10/26/2025 The Spying on Canaan and Rahab’s Report

10/26/25: Sermon: The Spying on Canaan and Rahab’s Report 

Scripture: Joshua 2:1-24

1Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

2The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 

3So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

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

5At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 

6(But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 

7So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

8Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 

9and said to them, “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. 

10We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea 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. 

11When 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.

12“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 

13that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

14“Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

15So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 

16She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”

17Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 

18unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 

19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. 

20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

21“Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. 

23Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 

24They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”

The people of Israel are preparing to enter the land of Canaan, a place they have never been to before. Soon, the land of Canaan will belong to Israel. 

Why are the Canaanites losing their land? It is because they did things that were detestable in the eyes of God. Idolatry and human sacrifices are only part of the evil acts they committed.

Israel now stands on the verge of entering the land that God promised to their ancestor Abraham. To prepare for the conquest of Canaan, God brings about a change of generations. He appoints a new leader, Joshua, and commands him to rise up and lead the people into the land of Canaan—the land He promised to the ancestors of Israel.

When God called Abraham, He made the following promise (Genesis 12:2–3):

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

 The reason God called Abraham was to bless all nations through him so that they might come to know the Lord God. 

Although God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, it was not until 400 years later that his descendants actually possessed it. This was because the sin of the Amorites who lived in that land had not yet reached its full measure.

“In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
Genesis 15:16

At the joint retreat gathering, I proclaimed the message from Joshua chapter 1. In this chapter, God commands Joshua to tell the people to prepare their provisions within three days, because in three days they would cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land that God had given to their ancestors.

Joshua, in obedience, relayed God’s command to the leaders of the tribes, and they in turn passed it on to the people. Moreover, Joshua went to the two and a half tribes—Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—who had already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, reminding them of the oath they had made to Moses.

Joshua was not a leader who worked alone; he was a leader who shared his leadership, cooperating and working together with others.

God promised Joshua that He would be with him just as He had been with Moses. This was crucial, because conquering the land of Canaan would be a great challenge for Israel. God also commanded Joshua to be faithful to His Word. 

The most important response required of Joshua was to delight in God’s Word, meditate on it day and night, and never let it depart from his mouth. For true success and prosperity depend on quietly meditating on God’s Word and deeply understanding it.

In Joshua chapter 2, Joshua secretly sends spies into Jericho. He sends two men as spies to explore the land and see what it is like. Why does Joshua send spies in secret?

Numbers chapters 13 and 14 describe how Moses sent twelve spies—one from each tribe—to explore the land of Canaan. When those twelve spies returned and gave their report, the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron. Because of this, God’s anger burned against them, and Moses had to intercede on their behalf.

As a result of their grumbling, the Israelites were condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Moreover, those who had brought back a bad report, saying that the land was impossible for them to enter, died by a plague before the Lord. Among those twelve spies, only Joshua and Caleb survived (Numbers 14:26–36).

Joshua had personally experienced the consequences of that earlier spying mission and its outcome for Israel. Therefore, his decision to send spies secretly this time was a wise one. There are matters that should be made known to everyone from the beginning, and there are others that are best kept quiet until the right time. Joshua needed to act with caution and prepare wisely.

In fact, one might think that sending spies was unnecessary, because God had already given Joshua clear instructions:

“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.”
Joshua 1:2

However, by sending spies to observe the condition of the land they were about to enter, Joshua demonstrates careful and prudent leadership. When you begin something new, what are the areas where you especially need to prepare with wisdom and caution?

When the two spies entered the land of Canaan, the first Canaanite they met was Rahab, a prostitute. Although there is no evidence of any sexual contact between her and the spies, it is clear that Rahab was indeed a prostitute in the region of Canaan. The book of Hebrews says that the spies stayed in Rahab’s house and that she welcomed them with kindness (Hebrews 11:31).

Let us remember that God often works through unexpected people. When you encounter someone who is not the kind of person you normally deal with—someone completely different—listen to their story carefully.

At that time, there was great tension in the land of Canaan. The people of Jericho were anxious and fearful, because they knew that the Israelites were right at their doorstep, ready to take possession of the land. So the king of Jericho sent messengers to Rahab, ordering her to bring out the spies who were hiding in her house (Joshua 2:3).

But Rahab disobeyed and betrayed the king’s command. She hid the two spies and lied, saying that the men had indeed come to her but that she did not know where they came from and that they had already left her house. Rahab was indeed a traitor—not to God, but to the king of Jericho.

Though she was a Gentile woman, raised in a culture of idolatry, and engaged in an occupation that required moral compromise, Rahab showed clear kindness toward the spies who were God’s people. She was also a Gentile who believed in the Lord, the God of Israel—the one who brings salvation even in a land destined for judgment.

Through Rahab, the two spies heard what could be called breaking news: she told them that the Lord had already given the land to Israel, that the people of Canaan were terrified of them, and that their courage had melted away (Joshua 2:8–11).

