Table of Contents

Date: Sun PM 23rd September 2018
Preacher: Rev. David McLaughlin
Bible Reference: Joshua 2:18

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Sermon Summary

The Sovereignty of Grace: The Conversion and Transformation of Rahab the Harlot

The narrative of Rahab, found within the second chapter of the Book of Joshua, stands as one of the most profound testimonies to the sovereign, converting grace of God in the entirety of the Holy Scriptures. It is a chronicle that defies human expectation, challenges the pride of legalistic religion, and magnifies the unmerited favour of the Almighty. To examine the conversion of Rahab is to witness the power of the Gospel as it penetrates the darkest corners of a fallen world, redeeming a soul from the most wretched of circumstances to occupy a place in the very lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Context of Human Depravity

The city of Jericho, situated in the promised land, was a place synonymous with wickedness. It was a centre of Canaanite idolatry, a city where the moral foundations of society had long since collapsed. The text describes a place rife with drunkenness, adultery, blasphemy, and perversion. It is within this city, specifically upon its great defensive walls, that we encounter Rahab.

A Life of Shame: The Scriptures explicitly identify her as Rahab the harlot. This was not a minor moral failing, but a life defined by the systematic violation of the seventh commandment and the abandonment of all godly order. She operated a house of lodging that was known to the inhabitants of the city as a place of ill-repute, a centre for the very vices that brought the curse of God upon the land.
A City Under Curse: Jericho was a place where false religion flourished. It stood as a bastion of evil, a city that had rejected the light of truth. Archaeological and historical perspectives on such cities confirm they were places of immense spiritual darkness, where the worship of idols was tied directly to the moral degradation of the populace.
Divine Providence: When Joshua sent two spies to scout the city, their arrival at Rahab’s house was not a matter of chance. It was the sovereign hand of the Almighty directing His servants to the one individual in that cursed city whom He had already prepared for redemption. God chose to work in a place where men would least expect to find a believer, proving that His grace is not limited by human environment or social standing.

The Fear That Declares Faith

The conversion of Rahab was not a sudden, superficial reaction to danger. It was the fruit of a settled conviction that had been maturing in her heart, leading her to recognise the supremacy of the God of Israel long before the spies arrived.

A Confession of Sovereignty: In Joshua 2:11, she declares: For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. This is the hallmark of true, saving faith. It is a recognition of the singular, supreme authority of the God of Israel over all creation. She did not merely see Him as a tribal deity of the Israelites, but as the transcendent Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Faith Cometh by Hearing: Rahab had heard the reports of God’s mighty acts—the parting of the Red Sea and the defeat of the Amorite kings. She did not dismiss these as mere tales; she received them as the Word of God. As Romans 10:17 reminds us, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The constant stream of travellers and merchants through her house of lodging had become the unwitting instruments of God to bring the report of His power to her ears.
The Conviction of Judgement: Rahab possessed a sober understanding that Jericho was doomed. She recognised that the inhabitants were under the curse of God and reserved for destruction. This acknowledgement of one’s own lost state before a holy God is the essential foundation of any genuine conversion. She saw the “terror” of God falling upon her people, a terror that caused their hearts to melt.

The Fruitfulness of Saving Faith

The Apostle James, in his Epistle, asks: Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? (James 2:25). Her works served as the necessary evidence of a living, active faith that could not remain hidden.

A Courageous Faith: Rahab risked her own life by hiding the spies and deceiving the king’s soldiers. She was willing to place herself in direct jeopardy to align with the people of God. By hiding the spies under the stalks of flax—a detail denoting her transition to a life of industry and honest labour—she demonstrated a complete break from her former life.
A Considerate Faith: She did not seek salvation for herself alone. She pleaded with the spies for the preservation of her father, mother, brothers, and sisters. A transformed heart naturally desires the salvation of others. Her concern for her kindred shows that she had been granted a new heart, one that valued the lives of those she loved in the context of the coming judgement.
A Covenantal Faith: The scarlet thread hanging in the window was the condition of her protection. It stood as a public sign of her reliance upon the covenant of God. She was required to remain within that house, under the sign of the scarlet cord, to be spared when the walls fell. This was an act of obedience, requiring her to trust in the word of the spies above the word of her king.

