Rahab – A Story of Judgment
Stories of the Promise is a midweek Advent worship series by Pastor Marques and Corissa Nelson. It has been adapted by Pastor Michael Zarling to be used for personal devotions or for an Advent Tea.
The series focuses on three Old Testament women who are drawn into God’s family of forgiveness. The Seed of the Savior comes from their family tree.
Each of these ladies has written a fictional letter to present-day women. Within these letters is woven the Holy Spirit’s scriptural narrative of these Women of the Promise.
The second letter is from Rahab. It is a story of judgment.
Dear Sisters,
My story is one of judgment.
I knew judgment was coming. All the citizens of Jericho knew, too. We heard what the God of the Israelites had done to the Egyptians with the plagues and how he drowned the Egyptian Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea.
We heard how the Israelites overwhelmed the nomadic Amalekites with Joshua and Aaron holding up Moses’ arms during the battle (Exodus 17:8-16). How they defeated both the Midianites (Numbers 31:1-8) and the Amorite kings Sihon and Og (Deuteronomy 2-3).
So even though we were bigger and stronger, even though we had a huge wall fortifying our city of Jericho, we were terrified.
The Israelites had sent twelve spies to scout the land of Canaan. Two spies came to Jericho and entered my house.
Reader: Joshua 2:1-2 Now Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men from Shittim to be spies. He said, “Go and look over the land and Jericho.” So they set out and came to the house of a woman who was a prostitute. Her name was Rahab. They settled in to spend the night there.
It was reported to the king of Jericho: “Some Israelite men came here tonight to spy on the land.”
Rahab: I hid the spies from the king’s men under the stalks of flax I had laid out on my roof. Before the spies went to sleep for the night, I had a conversation with them.
Reader: Joshua 2:8-14, 17-20 But before the men lay down, Rahab came up to them on the roof. She said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land. Because of you, terror has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land are melting in fear before you. Indeed, we have heard that the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea in front of you when you came out of Egypt, and we heard what you did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan—to Sihon and to Og. We heard that you devoted them to destruction. We heard, and our hearts melted, and no one’s courage could hold up anymore against you, because the Lord your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.
“So now, please swear to me by the Lord that since I have shown kindness to you, you in turn will show kindness to my father’s house. Give me a trustworthy sign that you will preserve the lives of my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and everyone who belongs to them, and that you will spare our lives.”
The men said to her, “If you do not reveal what we are doing, our lives are pledged for your lives, even to the point of death. Then when the Lord gives us the land, we will show mercy and faithfulness to you.”
“When we come into the land, we will be free from this oath that you made us swear unless you tie this bright red cord in the window through which you let us down, and you gather your father and mother, your brothers, and your father’s entire household into your house. If any one of them goes outside the doors of your house, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be free of guilt. Anyone who is with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads if a hand is laid on him. If you reveal what we are doing, we will be free from the oath that you made us swear.”
This is a rescue story, featuring a lady with a sketchy history and an incredible future. It builds on another bible story from the summer: Jericho (art here).
When Joshua sends spies into Jericho, ahead of the walls tumbling down, Rahab hides them. She asks that her family be preserved when Israel returns to take Jericho. Not only does God preserve her family on the day the walls of Jericho come tumbling down, despite the fact that they were hiding and living in those walls, he sends preservation and salvation for the whole world through her family. He puts the Savior right into that family line of Rahab – and preserves that line.
When she asks that her mother, father, sisters, and brothers and everyone who belongs to them stay safe, she probably didn’t realize how far God would extend that safety. He extends it to her eternal family, brothers and sisters in Christ. She ties the red cord in her window, a symbol of rescue for her family. This is us.
A note from artist, Corissa Nelson on her use of the cord for Rahab
Rahab: I immediately agreed to everything they said.
When they left, I quickly tied the scarlet cord in my window.
Several weeks went by. The citizens of Jericho made sure the city was shut tight for fear of the Israelite army. Judgment was coming. All I could do was trust the spies’ promise.
And then the people came! So many people. I had never seen so many people at one time. I learned later that it was approximately two million people!
I saw the Israelites gathering that first day. Seven priests were carrying trumpets leading the Ark of the Covenant around the city. The entire army of the Israelites followed the Ark.
