Joshua 2 - Spies in Jericho | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church
The Bible by David Alley · David Alley
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Show Notes
In this video listen to Joshua 2 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.
In Joshua 2 the military campaign begins with spies visiting the house of a prostitute. This was not just them jumping at human opportunity to be immoral, but a military smart move to gather information. A prostitute was the ideal person for the spies to visit, because she was someone who was connected with many others. Interestingly, Rahab ends up marrying Salmon, who is the father of Boaz who features in the book of Ruth later.
Rahab is also one of 4 women mentioned in the genealogy of Christ by Matthew. The four are in order, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bath-Sheba. All four of the women had something that would disqualify them, and each of them are a picture of grace given to God’s people, who are his wife.
These spies were secretly sent out, so that the Israelites were not told they had been sent, unlike the 12 spies earlier who had been sent out, one from each tribe in a much more public manner. Joshua not only followed everything the Lord told him to do in terms of conquest, he also seems to have been militarily quite smart doing things like this so as to be prepared. Rahab helps the spies and hides them under flax on the roof of her home.
The time was Pentecost, during the Barley harvest, and this passage indicates the treatment of the harvest. Archaeological records from several of Jericho’s four major excavations (Tel es Sultan) have shown grain burned in a massive fire event. The burn layer is often 3 to 4 feet in thickness in the excavations, indicating a major destruction.
This was the grain just harvested, which could have sustained the city in a prolonged siege, but was unused because the siege was so short. It also indicates the word of God to Joshua to destroy everything was obeyed because normally you would save the harvest in the event of a conquest. The key thing in this chapter is the scarlet thread in the window of Rahab's house.
The Scarlet thread here is the symbol of salvation in the blood of Christ. In the same way that the blood of the passover lamb was over a home to save those inside, here this scarlet thread is a symbol of salvation for those in Rahab’s home.