The Theology of the Scarlet Cord

The scarlet cord is a vivid, Old Testament picture of the substitutionary atonement provided by the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Sanctuary of Shame: The house of a harlot, typically a place of contempt, was transformed into a sanctuary of salvation. This illustrates the fundamental truth that God chooses the weak and the foolish things of the world to demonstrate His power (1 Corinthians 1:27). It was not her house that saved her, but the sign of the covenant that was displayed upon it.
Typology of the Blood: Just as the blood upon the doorposts in Egypt protected the Israelites, the scarlet thread signified that those within the house were sheltered beneath the blood of the covenant. The colour scarlet corresponds to the shedding of blood, reminding us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22).
Dependable Salvation: The cord was a reliable pledge. Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). There is no other refuge from the coming wrath. Just as the spies relied upon the cord, we must rely entirely upon the finished work of Christ.
A Visible Testimony: The cord was detectable to those outside. A life truly transformed by grace cannot be hidden. The Church must likewise be a visible testimony to the truth, unashamed of the Gospel and clearly distinguished from the world. The world may mock the scarlet cord, but for those inside the house, it is the only evidence of their security.

The Influence of a Transformed Life

The transformation of Rahab was not a temporary event, but the beginning of a life of enduring fruitfulness within the covenant community.

Integration into the People of God: Following the fall of Jericho, Rahab was brought into the congregation of Israel. Her life was no longer defined by her past as a harlot, but by her present as a woman of faith.
Lineage of the Saviour: Her story is immortalised in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 1:5 records: And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab. This is one of the most remarkable records in the Bible. It shows that God does not hold the sins of the past against the justified believer, but rather incorporates them into a narrative of grace.
A Radical Rewrite of History: This Gentile woman, once a harlot in a cursed city, was raised by grace to be the mother of Boaz, the great-grandmother of King David, and a direct ancestor of the Saviour of the world. Her history serves as a reminder that grace does not merely forgive the past; it weaves the redeemed into the glorious tapestry of God’s redemptive plan. She became the wife of Salmon, a man of Israel, and her household became a household of faith.

The Application for Modern Believers

In our contemporary age, there is a temptation to doubt the efficacy of the Gospel when faced with the magnitude of modern depravity. We often despair of the salvation of those who are trapped in open rebellion against God.

Do Not Limit the Holy One: If God could reach into the heart of a Canaanite harlot in the city of Jericho, no soul is beyond the reach of His sovereign grace. We must guard against the cynicism that suggests certain people are too far gone to be reached.
The Power of the Word: We must remain diligent in the proclamation of the Gospel. The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword (Hebrews 4:12). It was the report of God’s works that brought conviction to Rahab; it is the preaching of the Cross that brings conviction to the lost today.
Personal Examination: We must ask ourselves: Is our faith as tangible as Rahab’s? Do our lives reflect the reality of our confession? We live in a world reserved for the fire of judgement, and our only refuge is the scarlet thread of the blood of Christ. Are we sheltering others, or are we content to let the world pass by in its ignorance?

A Call to Faithfulness

Rahab’s conversion serves as a beacon of hope for every soul that feels the weight of sin and the reality of divine judgement. It is a testament to the fact that while the world judges by outward appearance, the Lord looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

The same grace that rescued Rahab from the walls of Jericho is available today to all who will hear the report of the Lord, forsake their own way, and trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The grace of God is free, sovereign, and transformative. It seeks out the lost in the most unlikely of places, demands a living faith evidenced by works of love, and ultimately leads to union with Christ and a place in His eternal kingdom. For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

We are called to live as Rahab lived: in full confidence of the Lord’s sovereignty, in total reliance upon the blood of the covenant, and in purposeful dedication to the advancement of His kingdom. The walls of this world will eventually fall, but those who are found under the scarlet cord of Christ’s atonement shall never be moved. Let us therefore stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free (Galatians 5:1).