BIBLE STUDY LESSON 02
THE SCARLET STRAND
THE SCARLET ROPE
From Joshua 2
“Go and look over the land, Joshua told two of his spies, especially Jericho! The men went into the land as Joshua commanded, arriving one evening at the home of Rahab the harlot, where they planned to stay overnight. But someone had found out about the spies and reported them to the king of Jericho. Men from Israel have come here to spy on the land, they said. The king sent men to Rahab’s house to talk with her. Bring those men out of your house, they told her. They are spies who have come to search our land. Rahab had taken the spies to the roof earlier and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had piled there to dry. So she told the king’s men, some men were here, but I certainly didn’t know where they had come from. They left in time to get out of the city before the gate was shut this evening and I don’t know where they went. Hurry! Perhaps you can catch them.
Believing that the spies had gone, the king’s men hurried away on the road leading to the Jordan River, looking for them. While they searched, the gates of the city were kept shut.
With a scarlet cord, Rahab let the two men down so they could escape. Rahab and her family were spared because she was certain that Israel would defeat Jericho. Before the spies went to bed for the night, Rahab went up to the roof to talk with them. I’m sure that the Lord has given this land to Israel, she said. Everyone is afraid of you. In fact, the people are terrified at the very thought of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea for you when you came from Egypt and we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings whom you destroyed along with their people east of the Jordan.
When our people heard these things, they lost all their courage to fight you, for it has become quite clear that your God is the Lord of heaven and earth. Now, since I have helped you, swear to me by your God that when you conquer Jericho, you will let me and my family live; father and mother, brothers and sisters and their households. The spies made a bargain then with Rahab. Our life for yours! Spare our lives by seeing us safely out of here and we will spare yours when the city is taken. Since Rahab’s home was on the city wall, she let them down by a scarlet rope through her window. Go out into the hills, she said. Hide there for three days, until the king’s men return to Jericho. Then you can go on your way. When we return to take the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from your window, the spies told Rahab. If you do not, we are free from our agreement to protect you. Also, your relatives and their families must all be here in your house at that time. If anyone goes out of your house and is killed, it is his own fault. But if anyone is inside your house and is killed, then we are guilty. Also, if you tell anyone what we are doing, we are free from our agreement. Let it happen exactly as you have said, Rahab agreed. As the men left, Rahab left the scarlet rope in the window. For three days the spies hid in the hills, until the men of Jericho stopped looking for them along the road and returned to the city. Then the spies came down from the hills, crossed the Jordan River and told Joshua all that had happened to them. Now we are certain that the Lord has given us all this land, they told Joshua. The people there are weak with fear because of us.”
COMMENTARY
OTHER CONQUESTS OF THE LAND: THUTMOSE III
The people who lived in Canaan were strong. However, they were terrified and hid behind the stone walls of their cities when they heard all that God did to bring Israel out of Egypt and to defeat the Amorite armies. Yet in Jericho one woman found faith instead of fear. The strand of scarlet rope which she hung from her window would save the lives of her family and stand forever as a symbol of saving faith. Joshua’s soldiers were not the first to invade Canaan. Egyptian pharaohs had raided the land at least a thousand years before. One of the pharaohs, Thutmose III, went to war against Canaan almost every year. His strategy was very clever. The first attack would come in the spring, when food was nearly gone and before the next harvest. Hunger guaranteed a quick surrender. He won at Joppa by having his soldiers pretend to carry large baskets of tribute to the ruler; the baskets held soldiers instead and victory came fast. In yet a third battle, his soldiers carried boats over the mountains for a surprise attack on a city near the Euphrates River. The Egyptians left defeated rulers very little. They took their gold, silver, precious stones, ivory furniture, even their livestock and expensive clothes. Thutmose III brought their children back to Egypt. But the children were not put in prison. Instead, they were raised in the Egyptian way of life and returned to Canaan to rule for the pharaoh; no longer enemies. Intelligent ideas like these helped earn Thutmose III his fame as the greatest military leader in ancient Egyptian history.
TEST YOURSELF
1.) Where did the Israelites plan to spend the night?
A.) At Rahab the harlot’s house
B.) In Jerusalem
C.) Outside the city of Jericho
2.) Where did Rahab hide the spies?
A.) In a bedroom
B.) On the roof
C.) In the cellar
3.) Why couldn’t the men escape from the city?
A.) They were being guarded
B.) They were arrested
C.) The gates were shut
4.) How did Rahab let the spies down from the roof?
A.) With a scarlet cord
B.) In a basket
C.) With a rope
5.) Why was Rahab afraid of the spies?
A.) She had heard about how God parted the Red Sea
B.) She knew they would conquer the city
C.) She knew they had conquered other kings
D.) All of these answers are correct
6.) What did Rahab asked of the spies?
A.) To help her escape
B.) To spare her life
C.) To spare her family
7.) Why did the spies let Rahab live?
A.) She was nice
B.) She helped save their lives
C.) They knew she feared God
8.) What famous water source was in Jericho?
A.) The Jordan River
B.) Elisha’s spring
C.) Both of these answers
9.) What would release the Israelites from their agreement with Rahab?
A.) If her relatives began to fight against the Israelites
B.) If she forgot to hang the scarlet cord from her window or her relatives left her house
C.) If Jericho were winning the battle or the Israelites fled
D.) If the scarlet cord broke
10.) What is another name used for Jericho?
A.) City of Angels
B.) Forbidden City
C.) The City of Palm Trees |
