Lifeway Explore the Bible_June 14, 2026: Joshua 2:4-21, “Amazing Grace”

Lesson Text: Joshua 2:4-21

Date the Lesson is Scheduled For: June 14^th

Session: 2

Title: Amazing Grace

Theme: God used Rahab, an imperfect person, to accomplish His plan.

Memory Verse: Hebrews 11:31, “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”

Content Overview:

1. With God we can take bold action in the face of danger (vv. 4-7)

Short: We’re a people of action.

II. With God we can receive kind compassion even though we are underserving (vv. 8-13)

Short: We’re recipients of compassion.

III. We are to be grateful ambassadors of the kindness and mercy shown to us (vv. 14-16)

Short: We’re ambassadors of reconciliation.

IV. God’s grace toward us gives us an eternal and present and firm assurance and hope in the midst of looming threats and challenges we face (vv. 17-21)

Short: We’re people of hope-filled assurance.

Lesson:

1. With God we can take bold action in the face of danger (vv. 4-7)

Short: We’re a people of action.

Text: “But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, ‘True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.’ ⁶ But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.” (vv. 4-7)

Explanation:

• Leading into this conversation, Joshua wisely sends two spies on a reconnaissance mission to scope out the land, “especially Jericho” according to verse one. These men were trusted; they needed to be trustworthy. Joshua could count on them. Contrast this wise, careful, strategic, intentional mission in comparison to the fearful dismay of the Israelites 40 years earlier. It was definitely a new day in Canaan.
• While they go to the house of a prostitute this could have been an inn of some sort and a logical place to find information.
• Somehow word gets to the king (v. 2).
• The king tells Rahab to bring them out. (v. 3)
• Risking her own peril, she protects these men. What was it about these men that was different? What made her protect them instead of turn them in? We can only speculate, but I believe it was their honor and integrity and their witness for God that showed her, these men are different and their God has made a difference in their lives. Expecting them initially to proposition her, instead they someway in word or deed present God to her.
• She lies to the king  and says  they’d escaped, to which the king repsonds with a search mob to go after them while she hid them in the rooftop flax.

Illustration: Places are significant. I am a locational learner. I can focus better in certain places and can be distracted in others. If I am studying at home, I have to be at my desk. If I am working at the church, I do my lost focused work in my office. I think in some degree, we are all locational learners, and there are places where God has specific lessons for us to learn. If we don’t learn what God wants to teach us the first time, He often shows Himself to be the God of second chances in the Scriptures.

• “The place from which Joshua sent the spies was Shittim, near the Jordan River.¹⁰⁰ Two earlier episodes are echoed here. (1) This place was where the Israelites had rejected their God earlier and prostituted themselves by consorting with Moabite women and gods at Balaam’s instigation (Num 25:1–3; 31:16). (2) Joshua’s dispatch of two spies also recalls Moses’ sending out of 12 spies into Canaan from the wilderness, a group that included Joshua himself (Num 13–14).”^[1] (NAC)

Application: These two spies were entrusted by God with a special mission in a place where other’s had previously failed. Each of us who have given our lives to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior have been given a purposeful mission as well.

• We’re on a mission to end generational sin that was once tolerated, or
• To share the gospel verbally with others,
• To invest in our local church with our presence and with passion
• To reach local, state, and beyond with the gospel.

The stakes are to high to lollygag or side step our clear instructions from God. I am thankful for our Connect Group Leaders who are held to a high standard as teachers of God’s Word and disciple-makers who take their mission with earnestness and seriousness.

Transition: First, point #1, we are to a be a people of bold action, second…

II. With God we can receive kind compassion even though we are underserving (vv. 8-13)

Short: We’re recipients of compassion.

Text: “Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof ⁹ and said to the men, ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. ¹⁰ For 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 the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. ¹¹ And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.’” (vv. 8-13)

Explanation: Plea; Concern/fear; Acknowledgement of God’s omnipotence; Request for mercy;  

     In verses 8-11 Rahab expresses to the spies that she knows who they are, and she knows Who their God is. Word had gotten to her and her people of the prior victories of the God of Israel had done. God’s power and greatness over all things from the heights to the depths of His creation were evident. She was filled with a holy fear, which was the impetus for her request to be spared. In response to her allegiance to God, they promise with compassion to spare her. The NAC states, “The syntax of vv. 7–8 (indeed, vv. 6–8) is rather herky-jerky. That is, the narrative does not flow easily, but diverges first here, then there, in fits and starts, with several back references and asides.¹¹⁶ It is very plausible that the text’s author is making an intentional point by this, deliberately stumbling over himself in a literary sense, in order to reach what in his mind is the heart of his story, namely Rahab’s great confession of faith in vv. 9–11. He can hardly wait to tell his story and his style becomes more breathless as this great confession nears.^117[2]”

   Now regarding Rahab’s lie to the king, the New Testament commends her, which can be a quandary for readers. Here’s what the New American Commentary says on this: “James 2:25 says that “Was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?” However, here again, a careful reading shows that nowhere is Rahab’s lie per se commended.¹⁴⁶ Her faith is rightfully commended, and her actions in helping the spies are, as well. The James passage seems especially explicit. It mentions two actions: (1) giving lodging to the spies and (2) sending them out by a safer route. It does not mention Rahab’s lying, or even her “protection” of the men accomplished by the lie. James very well might have omitted mentioning the deception deliberately, to avoid the appearance of condoning it, since the passage is fairly explicit otherwise.^[3]”

Illustration: Have you ever faced an important meeting or deadline maybe with a customer or client, and you knew enough about their requirements for the project to know you’d better be ready and prepared and on your game for the upcoming meeting? Maybe you have an annual physical coming up, so you start eating right or working out more? Rahab knew enough about God to know she needed to surrender her old life and be prepared to join in with Israel’s God.

