Rahab: Woman of Hope!  (Read Joshua 2:1-19)

In my last Blog, we saw that Rahab was saved from death and destruction because she believed in Jehovah the living God. Today, let’s look at how she was saved.

Rahab lived on top of the city wall surrounding Jericho. She helped the two spies to escape by letting down a scarlet rope from her window down to the ground. The two spies scurried down this rope and away to safety.

Before the spies left she agreed a covenant with them that she and her family would be spared and kept alive when Israel invaded Jericho. Rahab also asked them for a token of the covenant. A token is a sign to both parties which reminds them of the covenant they have entered into and the responsibilities they have in keeping the covenant.

The sign both parties agreed on was the scarlet rope used by the spies to escape.

Josh 2:18 When we come into the land, you must leave this ‘scarlet rope‘ hanging from the window through which you let us down. (TLB)

The word rope in the above scripture in Hebrew means, ‘Hope or an expectation of good things to come’.

Rahab’s hope and expectation of good that she and her family would be saved by Joshua and the Israelite army were placed in the sign of this scarlet rope.

Sure enough, when Israel invaded Jericho, Joshua told the Israelites to kill everyone in the city apart from Rahab and her family.

Josh 6:25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day.  (KJV)

The scarlet rope is a picture of the blood of Christ and  is a sign to us that we have been  cleansed from all sin.

Joshua is a picture of Jesus Christ who has saved us from death and given us eternal life.

When we put the two things together, the Holy Spirit is showing us that our hope today is always to be placed in Christ our heavenly Joshua, and in the scarlet cord of His blood. He alone is our hope of future glory, He Himself has become our anchor of hope who is firmly embedded in the presence of God.

Col 1:27 Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Heb 6:18-20 We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God  where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us.  (THE MESSAGE)

Therefore, no matter what happens to us in life, as we place our trust in Christ, the oxygen of hope rises in our hearts and gives us the strength for daily life. Also we can have a sure expectation of good things to come, that God will meet our every need and bring us His security.

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