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Joshua 1-2 | Rahab Helps the Spies

LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS

In Joshua 1-2, God’s people had spent forty years wandering through the wilderness, and now the time had finally come for them to enter the land God had promised them. Under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites camped along the east bank of the Jordan River, just across from the fortified city of Jericho. Before any military advance, Joshua sent two spies ahead to scout the land. These men made their way into Jericho and sought shelter at the home of a woman named Rahab. Though Rahab had lived a sinful life, she had heard remarkable things about the God of Israel. She had learned how He parted the Red Sea and delivered His people from their enemies, and her heart responded with faith. When the king of Jericho discovered that spies were in the city, he sent soldiers to Rahab’s house to arrest them.

Rather than turn the men over, Rahab hid the spies beneath stalks of drying flax on her rooftop and sent the soldiers off on a false trail. After the danger passed, she made a courageous request. She asked the spies to show mercy to her and her family when Israel came to conquer the city. The spies agreed, instructing her to hang a scarlet cord from her window as a sign of protection. Rahab helped the men escape by lowering them down the outer city wall with a rope, since her home was built directly into the wall. The spies returned safely to Joshua with a confident report. What makes this story even more extraordinary is what came after. Rahab’s life was transformed. She married an Israelite, became the mother of Boaz, and is listed in the family line of Jesus himself in Matthew 1. She is even named in Hebrews 11 among the great heroes of faith. This is a story that reminds everyone that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace, and that God delights in using unlikely people to accomplish His purposes.

OPENING ACTIVITY 6:00-6:15 | Rahab’s Red Cord Bracelet

Items Needed:

Tell the kids in our Bible story tonight, Rahab hung a red cord from her window as a sign of trust in God. They are going to make their own red cord to wear as a reminder. Give each child a red pipe cleaner and their bag of beads. Have them thread the beads one at a time onto the pipe cleaner. When finished, help them twist the ends together to form a bracelet, or they may leave it straight like Rahab’s rope. As they work, remind them that every time they look at their bracelet they can remember that God sees us, protects us, and can use anyone who trusts Him, just like He used Rahab.

BIBLE STORY 6:15-6:25

Question 1: Where is this story found in the Bible? Joshua
Question 2: Is Joshua in the Old Testament or the New Testament? Old Testament

Object Lesson Setup: Before telling the story, bring out a piece of red yarn or ribbon. Hold it up so all the children can see it. Say: I have something special today. It is a red cord. I want you to remember this red cord because it is a very important part of our story today. Let’s keep this red cord right here where we can see it. Now let’s hear our Bible story!

Have you ever played hide and seek? Let me see your hands if you have played hide and seek before!

[Wait for response]

Today’s story has some hiding in it. Real hiding!

God’s people were getting ready to go into a new land. Their leader was a man named Joshua. Joshua was brave and he loved God very much. God told Joshua it was time for His people to go into the new land He had promised them. But first, Joshua needed to find out what the land was like. So he sent two men on a very special secret mission. These men were called spies!

Can you say “spies”?

[Wait for response]

Spies are people who go somewhere secretly to find out information. Let’s all tiptoe like we are spies sneaking into a city!

[Have children tiptoe in place]

Very sneaky! The two spies tiptoed right into the big city of Jericho. Can everyone say “Jericho”?

[Wait for response]

Jericho was a big city with a huge wall around it. The spies needed somewhere safe to stay. They found a house that belonged to a woman named Rahab. Can everyone say “Rahab”?

[Wait for response]

Now Rahab had heard amazing things about God. She had heard how God helped His people, and she believed that God was the one true God. Rahab was kind to the spies and said they could stay at her house.

But the king of Jericho found out there were spies in his city and sent his soldiers to Rahab’s house.

Knock, knock, knock! Let’s all knock like the soldiers!

[Children knock on a pretend air door]

The soldiers wanted to find the spies! But Rahab did not want the spies to get hurt. She wanted to help them. What do you think she did? Do you think she told the soldiers where they were?

[Wait for response]

No! She hid them! Rahab had something special on her roof. She had big bunches of dried grass called flax up there. The soldiers came in looking around, but Rahab told the soldiers that the men had already left. The soldiers believed her and went away to look somewhere else.

When the soldiers were gone, Rahab went up to the roof and told the spies they were safe. Then Rahab said something very brave. She said, I know that God is going to help your people, and she asked the spies to please keep her family safe when they came back.

The spies made a promise to Rahab. They told her to tie a red cord in her window so they would know which house was hers.

Let’s hold up our red cord!

