Joshua Chapter 2
Joshua 2:1-24
Note: The origin of the name, “Jericho” is Semitic. the common people pronounce it “Riha”, which iin Syriac means “scent and odour.” To the Cananaites it meant “the moon”. The word is derived from the verb “yerihu”, and “Yarah”. Al-Yarah in the language of the sourthern Arabia means “a month” and “moon”. In Hebrew “yarihu” is the most ancient known city in the Jewish Bible.
Joshua sends two spies (as compared to when Moses sent 12, see Numbers 13:1 – 2) from Shittim, to observe the land and Jericho. They met Rahab, an innkeeper and slept there.
The King of Jericho was told about the spies that had been dispatched to the land of Jericho. The king of Jericho sent to Rahab saying “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have come to your house, for they have come to spy out the entire land. ” Rahab had hidden the men on her roof among stalks of flax; She told those who inquired of the spies, that the spies left before the city gate closed at dark and that she did not know where they went.
The King of Jericho is very afraid, for he has heard of the great things that the Children of Israel have done in Egypt with Moses as their leader, and what they’ve just done to the Amorites King of Sihon and King of Og. Rahab hides the men in stalks of flax, flax being raw linen.
So the men of Jericho pursued them in the direction of the Jordan to the crossings; and they closed the gate soon after the pursuers had gone out after them.
It is now dark and the gate of the city is about to close and closed after they left. Rahab tells them to pursue them quickly. Why pursue in darkness unless you are also in darkness but are not aware of that fact?
Rahab’s plea: She understand what YHVH has done for the Children of Israel, in Egypt, in the wilderness and now across the Jordan to the Kings of Sihon and to Og. She beseeches the two spies saying: “swear to me by YHVH, since I have done kindness with you, that you too will do kindness with my father’s household and give me a trustworthycountersign, that you will keep alive my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters, and all that is theirs, and that you will save our souls from death.”
Rahab knows that those who bless Israel shall be blessed (See Gen 12:2 -3) and for this she acquires a blessing. She asks for a “trustowrthy coutersign”, just like Tamar did with Judah. (See Gen 38:18-19).
The conditional promise: The say to her: “Our souls will die instead of yours, if you do not relate this discuusion of ours. And it will be when YHVH gives us the land that we will do kindness and truth with you.”
This conditional promise blesses Rahab and all that is hers, if she keeps the identity of the two spies, and there mission secret (as they were sent secretly by Joshua). IF she keeps this promise then she is blessed and she will be removed from the destruction of Jericho. If she doesn’t keep this promise then she will be cursed or suffer the same fate as those in Jericho.
Rahab further helps the spies, she lowers them out of the window of her home, for her home was in a wall of fortification. She tells the spies to go to the mountain, lest the pursuers encounter you. Conceal yourselves there for three days until the pursuers turn back; then you may continue on your way. The spies give her the the “trustyworthy countersign” as the cord of scarlet to hang in her window, and all of those who she wants to save must be in her house. Anyone outside of her house when they enter into the land, will not be saved and his blood will be on his own head. Rahab accepts this sign, places the crimson cord in her window and sends them forth.
It is interesting that this crimson cord or thread is in plain view for all to see for at least three days while the two men hid in the mountains before returning to Joshua. So not only have the two men been Divinely protected as they spied out the land, but so is Rahab for it doesn’t appear that anyone question why she placed a crimson cord in her window.
The two spies bring back a good report: “They went and arrived at the mountain and stayed there three days until the pursuers turned back; the pursuers searched along the entire way but they did not find them. The two men then returned and descended from the mountain; they cross the Jordan and came to Joshua sone of Nun and told him all that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, YHVH has given the land into our hands; and all the inhabitants of the land have even melted because of us.”
Comments are in blue. This post was authored by Sunnie and Devorah.