Application: Just like Rahab was urgently and earnestly asking for mercy, preparing for the impending judgement on Jericho, the reality is there is a day coming called the Day of the Lord when His wrath will be poured out on all sin and evil in the world. With earnest urgency, now is the time to repent and receive the compassion of His salvation.

Transition: Point #1, bold action. Point #2, recipients of compassion, thirdly,

III. We are to be grateful ambassadors of the kindness and mercy shown to us (vv. 14-16)

Short: We’re ambassadors of reconciliation.

Text: “¹⁴ And the men said to her, ‘Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.’ ¹⁵ Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. ¹⁶ And she said to them, ‘Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.’” (vv. 14-16)

Explanation: Commitment; merciful response; God’s attributes; kindness & faithfulness

     In their statement they are basically saying that her profession of allegiance if demonstrated in protecting them, they could confidently assure her that God would “deal kindly and faithfully” with her. God would be kind to her. God would be faithful to her. She lets them down with a cord of some sort and gives them escape advice on the way out, telling them to hide out and for how long, 3 days.

• The word for “kindness” here isn’t just being nice, but it’s the Hebrew word hesed, which is used 250 times (Quicksource, page 19) in the OT.  It means she and her family would be recipients of God’s faithful, loving, covenant love.  

Illustration: We love to see those episode clips of America’s Got Talent when a contestant steps center stage from the wings and Simon asks them what they are about to perform, and it’s some challenging song or a challenging Italian aria and upon initial observation the likelihood of this person doing well appears slim. There’s a pause, and then the contestant knocks it out of the ballpark and receives the golden buzzer.

Application: Some people may look at you and upon initial observation think that when it comes to you having a relationship with God through His Son that’s unbreakable because of the grace and mercy you’ve been given and you’ve received in the cross of Christ, some people may look at you and surmise, “There’s no way.” That’s what they would have said about Rahab, too. But look at what God’s word says about her in the hall of faith in our key/memory verse, Hebrews 11:31, “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” God’s word commends her right beside Moses and Abraham and the like! That’s how amazing God’s grace is!  So if this is how amazing God’s grace is, let’s extend this gospel grace to others who need to be reconciled to God just like we were.

Transition: We see in this passage bold action, recipients of compassion, amabassadors of reconciliation, and fourthly and finally,…

IV. God’s grace toward us gives us an eternal and present and firm assurance and hope in the midst of looming threats and challenges we face (vv. 17-21)

Short: We’re people of hope-filled assurance.

Text: “¹⁷ The men said to her, ‘We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. ¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. ¹⁹ Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. ²⁰ But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.’ ²¹ And she said, ‘According to your words, so be it.’ Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.” (vv. 17-21)

Explanation: Echoing the scarlet blood spread over the door posts to protect them from the Passover Death Angel, so she and her family with this scarlet thread would be protected from the impending judgement of God on Jericho. Notice it was a scarlet thread, I believe pointing to the scarlet sacrifice of Christ’s blood that if draped over our lives will be our eternal safety and security.

Illustration: There is a scarlet thread that flows from the Garden of Eden’s Fall to the hill of Calvary through the empty tomb and up to God’s throne of grace upon which Jesus sits and intercedes for you and me this very moment.

Application: Not one ounce of judgement can befall the life covered in the scarlet protection of the life blood of Jesus. Let this sweet assurance flood over your heart and mind and fill you afresh with hope-filled assurance.

Conclusion: Words to “Blessed Assurnace,” “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

O, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:

This is my story, this is my song,

praising my Savior all the day long;

this is my story, this is my song,

praising my Savior all the day long.

2 Perfect submission, perfect delight,

visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

angels descending, bring from above

echoes of mercy, whispers of love. [Refrain]

3 Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest;

watching and waiting, looking above,

filled with His goodness, lost in His love.”

Doctrine: Man, “Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.” (QuickSource, page 18).

• Verse: I Corinthians 1:26-31, “²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,^[a] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being^[b] might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰ And because of him^[c] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹ so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
• Verse: Titus 2:11-14, “¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
• Reflection: When we consider our past, our tendencies toward sins-both known and unknown-isn’t God’s grace truly amazing.

Discussion Question(s):

• Why is it that God uses unlikely, imperfect people to accomplish His purposes?
• As we see Rahab’s bold action, what is the relationship between boldness and faith?

How should our beliefs about God impact how we treat others?

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¹⁰⁰ On Shittim’s location, see the commentary on 3:1.

^[1] David M. Howard Jr., Joshua, vol. 5, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 98.

¹¹⁶ See Winther-Nielsen (Discourse Grammar of Joshua, 125–28) for the most detailed consideration of the narrative flow and logic here.

¹¹⁷ This phenomenon of the literary style or texture changing to reflect something important in the story has been noted by many observers. See, e.g., R. Alter’s observations on David’s mourning for Bathsheba’s dead son (The Art of Biblical Narrative [New York: Basic, 1981], 128–29 or S. Bar-Efrat’s analysis of the story of Amnon’s rape of Tamar (Narrative Art in the Bible, JSOTSup 70 [Sheffield: Almond, 1989], 239–82, esp. 260–61 and 264–66).

^[2] David M. Howard Jr., Joshua, vol. 5, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 101.

¹⁴⁶ If being sinless were a requirement of an individual’s having been listed as a hero of the faith in Hebrews 11, the chapter would have been extraordinarily short. We know of the sins of several other individuals in that chapter, as well (e.g., Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samson, Jephthah, David).

^[3] David M. Howard Jr., Joshua, vol. 5, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 110–111.