[Hold up the red cord again.]

This red cord was very important. It was like a special sign that said, “God’s people live here. Keep us safe.”

Then Rahab helped the spies escape. Her house was right on the big wall of the city. She took a long rope and let the spies down on the outside of the wall. Down, down, down went the spies, all the way to the ground outside the city. They ran to the mountains to hide for three days.

How many days?

[Have the children count to 3 with you.]

Then the spies went back to Joshua and said, “God is going to give us this land!” Rahab waited at her house with the red cord in her window, trusting that God would take care of her.

God did take care of her. God loves people who trust Him.

Theological Questions:

  1. Rahab believed that God was the one true God even before she knew everything about Him. Who is God, and why can we trust Him?
  2. God used Rahab to help His people even though she had done wrong things before. What does that tell us about how God feels about people who make mistakes?

Life Application Questions:

  1. Have you ever needed to be brave like Rahab? What happened?
  2. If God can use Rahab to do something important, do you think God can use you to do something important too? What could that be?

Prayer:

Dear God, thank You that You love us and can use us no matter what mistakes we have made. Help us to be brave like Rahab and to trust You with our whole heart. Amen!

WORSHIP IN SONG 6:25-6:35

PRAYER 6:35-6:45

Transition kids to the floor for prayer time. Gather everyone in a circle and sit together on the floor. Pray for the children in our class, that just like Rahab, they would be brave enough to trust God and believe that He can use them to do great things. Pray that every child would know that no matter what mistakes they make, God’s love is always there for them and He has good plans for their lives.

BIBLE STORY GAME 6:45-6:55 | Spy Crawl Relay

Items Needed

  • Painter’s tape to mark a path on the floor
  • A “Jericho wall” at the end

Children take turns crawling on their tummies like sneaky spies from one end of the room to the other. When they reach the “wall,” they tap it and and crawl back and tap their friends hand. Continue until every child has gone.

BIBLE CRAFT 6:55-7:10 | Rahab Helps the Spies Craft

Items Needed:

Give each child a piece of manilla paper and the Rahab’s house pieces. Have them glue down the memory verse and the house and then color the house. Next, give them the hay to go over the roof. Let them color it and then help them tape it as a flap over the roof to hid the spies. Remind them that Rahab helped hide the spies in her roof under the straw. Then give them a red ribbon to glue or tape from the window.

SNACK TIME AND BIBLE STORY VIDEO 7:10-7:25

Pass out snacks and allow kids time to eat while watch the Bible video.

BONUS ACTIVITY | Red Yarn Obstacle Course

Leaders help set up a simple indoor obstacle course using red yarn strung between chairs at different heights. Children must go under, over, or around the yarn without touching it, just like the spies tried to move through Jericho without being caught. Leaders cheer them on and say “You are on a mission for God!” as each child goes through.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE | Joshua 2:1–21 (ESV)

Then 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.

PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET

Today’s Key Takeaway: God Uses Everyone

What I Learned Today
Today we learned about a woman named Rahab who lived in the city of Jericho. Even though Rahab had made bad choices in her past, she chose to trust God and help His people. Because of her faith and courage, God protected her and her whole family.

Questions to Ask Me

Theological Questions

  1. Who is the story of Rahab found in the Bible? (The Book of Joshua, in the Old Testament)
  2. Why did Rahab decide to help the Israelite spies? (She had heard about the great things God had done and believed that God was the one true God)
  3. What did the red cord in Rahab’s window mean? (It was a sign that God would protect her and her family when the Israelites came to take the city)
  4. Does God only use perfect people to do His work? (No, God uses all kinds of people, even those who have made mistakes, when they choose to trust and follow Him)
  5. How does Rahab show up later in the Bible? (She is listed in the family line of Jesus in Matthew 1, and she is praised for her faith in Hebrews 11)

Life Application Questions

  1. God had a plan for Rahab’s life even before she knew it. How does it make you feel to know that God has a plan for your life too? (Answers will vary)
  2. Have you ever felt like you were not good enough to be used by God? What does Rahab’s story tell you about that? (God can use anyone who trusts Him, no matter what they have done)
  3. Rahab was brave even when it was scary. Can you think of a time you had to be brave and do the right thing? (Answers will vary)
  4. Rahab kept her promise to the spies and the spies kept their promise to her. Why is it important to keep our promises? (Keeping promises shows others we are trustworthy and reflects God’s character)
  5. The spies trusted Rahab even though she was a stranger from a different city. What does this teach us about giving people a chance to do good? (Answers will vary)

Memory Verse: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 ESV