus. No need for 36,000 words. A loving urgency, not a guilt-inducing one, that invites, speaks, testifies, and leads people into this spiritual house.

Key Takeaways

Believing God's promises does not cancel your responsibility: a mature faith uses its intelligence under God's direction.
Rahab is the gospel ahead of its time: recognizing that we are on the wrong side is the first step of Christian faith.
The scarlet cord is not a work to accomplish, it is a promise to grasp, today, that cord is called Jesus.
Your past no longer determines your future: God is more interested in what you are going to become than in what you have been.
A faith that grasps salvation becomes a faith that testifies, with a loving urgency for those we love.

Personal Application

What project, decision, or promise received from God are you waiting on without thinking, when he is asking you to act with wisdom?
What area of your life do you refuse to admit is "on the wrong side" before God? What culture, habit, or upbringing would you need to let go of to acknowledge that he is God?
Are you trying to save yourself ("I'll manage, I'll negotiate, I don't need it"), or have you grasped the scarlet cord that is Jesus?
Is there a sin or a part of your past that you think is too heavy for God to forgive? What does Rahab's life change in you?
Which family member, colleague, or friend should you invite today into the "spiritual house" where salvation is found?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Joshua send spies when God has already promised him victory?

Using your intelligence is not a lack of faith. Joshua believes God's promise, but acts wisely in preparing his strategy. God's promise does not cancel our responsibility, it establishes it. As John Stott says, if we do not use the faculty of thought God has given us, we condemn ourselves to spiritual shallowness and cut ourselves off from a great part of the riches of God's grace.

Why does God approve of Rahab's lie?

The text calls for caution. Rahab has a newborn faith; she does not yet know how the God of Israel acts. Her lie protects two lives, not her own interests. We must also take into account the cultural law of hospitality, which carried great weight in the ancient Middle East. God honors the intention of her heart, as he did for the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1. Be careful, however, not to generalize: Rahab acts in a specific situation, under pressure, with a faith that is just beginning.

What does Rahab's scarlet cord represent for us today?

The scarlet cord is the visible sign of the covenant Rahab made with God, the concrete promise that she would be saved. It is not a work to accomplish, it is a promise to grasp. For us today, the scarlet cord is Jesus. It is he who separates us from the judgment to come. Some commentators see in it a foreshadowing of the blood of Jesus, which remains possible without being certain.

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