Spying Out the Land - Joshua 2

Why did Joshua send 2 and not 12 spies? What military intelligence did they gather? What information did they leave?
Do you feel that some sins in your past or present are so terrible that they can’t be forgiven or that you are unwor-thy to serve God? How does Rahab’s story encourage you? What was the emotional state of the people in Jericho? (Josh. 2:9, 11; 6:1) How did this confirm God’s promises in Deut. l:21, 29–31? Read carefully Joshua 2:9–13. What did Rahab know about Israel's history? How long before had the Red Sea been crossed? (Ex. l4). How long before had Sihon and Og been conquered? (Deut. 2:26-3:11) What did Rahab specifically say she believed about the God of Israel? What is impressive about her faith? Could anyone else in Jericho have come to the same conclusions? Why didn't they? How is grace key to understanding Joshua 2? These and other questions are addressed in this study in Joshua.

1. Joshua 2:1-24

2. Joshua 1:8-9 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

3. Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges “Now…” “Now…” “Now…” “After…” “Now…” “Now…” Ruth Samuel Kings “Now…” The Uniqueness of the Book of Joshua “These are the words…” “In the beginning…”

4. Joshua 2:1–3 1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”

5. And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; a fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Acacias. Joel 3:18

6. The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no aliens shall ever pass through her again.” Joel 3:16-17

7. Joshua 2:1–3 1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”

8. Numbers 13:1–2 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.” 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua a Spy in Canaan 16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land.

9. Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord , trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

10. Rahab Needed God (1-3) She was a woman  She was a gentile, a Canaanite She was living in a day of judgment She lived in a wall

11. Enter the promised land The promised land is not a place of rest by Kevin It is not an idiom for heaven It was battles to fight and lands to claim They were commanded to be strong and courageous!

12. Joshua 2:1 1b So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.

13. Raised in a godly Jewish home Saw the plagues in Egypt Watched God divide the Red Sea Ate manna that fell from heaven Listened to Moses deliver the Ten Commandments Spied the land & believed God Commanded the Army of Israel Taught by Moses Joshua

14. 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. Joshua 2:15

15. Rahab Needed God (1-3) She was a woman  She was a gentile, a Canaanite She was living in a day of judgment She lived in a wall She was a harlot

16. Rahab Feared God (8-11) 2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”

17. 4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” 6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) 7 Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate. Joshua 2:4-7

18. 8 Now before they 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, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og , whom you utterly destroyed. Rahab Feared God (8-11)

19. 11 “And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” Rahab Feared God (8-11)

20. Rahab Confessed God (11-12) 9 “I know…” 10–11 “We have heard…” 12 “Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord” Romans 10:9–10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

21. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. Hebrews 11:31

22. Rahab Concerned for Others (12-14) 12 Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord , since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, 13 and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”

23. Esther 8:6 For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?” Rahab Concerned for Others (12-14)

24. John 1:40–42 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Rahab Concerned for Others (12-14)

25. John 1:43–49 Jesus . . .found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Rahab Concerned for Others (12-14)

26. John 4:28-30 The woman then left her waterpot , went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. Rahab Concerned for Others (12-14)

27. Rahab Concerned for Others (12-14) 14 So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”

28. Rahab Demonstrated her Faith (15-22) 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.” 17 So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear,

29. 18 unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. 19 So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.” Rahab Demonstrated her Faith (15-22)

30. 21 Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window. 22 They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them. Rahab Demonstrated her Faith (15-22)

31. Hid the spies (2:1, 4, 6) Confessed to the spies her faith (2:9-10) Convinced her family to have enough courage to not reveal or release the spies to the king’s men (2:12-13) Sent spies away (2:16) Rahab Demonstrated her Faith (15-22)

32. II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. I Thessalonians 1:9 you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, Rahab Demonstrated her Faith (15-22)

33. 23 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.” Rahab Used of God (Heb. 11:31; Matt. 1:5)

34. Tamar (Matt. 1:3) Rahab (Matt. 1:5) Ruth (Matt. 1:5) Bathsheba (Matt. 1:6) “she who had been the wife of Uriah.” Mentioned in Matthew’s Genealogy of Jesus Rahab Used of God (Heb. 11:31; Matt. 1:5)

35. From a house of shame into the Hall of Fame

36. We are Rahab (Col. 1:13) Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

37. Next week’s study in the Word: Joshua 3-4 Crossing Jordan

38. This study was produced by Harry Morgan, M.A., M.Div., Th.M., Ph.D., LMHC, CFMHE, CCSOTS This lecture is a part of a series of studies on “Victorious Living in an Unbelieving World” based on the book of Joshua. An extensively annotated study guide is available to you by using the contact information below. If you find this study helpful, give God the glory. If you discover an error, it’s my fault. For more information about this series please contact: FAITH BIBLE CHURCH 1511 Morgan-Johnson Road Bradenton, FL 34211 941-729-6600 941-981-5387 http://faithbiblechurchefc.com http:// TRUTHtransforms.com [email protected]