spared

Joshua 6:20-25 (JDV)

Joshua 6:20 So the troops yelled, and the trumpets sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpet, the troops gave a great yell, and the wall collapsed. The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city.
Joshua 6:21 They completely destroyed everything in the city with the sword – every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.
Joshua 6:22 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 everyone who is with her, just like you swore to her.”
Joshua 6:23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and everyone who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
Joshua 6:24 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 Yahveh’s house.
Joshua 6:25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and everyone who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.

spared

The story is a true story, but it is also a symbol of another reality. Rahab is a symbol of how to be spared from the coming destruction. The Bible tells us that the wicked will be permanently destroyed in hell, just like the citizens of Jericho were destroyed by the invading Israelites under Joshua. But Rahab and those in her household were spared. How were they spared? They made the crucial decision to switch allegiances and trust God rather than their own gods. They sought the protection and provision of God’s people, which was an act of rebellion against their own city. They trusted in the protection of the divine covenant, as symbolized by the scarlet cord.

Unbelievers today have the same option. They can be spared the coming wrath and its consequence of permanent destruction, but not without making the same choice that Rahab did.

Lord, draw more Rahabs to yourself.