But it was eerily silent. There was no noise … except the marching feet. No shouting. No trumpets. Nothing.
All of Jericho braced for an attack. But nothing happened.
On the second day, the Israelites marched around the city again. We waited.
But no attack. Only silence.
Then the third day. Then the fourth day. Then the fifth day. Then the sixth day.
Nothing changed. No attack. Only silent marching.
Then the seventh day dawned!
The people of Israel marched around Jericho. Then they marched around again. And again.
Even though the Israelite army remained eerily silent, there was fear and confidence in the air. Fear from the citizens of Jericho. Confidence from the Israelite army.
When the Israelites marched the seventh time around the city, I could hear Joshua, the commander of the Israelite nation, speaking to the army.
Reader: Joshua 6:16-17 Then on the seventh time, the priests blew the ram’s horns, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout, because the Lord has given you the city! The city will be devoted to destruction. The city and everything in it will be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute will live—she along with all who are with her in the house—because she hid the agents whom we sent.
Rahab: Then the silence was broken! There was a crescendo of sounds. The priests blew their trumpets. The numerous Israelite army shouted.
My family trembled. The ground trembled. The walls of the city trembled. And the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. And the citizens of Jericho were put to death.
But not my house. Inside my house with the scarlet cord everyone was safe.
As the fighting raged within the city, the two Israelite spies came to my door. They came to bring all of us to safety because of the promise they made to me for hiding them from the king’s men.
Reader: Joshua 6:23-24a, 25 So the young men who had acted as spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and everyone who belonged to her. They brought out all her family members, and they settled them outside the camp of Israel.
But the city and everything in it they burned with fire. But Joshua spared the lives of Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and everyone who belonged to her, and she has lived within Israel to this day, because she hid the agents that Joshua sent to spy on Jericho.
Judgment came for me that day.
But I was safe because of the promise made to me.
Sisters, judgment is coming for you, too. But you are safe. Not because of anything you’ve done or offered, but because Jesus has made a promise to you. Just like the spies kept their promise to me and kept me safe from the day of judgment brought upon Jericho, so Jesus will keep you safe, too, on the great Day of Judgment that will be brought upon the earth.
I neglected to tell you that my means of supporting myself in Jericho was as a prostitute. It’s certainly not something I’m proud to admit. By God’s grace, though, I never had to do that again. By God’s grace, he forgave me of my sin of prostitution. By God’s grace, he did something even greater! He allowed me as a former prostitute to belong to the family of forgiveness.
I married an Israelite named Salmon. We were blessed with a son named Boaz. Our great grandson was King David. Jesus, the Son of God, is also the son of David. That makes him my son, too!
When the Scriptures speak of me, they mention my prostitution, but not in a way to emphasize my shame. Rather, they emphasize God’s grace to me!
Reader: Hebrews 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with the unbelievers, because she welcomed the spies in peace.
James 2:25 In the same way also, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute shown to be righteous by works when she welcomed the spies and sent them out another way?
Rahab: Sisters, on the Day of Judgment, you will be judged. But like me, through the faith given to you by the Holy Spirit; through the righteousness put on you by Jesus; through the grace shown you by God the Father, you are safe. You are declared “Not guilty!” Not because you’re innocent. But because Jesus has separated you from your sins – adultery and addiction, gossip and grumbling, impatience and ingratitude. Your sins are removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).
All through my descendant Jesus.
The Day of Judgment is coming, but you have nothing to fear.
Your sister in Christ,
Rahab
Song: Peace Came to Earth
- Adapted from To Tell the Story: Judgment by Rev. Luke Italiano
Michael Zarling
For the first 8 years of my ministry, I served at Faith Lutheran Church, an exploratory congregation in Radcliff, KY. I presently serve at Epiphany Lutheran Church and Wisconsin Lutheran School (WLS) in Racine, WI. I am also very involved with our youth as the WLS head soccer coach and the head counselor for WELS Training Camp, a youth camp for 3rd – 9th graders. I have been married to Shelley for 20 years. Together we have 4 beautiful daughters – Abigail, Miriam, Lydia and Gabrielle. We also have 2 dogs – Messi and Mia – named after Lionel Messi and Mia Hamm (the Zarling family really likes soccer!)