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof
9 and said to them, “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 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.
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.”

In this way, Rahab revealed to the spies the condition of the land of Canaan and the mindset of its people. There could not have been a more precise or groundbreaking report for the spies to receive. Rahab lived among the people of the land, in a place where she met many visitors and could hear the latest news.

Rahab told them that the Canaanites had heard about what the Lord had done for Israel—the exodus from Egypt, the miracle of the Red Sea, and all the signs and wonders performed in the wilderness. Because of this, their hearts melted in fear; they had lost all courage to fight against Israel.

When the two spies later returned and reported to Joshua, they simply repeated what Rahab had told them (Joshua 6:23–24).

Rahab not only showed kindness to the spies by giving them valuable information about the situation in Canaan, but she also cooperated in God’s plan by hiding them from the king of Jericho and helping them escape. But it didn’t end there—Rahab confessed her faith in the God of Israel:

“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.”
Joshua 2:11

Here, we are prompted to ask: Who truly belongs to Israel? Who is included among God’s people?

The owner of the land is God Himself. He is the one who establishes where people live and determines their boundaries. The land of Canaan was not an empty, unclaimed territory waiting for Israel to occupy; it was already inhabited by the Canaanites.

It took more than 400 years for Abraham’s descendants to possess that land because the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached its full measure. God is patient—He delays judgment again and again. Why would God bring judgment if people turn from their sin and repent?

But the Canaanites, through their wicked and detestable practices, left God no choice but to drive them out of the land.

So then, who can continue to live rightfully in the land that belongs to God? If God gave this land to Israel, who truly counts as Israel?

Is being a physical descendant of Abraham what makes someone part of Israel?

Rahab, by birth, was a descendant of the Canaanites—but now, she has become part of Israel.

After that, Rahab made the following request to the two spies (Joshua 2:12–13):

12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign
13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

Then the spies made a covenant with Rahab. They swore that if she kept their mission secret, when the Israelites entered the land, they would spare her and her family. The sign of this promise was a red cord tied in the window of her house. When the Israelites saw the scarlet cord, they would know to rescue everyone in that household from destruction.

That promise was kept. Rahab and her entire family were saved (Joshua 6:22–25):

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.”
23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.
25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

If God’s purpose had simply been to destroy the Canaanites because of their detestable practices, Rahab would have been the first person to perish. Yet, Rahab confessed her faith, declaring that the Lord, who delivered Israel from Egypt, was her God.

Through this, we see that the book of Joshua already answers the question, “Who is Israel?” — and it includes Gentiles. Therefore, the book of Joshua naturally carries a missionary theme.

The very first person the two spies met in the land of Canaan—the most unlikely person, Rahab—became part of Israel, the people who would continue to live in the land after its conquest. And this was because of her confession of faith.

The condition for dwelling in the land that God has given is this: it is only possible when one is in a right relationship with God.

Joshua chapter 9 tells the story of the Gibeonites, who deceived Joshua into making a peace treaty with them. Yet through that covenant of peace, they too became part of the Israelite community, choosing peace with God’s people rather than conflict.

However, there is also a contrasting story. In Joshua chapter 7, Achan, an Israelite, sinned against God, and as a result, he and his entire family were destroyed under God’s judgment.

So, who truly belongs to Israel?
Those who believe in the one true God—the Lord who saves—and who live in peace with Him through that faith are included in Israel.

The Canaanite nations, who stood against Israel and opposed the Lord, the true God, were driven out of the land. And later, when the Israelites themselves disobeyed God and worshiped other gods, they too were expelled from the land and taken into exile in Babylon.

The land belongs to God. Those who can rightly live in the land that God gives are the ones, like Rahab, who confess faith in Him—they are the true people of God, the true Israel.

Rahab, a resident of Canaan—a land God was about to judge because of its wickedness—was saved not because she trusted in the idols of her people, but because she confessed faith in the Lord, the God who rescued Israel from Pharaoh’s hand and delivered them from Egypt.

Rejecting her Canaanite identity and desiring instead to be united with God’s people, Rahab showed kindness to the Israelite spies who came to scout out Jericho. Instead of betraying them to the king of Jericho, she hid them and helped them escape.

Later, Rahab married Salmon, a man from the tribe of Judah, and together they had a son named Boaz. Boaz married Ruth, the Moabite woman, and they had a son named Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.

Thus, Rahab—the former Canaanite prostitute—became the great-great-grandmother of Israel’s greatest king, David (Matthew 1:5–6).

In Matthew 21:28–32, Jesus tells the story of the two sons:

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

Who, then, are the people of God—the true Israel?
And what is the condition for continuing to live in the land that God has given?

The answer is this: those who, like Rahab, even while living in a corrupt and defiled land like Canaan, reject their old identity, confess faith in God, and enter into a right relationship with Him—these are the ones who belong to God’s people and can dwell in His land.