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Rahab

To Remember: Our actions show what we really believe.

Vocabulary:
flax - a plant used to make cloth

Lesson
 
Joshua 2 "The king had locked the gates to trap the spies inside Jericho, and Rahab offered to help them escape on one condition - - when the city fell, she and her family would be saved alive. The spies agreed to do this, then she let them down by a rope through a window. Since her house was on the outside of the wall, they could get away and run back to the camp at Gilgal. Before they left, however, they told Rahab to hang a scarlet cord from that same window so the army of the Israelites would not hurt them..." Read a Full Lesson Text
Activity: Twenty Questions Tell students you are thinking about a person from the lesson (e.g. one spy, Rahab, the king of Jericho, Joshua, one of the king's guards). Have them ask questions until they determine who it is.

Sing: R-A-H-A-B
(Tune: B-I-N-G-O) lyrics written and contributed by Sharon Broome
There was a girl God used for good and Rahab was her name-o
R-A-H-A-B, R-A-H-A-B,
R-A-H-A-B
and Rahab was her name-o.
Memory Work: (Divide the verse into parts and have students represent their part in a drawing. You could have one big mural on a wall, or have each group work on a page, which you would then put in order. If they are having trouble, have them do it rebus style with words and pictures inter-mixed.)
Joshua 2:9 "and [Rahab] said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you." NAS
Craft: Rahab helps the spies down the wall. Print out this craft for the students or make one as a visual aid.

Discussion Point:
James Read James 2:18. Discuss how Rahab showed her faith, first by acting on her knowledge of God's power, and then by responding to the instructions of his people. Discuss how some people say they believe in God, but refuse to do what He says or put Him first. James says this faith is dead.

Discussion Point:
Was it ok for Rahab to lie, given the circumstances? The humanists around us would say that this lesson demonstrates that truth is relative and that some situations call for lying. That is not what the Bible teaches. People in Bible times were not perfect. They sometimes demonstrated good qualities, but that did not justify all their actions. Rahab made her living through immoral behavior. We do not say that prostitution is ok because Rahab did it. Neither should we say that lying is ok because Rahab did it. God rewarded Rahab for her faith. We are to learn from her and emulate that behavior. But she, like us, made other mistakes. We all have to strive toward purity, and repent when we fail. We can learn from her mistakes as well as from her obedience.

True or False
  1. The people of Jericho were afraid of Israel.                            T
  2. Rahab believed that Jehovah would give Israel the land.       T
  3. Rahab put her loyalty to her city above her faith in God.        F
  4. The spies agreed to save Rahab without condition.               F
  5. Rahab did everything exactly as the spies told her to.           T
Review Questions for gameboard
 linguistic questions
  1. Spell Jericho.
  2. Recite the books of the Old Testament.
  3. what is a spy? someone who tries to find out information about another country without being detected.
  activity questions
  1. Put together a puzzle showing the promised land.
  2. Find Jericho on a map.
  3. Act out the scene where Rahab hides the spies.
  emotion questions
  1. What feeling did Rahab say had overtaken her whole city? fear
  2. What feeling toward God prompted Rahab's actions? respect, awe
  3. What feeling prompted the spies to promise to save Rahab? gratitude, respect
application questions
  1. How do we show our faith? by obedience to God and placing His will first.
  2. What things try to come before our faith in God? family, friends, pleasure, wealth, fun, fear
  3. What do you think of someone who says they believe a hurricane is coming, but doesn't prepare? they either don't really believe it or they are foolish not to prepare.
fact questions
  1. How many spies went into Jericho?   2
  2. How many days did they hide before going back to the Jordan?  3
  3. What did Rahab have to do when Israel attacked?   gather her family in her house, hang a scarlet cord out the window.
review questions
  1. Why did Rahab hide the spies? she believed their God would be victorious and wanted to be saved
  2. What did the spies report to Joshua? that the whole area was afraid of them
  3. What reward did God give Rahab? her family was saved, she became an ancestor of Christ, she is praised in the Bible