Many years ago, when Rahab was a child, her parent told her stories of a family that had

grown into a powerful nation. They had a God that helped them in battle, protecting and
providing for them.

The people of Jericho knew this so they built a big strong city with huge walls that could
protect against this and other nations that may want to harm them.

Her parent s told her stories that this nation would go into other areas and destroy
everything, sometimes the people would do nothing, but it would be there God that won
the battles. She could see that her parents were afraid of what this nation could do to
them and their city. Rahab didn’t want anything bad to happen to her family.

Every day Rahab would sit at her window, watching people, and she would wonder if
the nations of Israel would come. If she saw them coming she could warn her family and
maybe they would be saved.

In Rahab's job she would talk to many men and sometimes she would hear stories from
far away places. Lately more and more men were telling her about this nation getting
closer and closer to Jericho. What was she going to do?

Rahab sat at her window watching. And waiting. Was that them coming over that
mountain? What's that smoke over there? She watched and waited. She kept on asking
men for more information. She knew a nation was getting closer and closer.

She decided to go down to the city gate and watch the people entering the city. Maybe
she could get some more information. One day she noticed 2 men coming in to the city.
She had never seen them before. Rahab went over and kindly invited them into the city.
She offered to give them a tour of the city for free.

The men happily accepted the free tour and off they went seeing all the sites of the city.
They had never been there before so there was plenty of new things to see. All along the
way Rahab was asking the two men questions about this nation that was possibly on
their way to Jericho.The men thought it was a little strange and interesting that she was
asking questions about about a coming nation.

Then something strange happened. A soldier walked past. He stopped and turned
around looking at Rahab, then at the two men. It looked like the three men had met
before. They didn't say anything to each other but Rahab knew something was going on.
What was it?

The two visitors looked a bit agitated so Rahab asked them if they wanted something to
eat and drink. They said Yes, so off they went to Rahab's home. On the way other people
began to give these guys dirty looks so Rahab started to get a bit worried. Who were
these guys?

When they got to the house Rahab gave them some of her food, a lovely piece of lamb
wrapped in a soft roll, and a drink of watery wine. She started to tell them some of her
story. She explained that she spent a lot of her time looking out the window, waiting to
see if the nation of Israel was coming, just like the stories her parents had told her.
The two men looked at each other. What were they going to do after hearing this?

"what's wrong?!" asked Rahab. The men appreciated all that Rahab had done for them
so far so they told her their secret. THE WERE FROM ISRAEL.

Fear came over Rahab. All her fears were about to come true.

Then, suddenly, BANG BANG BANG! on the door. "Let me in or I'll smash the door in!" a
voice yelled. "We know who is in there!" Qucikly Rahab took the men upstairs and told
them to hide. They hid under some leaves that Rahab was drying on the roof. She ran
back down stairs to the door.

"Alright. I'm coming," she said. Rahab told a deep breath and opened the door. Some
large smelly soldiers stood at the door.

"Hello," said Rahab. "Give us the men now!" yelled the leading soldier. "The King wants
them".

"You know me, guys. Men don't stay here very long. You're welcome to come in a have a
look around. Maybe you will like to stay for a cuppa?" The soldiers pushed their way
into the house and looked around. Not finding anyone, they all left in a huff. "You're
lucky they're not here!" Rahab thanked them for coming then closed the door behind
them.

Rahab's heart was beating so fast. She went back upstairs and found the men. They
really had hidden well. She told them to come back down stairs. The two men thanked
her so helping them in a moment of need.

Rahab said, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has
fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We
have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea[a] for you when you came
out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the
Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.[b] 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in
fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in
heaven above and on the earth below.

"Please save my whole family. My mum, dad, brother, sister, my other brother and
sister, my brother and sister-in-laws and my nieces and nephews" "Wow, that's a lot of
people to save!" said the two spies. They agreed to save Rahab's family from the
destruction that was to come.

Rahab asked them if they wanted something else to eat or drink, then gave them some
final instructions on the escape plan. For a while Rahab had been making a rope that
would allow her family to escape from the city if there was a problem. She showed them
the red rope and how it could be used to reach down to the ground from her window.

The men understood the plan to get out through the window and then hide in the forest
of 3 days till the search party had given up.
Rahab tied a really good knot that she had learnt from Girls Brigade and helped them
get out through the window. She hoped that everything they said would come true and
her family would be saved. As she watched them run off away from the city she silently
said a little prayer to a God she didn’t yet know.

A little while later she more and more people coming towards the city. The people in the
front of the line were wearing white clothes and carrying a big box. Was that the special
box they carried around that had special powers? she thought.

She quickly ran to tell all her family to get into her house. They all did there best to help
each other into the house in the wall. The house was full but they were all happy to be
there. Rahab’s neighbours thought it must be a party and why they weren’t invited.

For 6 days they walked around the city. Rahab and her family could hear people yelling
at them as they walked past and some even threw things at them. They just kept on
walking.

On the 7th day they walked around the city more times than they had in the past. Rahab
counted 7 times. Then she heard trumpets and yelling from the Israelites. It was the
loudest noise she had ever heard. It was so loud the walls started to shake, and they
didn’t stop shaking. She looked out the window and saw the rest of the city wall starting
to wall down. It was amazing and very scary.

Rahab made sure the red cord was still in the window and they stayed in the house and
waited. Some of the family wanted to run away, but Rahab told them what would
happen to them if they left. Then, BANG BANG BANG on the door.

RAHAB ITS US. OPEN THE DOOR. She remembered those voices. It was the two spies
she had helped. She hugged them both then they helped Rahab and her family through
the rubble and out of the city. They told her to not stay near the city as it was time to
destroy it. Rahab and her family waited outside the Israelite camp until they all came
back.

Rahab and her family we sad that their city and people had been destroyed but they
were happy to still be alive. Over time they found that living with the Israelites was the
best place to be.

Rahab found a husband, called Salmon and they had a son. They named him Boaz
because he would be stronger than the walls of Jericho and a great example to everyone.

GOD USED RAHAB AS PART OF HIS PROMISE TO SEND THE SAVIOUR.

IT IS THROUGH GOD’S MERCY THAT YOU CAN BE SAVED.

1This is the genealogy a of Jesus Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
the Messiah b the son of David, the
9Uzziah the father of Jotham,
son of Abraham:
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
2Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
10Hezekiah the father of
Jacob the father of Judah and his
Manasseh,
brothers,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
3Judah the father of Perez and
Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Amon the father of Josiah,
Perez the father of Hezron, 11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah
c
and his brothers at the time of the
Hezron the father of Ram,
exile to Babylon.
4Ram the father of Amminadab,
12After the exile to Babylon:
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Jeconiah was the father of
Nahshon the father of Salmon, Shealtiel,
5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
mother was Rahab,
13Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
mother was Ruth,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Obed the father of Jesse,
14Azor the father of Zadok,
6and Jesse the father of King
David. Zadok the father of Akim,
David was the father of Solomon, Akim the father of Elihud,
whose mother had been Uriah’s
15Elihud the father of Eleazar,
wife,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
7Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
16and Jacob the father of Joseph,
Abijah the father of Asa,
the husband of Mary, and Mary
8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, was the mother of Jesus who is
called the Messiah.
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,