Feature Article

Bible Study: Spies in Jericho

Joshua’s men found an unexpected ally—one who wanted to defect.

In Touch Ministries staff November 10, 2022

Reading Options

A A A

Related Scripture

1 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, ``Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.

2 It was told the king of Jericho, saying, ``Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land."

3 And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, ``Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land."

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, ``Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.

5 ``It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them."

6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof.

7 So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.

8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,

9 and said to the men, ``I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.

10 ``For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

11 ``When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

12 ``Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth,

13 and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death."

14 So the men said to her, ``Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you."

15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.

16 She said to them, ``Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way."

17 The men said to her, ``We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear,

18 unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father's household.

19 ``It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him.

20 ``But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear."

21 She said, ``According to your words, so be it." So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22 They departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had sought them all along the road, but had not found them.

23 Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them.

24 They said to Joshua, ``Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us."

17 ``The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

18 ``But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.

19 ``But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD."

20 So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city.

21 They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, ``Go into the harlot's house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her."

23 So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel.

24 They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

25 However, Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

When the Lord says “Go,” we can do so confidently. But as was true for the men who snuck into the pagan city of Jericho, wisdom and discernment are still helpful. Have you ever felt called to perform a risky mission—something only God could accomplish? Or met someone like Rahab, who just needed help embracing the truth? He’s ready to use humble, willing servants in similar ways today—including you.

BACKGROUND

Joshua had taken over leadership of the Israelites after Moses’ death. God was now sending this generation of His people into the Promised Land, to conquer the inhabitants city by city and to settle there.

READ

Joshua 2:1-24

REFLECT

Our trust in God should outweigh logic.

To learn about Jericho, Joshua “sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim” (v. 1). Secrecy is often seen as wrong—and we must guard against justifying wrongdoing. Yet God was fulfilling His plan to establish the nation. What wisdom would Joshua have needed to obey God’s will? Did you ever encounter secrecy in the church? What did you learn about God’s right to keep some things hidden and to reveal others (Deut. 29:29)?
Even when we think we know where the Lord is leading, He may direct us to unexpected paths or bring help from a person who challenges us. That’s why serving Him requires trust and a heart tuned to His voice. In Joshua 2:1, the spies took refuge with a prostitute, though they couldn’t have known she would follow the God of Israel. How do their actions illustrate the balance between faith and discernment?
Rahab told the spies, “No courage remained in anyone any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below” (v. 11). But compare her words to the actions she took in protecting the spies and arranging for her family to be saved. What might her words of testimony in verse 11 have had to do with the courage she displayed?
As a prostitute and a pagan woman, Rahab had very little in common with the Israelite spies. But since she’d come to believe in Jehovah—which she demonstrated at great personal risk—they shared something essential. Relationships between even those of similar background or lifestyle can eventually falter when faith isn’t shared. Yet we may have close friends in the church with whom we share little more than Christ as Savior. Have you experienced this unity? How do you explain it?

CONTINUING THE STORY

By God’s miraculous power, the walls of Jericho fell and the Israelites took over the city.

Read Joshua 6:17-25. When the army destroyed Jericho, only items of value were saved since “silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord ...and shall go into [His] treasury”—but Rahab and her family were also included (vv. 17-19). Do you find it significant that she’s mentioned in the context of items for God’s treasury? (Compare to 2 Tim. 2:19-21 NKJV.) How was Rahab like an “vessel for honor”?
Welcomed among the Israelites, Rahab later married into the tribe of Judah and was part of Jesus’ lineage (Josh. 6:25; Matt. 1:5). Hebrews 11:31 also includes her in the “hall of faith.” Have you ever been surprised by a person’s faith—or perhaps by your own? Take time to thank God for this gift in you and others.

REFLECT

Rahab proclaimed belief and backed it up with action. And she was welcomed among the faithful.

Her story invites appreciation of the varied backgrounds in the community of faith.

GOING FURTHER

Consider how this study applies to your life.

The spies set out from Shittim—a place whose name is Hebrew for the acacia trees of that area. God designated acacia wood for making the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:10), likely because it was heavy, durable, and resistant to decay. The Israelites took spiritual refuge at the ark, where God’s mercy seat was located. Today we take refuge in Christ and find God’s mercy in Him, leading many to liken Jesus—and by extension His church—to an ark. Consider the spies’ mission, then, as a picture of evangelism. What might it mean to “set out from Shittim” to walk among unbelievers?

When the spies left Shittim and entered Jericho, God’s protection was with them. We leave the four walls of the church and even dwell or labor in ungodly environments, but we never leave the “ark” of Christ. How has He shown His protection over you?
The spies’ arrival signaled a turning point for Rahab—and deadly danger for others. Our carrying God’s Word and presence into the world, though done with Christlike humility, may confront others with a crucial decision or perhaps even a feeling of judgment (John 16:8). How does this affect your sense of love and mercy?
When God points the way, follow Him with faith and devotion, prayerful discernment, and compassion for the lost. Your presence may be what’s needed for someone else to declare faith. Meanwhile, rejoice with those of every persuasion who stand with you in Christ. They are His chosen vessels too.