Joshua Chapter 2 Verse 1

• This is during the 3 day waiting period if you remember that point from last week and how we talked about Joshua not being idle but allowing the people to prepare. This was not wasted time but rather a waiting time and during it Joshua is given great wisdom that ultimately results in the salvation of an entire family! Point is I know it’s hard, trust me it is against my nature to wait, but walk in wisdom and don’t despise the periods of waiting that may come…that maybe you find yourself in even today…
• And here’s wisdom. How many spies did Moses send out? Right, 12. How many came back with an encouraging report? Yep, you got it, 2! So how many does Joshua send out this time? Bingo! And how does he send them? Secretly! No bias. No pressure. No public to answer to this time. Joshua is a smart dude…learning and applying what he’s learned!
• And so he sends two spies…Jewish tradition would tell us that these two are Caleb and Eliezer the High Priest…and the Bible says that they lodged in the house of a harlot named Rehab. First blush…eyebrows skyrocket right? Scandalous! What are they doing there? Are there no Holiday Inn Expresses? “Well Joshua the place is a dump…but we did stay in a Holiday Inn Express!” HA!
• Seriously though, were there no hotels, motels, Holiday Inns? Of course there were! So why not stay there? Well really, the answer is obvious when we set aside our accusatory speculations. Joshua sent them to spy how? SECRETLY! How better to remain hidden than to just be another couple of foreigners here to visit Rahab?
• So that’s the practical side. Check out the theological side. The typographical picture. The second century theologian Origen pointed this out that, “As the first Joshua sent his spies before him and they were received into the harlot’s house, so the second Joshua (Jesus) sent His forerunners, whom the publicans and harlots gladly received.” Pretty neat point.
• So it makes sense on several levels that they lodged at the house of Rehab the harlot. But even there, they unfortunately couldn’t hide…

Joshua Chapter 2 Verse 2

• It’s interesting because somehow they couldn’t even hide their intentions.

Joshua Chapter 2 Verses 3 – 7

• People get all twisted with this verse set! OMG! She lied! That’s a sin. Does this mean that the Bible is suggesting a means to an end? That the lie is Biblically acceptable because ultimately it led to the protection of God’s people? Joshua’s spies? The answer is no. The Bible does not praise Rehab’s lie, justify Rehab’s lie or excuse Rehab’s lie…it simply reports it. See that?

• Remember who she is. She is the town hooker. She is sick with sin. What else does she know how to do? She is not yet saved…she looks into her metaphysical satchel of resources and all she finds is lie, steal, kill…Jesus said as He hung on the cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do…” I believe that if she had stood up to the king’s men in crazy courage and told the truth then God would have made a way for her to preserve her life and the life of the spies…but man she’s a liar…I’m not justifying it…and neither does the Bible. I’m just telling it as it is…

• And the Bible says that as soon as the king’s men were outside the gate of the city it was shut for the night and so the two spies of Israel were safe.
• One more thing before we move on. Who was Rehab’s son? Boaz. Boaz’ son was Obed (by Ruth). Obed’s son was Jesse and Jesse’s son was David the king. Fast forward 14 generations and Israel is taken captive into Babylon and then fast forward another 14 generations and Jesus is born…Son of David, Son of Jesse, Son of Obed, Son of Boaz, Son of Rehab. Isn’t that absolutely stunning.
• From this sinner, from this liar, this hooker will come Salvation Himself. The point…doesn’t matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, how dark it’s all been…get in line with Jesus man. You’re welcome there. It’s almost unbelievable, unacceptable for us to believe that…that a perfect God would love me, accept me, receive me…but God has left a very clear and prominent message even in the lineage of Jesus…that He came to redeem sinners man…not prop up the folks that think they’re righteous…that they’ve got it all together…The Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, He Himself…even the Son of a prostitute…

Joshua Chapter 2 Verses 8 – 9

• Check that out! She said to them, “I KNOW that the Lord…” What Lord? The lord of Jericho? The Lord of the Flies? The Lord of the Rings? Lord Farquaad? (Shrek!) (Fionna, marry me Fionna! HA)   How does she know the Lord? Could it be that the two spies hooked her up? Gave her the gospel? I betcha! “Hey how did the Red sea stand like wall? How did you go through on dry ground? How did you defeat the Egyptian army?” And so the amazing picture here…notice…her works…disgusting!! Unacceptable!! Detestable! Yet her faith? Oh baby BABY! Powerful! And the result…salvation. Do you see it?
• Folks may be appalled that she is a pro and a liar but the fact is neither you nor me nor Billy Graham or Rehab the Harlot are saved by works or our own righteousness…we are all saved by grace through FAITH! She had heard who God is, she certainly knew who she was and yet she put her trust in God for her very life and guess what happened?? Next verse…