“But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her . . .” (Josh 6:25) Joshua and the entire Israelite army have just finished walking around Jericho once a day for six days, and now, on the seventh day, after walking around the city seven more times, they give a mighty shout to the Lord, and the walls of the city come tumbling down. The Israelite army rush into the now-unprotected city and burn it do the ground, destroying all of its inhabitants, all of its cattle, all of its spoils, taking only the gold, silver and bronze vessels into the treasury of the Lord. Why would they so totally destroy a city? Even its cattle and it’s women and children? Because the entire city was devoted to the Lord! Jericho was the first fruit of the Canaan conquest, and the first fruits of everything were for the Lord! (see Josh 6:21) But there is just one little exception . . . There is this matter of the prostitute, Rahab . . . “Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her . . .” (Josh 6:25). Why? Joshua 6:25 says its because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho! But let’s take a look back at the story as it is recorded in Joshua 2. Rahab already knows about the God of Israel and all the He has done for His people, and she already knows there is no hope for her own people against such a powerful God! As a result, she takes in the spies, lies to her own people to protect their lives, then pleads with them to spare her and her family from the wrath that she is sure will come. The men promise to spare her life and the lives of her family because of the kindness she showed them, and she proceeds to let them down over the city wall with a cord of scarlet. Just before fleeing to the hills, the two spies turn around and say: “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.” (Josh 2:17-19). In other words, Rahab and her family are only safe in Rahab’s house under the scarlet cord! My friends, at the end of times, when the Earth is destroyed and all of its inhabitants are given their just reward, there will also be a few who will be spared! Who? Just as the ones spared from Jericho had to be covered by a scarlet cord, the ones spared in the end of times will be the ones that are also covered in scarlet — covered by the scarlet blood of the lamb! Are you “covered in scarlet”, my friends? Have you accepted Jesus into your life? If you have, then you have nothing to fear on the day of Judgment. But if you are not, then just like the rest of Jericho’s inhabitants, you will have no protection. But if you have accepted Jesus into your life, then just like Rahab and her family, you already lie covered by the Scarlet Cord, by the blood of the lamb. And just like Rahab, you will have nothing to fear! If you’ve never accepted Jesus into your life, my friend, why not do so today? Just Answer the Savior’s Call. Don’t wait another day! To do so, Click here (http://answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html) and enjoy assurance of life eternal! Don’t wait another day, my friends, to find yourself safely under the “Scarlet Cord”! Love in Christ,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets ( www.scripturalnuggets.org), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org