The Contract

Then the men said to Rahab, "We will be free from the oath you made us swear, unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father's family into you house. If anyone goes out of the doors of your house, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his blood will be on our heads. And if you report our missions, we are free from the oath you made us swear."

"Let it be as you say," she replied, and she tied the scarlet cord to the window. Joshua 2:17-21

Although it would be days, perhaps weeks before the Israelites came into the land of Jericho, Rahab tied the cord to the window. She was in, right away.

Rahab had no way of knowing that the walls would fall down as an act of God. How would she and her family be as the walls began to fall? Their house was built into the wall. What a challenge to their faith! 

Recently there was an earthquake in Nepal and all the ancient buildings crumbled and fell. People rushed out from the buildings if they had time. 

Imagine being told to stay put in the house that was going down, what faith would that require? Rahab would have needed to stand up to her family as they panicked. To stay put even after all the walls had fallen and wait and hear death all around them. To know friends and neighbours were being slaughtered and be unable to save them. What guilt would they feel? Yet, the house was not destroyed and Rahab and her family were saved.

Nothing is ever so simple and without pain and anguish. We can read this story and not be affected, until we put ourselves in their shoes.

Yet Rahab was remembered and rewarded. Amen!