EXPLORE THE TEXT
We can live in victory by trusting in God’s promises.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land,
“Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.”
23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab
and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her.
They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
24 They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute,
her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho,
and she still lives in Israel today.
Highlight Joshua’s actions toward Rahab and her family.
Summarize this content from pages 43-44 of the PSG to provide additional insights into her faith and God’s grace:
“Joshua instructed his men to spare Rahab and her family
because she protected the two spies from the king of Jericho.
Her faith in the Lord, her kindness to these men, and the promise they made to her would not be forgotten (Heb. 11:31).
Therefore, it was fitting that Joshua instructed those same two men to retrieve Rahab and her family.
The men brought them out of the city and settled Rahab and her family outside Israel’s camp,
probably because of ceremonial uncleanness according to God’s law. .Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who, like all the other residents of Jericho, was deserving of God’s wrath.
However, by God’s mercy and grace through faith in the God of Israel, Rahab was saved from the wrath that was to come.
Rahab not only declared her faith in the Lord but demonstrated it when she saved the spies.
By faith, this outsider became part of the Lord’s covenant people.
Moreover, Matthew indicates Rahab married an Israelite named Salmon and became an ancestress of Jesus (Matt. 1:5).”
Identify how God dealt with the rest of Jericho’s people and their possessions.
Why did the Israelites burned Jericho, and put its precious metals into the Lord's treasury?
The Israelites burned Jericho. The Hebrew verb translated burned always denotes literal burning
and often designates the resulting destruction.
As commanded (v. 19),
Israel placed the silver and gold . .
bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.
The conquered people and possessions were placed under the ban, meaning objects and people were given to the Lord, (destroyed).
Although Lord’s house usually refers to the temple,
it refers to the tabernacle in this context since Israel had not yet built a temple.
Note that God’s victory of Jericho on Israel’s behalf was complete and absolute.
The God who faithfully delivered Jericho to Israel
and faithfully protected Rahab and her family
is the same God we serve.
And He still works to provide for His people and to protect them.
Consider areas in your life where you need to see God move.
Determine how you can trust Him the way Israel and Rahab trusted Him.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 45 of the Personal Study Guide:
Call for volunteers to share which statement resonates most deeply with them and why.
Encourage the group to look for ways to express trust in God this week. Distribute copies of Pack Item 12 (Handout: Winning Strategy). Direct them to record at least one situation they are praying about in the first column of the handout. Challenge them to continue praying through that issue during the week and to fill out the other spaces for that issue as God reveals His plans to them. Suggest that they continue using this handout to address other areas where God is moving in their lives.
Guide the group to discuss the second question set on page 45 of the PSG. Ask: How can remembering what God has done in the past encourage you to trust Him now?
Read Joshua 6:20 and encourage the group to keep praying the verse back to God. Urge them to continue following God’s directions faithfully.
Reinforce the session by texting or emailing the group a link to the VeggieTales song, “Keep Walking” from Josh and the Big Wall. Include this reminder: Keep walking and trusting in God-because God gives His people victory when they trust and obey Him. Encourage adults to read and reflect on the first question set from page 45 of the PSG and to include ideas for holding each other accountable in the chat.
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. (See
Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 24:1.)
Examine New Testament passages to better understand an Old Testament passage.
The writers of both Hebrews and James referred to Rahab in their letters to first-century believers. Examine Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 to see what these passages say about her. What are some key points each writer draws out? What are they trying to emphasize with their readers? How does that help you understand Rahab better?
EXPLORE THE TEXT
We can live in victory by trusting in God’s promises.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land,
“Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.”
23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab
and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her.
They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
24 They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute,
her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho,
and she still lives in Israel today.
Highlight Joshua’s actions toward Rahab and her family.
Summarize this content from pages 43-44 of the PSG to provide additional insights into her faith and God’s grace:
“Joshua instructed his men to spare Rahab and her family
because she protected the two spies from the king of Jericho.
Her faith in the Lord, her kindness to these men, and the promise they made to her would not be forgotten (Heb. 11:31).
Therefore, it was fitting that Joshua instructed those same two men to retrieve Rahab and her family.
The men brought them out of the city and settled Rahab and her family outside Israel’s camp,
probably because of ceremonial uncleanness according to God’s law. .Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who, like all the other residents of Jericho, was deserving of God’s wrath.
However, by God’s mercy and grace through faith in the God of Israel, Rahab was saved from the wrath that was to come.
Rahab not only declared her faith in the Lord but demonstrated it when she saved the spies.
By faith, this outsider became part of the Lord’s covenant people.
Moreover, Matthew indicates Rahab married an Israelite named Salmon and became an ancestress of Jesus (Matt. 1:5).”
Identify how God dealt with the rest of Jericho’s people and their possessions.
Why did the Israelites burned Jericho, and put its precious metals into the Lord's treasury?
The Israelites burned Jericho. The Hebrew verb translated burned always denotes literal burning
and often designates the resulting destruction.
As commanded (v. 19),
Israel placed the silver and gold . .
bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.
The conquered people and possessions were placed under the ban, meaning objects and people were given to the Lord, (destroyed).
Although Lord’s house usually refers to the temple,
it refers to the tabernacle in this context since Israel had not yet built a temple.
Note that God’s victory of Jericho on Israel’s behalf was complete and absolute.
The God who faithfully delivered Jericho to Israel
and faithfully protected Rahab and her family
is the same God we serve.
And He still works to provide for His people and to protect them.
Consider areas in your life where you need to see God move.
Determine how you can trust Him the way Israel and Rahab trusted Him.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 45 of the Personal Study Guide:
Call for volunteers to share which statement resonates most deeply with them and why.
Encourage the group to look for ways to express trust in God this week. Distribute copies of Pack Item 12 (Handout: Winning Strategy). Direct them to record at least one situation they are praying about in the first column of the handout. Challenge them to continue praying through that issue during the week and to fill out the other spaces for that issue as God reveals His plans to them. Suggest that they continue using this handout to address other areas where God is moving in their lives.
Guide the group to discuss the second question set on page 45 of the PSG. Ask: How can remembering what God has done in the past encourage you to trust Him now?
Read Joshua 6:20 and encourage the group to keep praying the verse back to God. Urge them to continue following God’s directions faithfully.
Reinforce the session by texting or emailing the group a link to the VeggieTales song, “Keep Walking” from Josh and the Big Wall. Include this reminder: Keep walking and trusting in God-because God gives His people victory when they trust and obey Him. Encourage adults to read and reflect on the first question set from page 45 of the PSG and to include ideas for holding each other accountable in the chat.
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. (See
Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 24:1.)
Examine New Testament passages to better understand an Old Testament passage.
The writers of both Hebrews and James referred to Rahab in their letters to first-century believers. Examine Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 to see what these passages say about her. What are some key points each writer draws out? What are they trying to emphasize with their readers? How does that help you understand Rahab better?