God’s Mercy Writes a New Chapter in Your Story

Rahab and Achan show why a book cannot be judged by its cover. Israel’s entrance into the promised land is filled with violence as God brings judgment against evil. Yet in the middle of Jericho, a woman known for prostitution receives the gift of saving faith. Rahab hears what God has done, recognizes him as God in heaven above and on earth below, and risks her life to protect the Israelite spies. Faith hangs out in some of the strangest places.

Achan stands on the other side of that surprise. He belongs to God’s chosen people and has a place among those receiving the promised land. Yet he rejects God’s clear command, pockets treasure from Jericho, and hides it in his tent. His standing among Israel cannot hide his unfaithfulness from God or shield him from judgment. Neither a bad reputation nor a place among religious people tells the whole story.

Faith is personal. The church shares a confession and works together as one body, but family connections and Sunday attendance cannot substitute for an individual’s relationship with Christ. At Christ’s return, each person faces him, not as part of a respectable group, but individually.

The scarlet cord hanging from Rahab’s window carries the story further. It recalls the lamb’s blood on the Passover doorposts and points forward to Christ’s blood shed on the cross. Rahab becomes part of Israel, the mother of Boaz, and, alongside Ruth, part of the family line leading to Jesus. God’s mercy reaches far beyond the rescue of one household.

God’s future is not closed off by a person’s past. The God whose first throne was an animal’s feeding trough still pursues people the world has written off. Believers therefore have reason to look for flashes of faith in unexpected places and refuse to give up on someone. The story is not over until the author puts down his pen.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Faith Appears Beyond Respectable Religious Boundaries. Rahab’s reputation makes her an unlikely example of faith, while Achan’s place among God’s people makes his rebellion especially unsettling. God’s gift cannot be measured by appearances, social standing, or proximity to religious people. That contrast calls believers to take God’s word seriously without deciding in advance where faith can or cannot be found. [23:58]
• 2. Shared Confession Requires Personally Held Faith. The church rightly confesses together and seeks to live as one body, but faith is not inherited from family or borrowed from friends. Each person’s encounter with Christ reaches deeper than membership in a familiar or respectable group. The personal character of faith makes the shared confession a matter of trust in Christ rather than mere belonging. [25:14]
• 3. The Scarlet Cord Connects God's Mercy. Rahab’s cord marks a household for rescue and recalls the blood of the lamb at Passover. Her place in the family line of Jesus carries that rescue forward toward the Savior who sheds his blood on the cross. God’s mercy does more than spare an unlikely woman; it gives her a place in the unfolding story of salvation. [31:20]
• 4. A Troubled Past Cannot Close Tomorrow. God grants faith to people others would never choose, and no corner of creation is off limits to his saving reach. A life that seems too stained or too ordinary is not beyond his future purposes. Believers have reason to keep hoping for those already written off, because the pursuing God has not put down his pen. [32:20]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [19:10] - Judgment and Israel’s Entrance into the Land
• [19:39] - Rahab’s Unexpected Faith and Courage
• [22:18] - Achan’s Hidden Treasure and Unfaithfulness
• [23:58] - Faith Beyond Appearances
• [25:14] - Personal Faith and the Shared Confession
• [27:58] - The Scarlet Cord and Passover
• [29:30] - Rahab, Boaz, and Ruth
• [30:54] - The Family Line Leading to Jesus
• [32:20] - God’s Mercy Opens Another Chapter
• [33:20] - Hope for Those Written Off

Bible Reading

Joshua 2:1-21
“And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 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 devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.”

Observation questions

1. In Joshua 2:8–13, what has Rahab heard about God’s actions, and what conclusions has she drawn about him? [21:47]
2. What steps does Rahab take to protect the spies, and how does she seek protection for her own family? [20:47]
3. How do Rahab’s and Achan’s actions contrast with what others might have expected from their places in society? [27:02]
4. In Joshua 2:17–21, what arrangements do the spies make for the safety of Rahab’s household, and what does Rahab do after they leave?

Interpretation questions

1. Others in Jericho had heard about God’s mighty acts and were afraid. What makes Rahab’s response more than fear, and how do her actions reveal trust in God? [21:31]
2. How does the contrast between Rahab and Achan challenge the assumption that a respectable religious background is evidence of faithfulness to God? [23:58]
3. Rahab expresses faith while living among people who do not worship Israel’s God. How does her example help explain why faith must be personally held, even when a church confesses its faith together? [25:19]
4. How does connecting Rahab’s scarlet cord with the Passover blood and Christ’s death help explain the mercy shown to her household? What does her later place in Jesus’ family line add to that picture? [31:18]

Application questions

1. Think of a place where you tend to assume faith is absent. How might Rahab’s story change the way you listen to and treat the people you meet there? [24:45]
2. Family connections and church attendance cannot substitute for personal trust in Christ. What helps you recognize the difference between familiar religious habits and actively trusting him in daily life? [25:19]
3. Achan hid what he had taken, but he could not hide it from God. Is there an area where you are tempted to protect your reputation rather than be honest with God? What might a step toward confession and support look like? Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. [23:18]
4. Rahab’s trust in God led her to take a costly risk. Where might trusting Christ require a difficult but faithful choice from you this week? What support would help you take that step? [27:14]
5. God’s mercy means that your past does not close off his purposes for your future. Is there a regret or label that makes this hard for you to believe? How might Christ’s forgiveness help you take a next step rather than remain stuck? [32:22]
6. Who is someone you have nearly given up on? Without sharing private details, what could it look like to keep hoping for that person through prayer, patient friendship, or a simple act of kindness? [33:44]