Teaching Tuesday: Bible Stories - Joshua, Rahab, and Jericho

Series: Bible Stories
Sermon: Joshua, Rahab, and Jericho (7.20.25)
Watch the messages HERE. 

Rahab’s story is one of the most remarkable accounts of faith and redemption in all of Scripture. She was not an Israelite, nor was she someone with a good reputation. Rahab was a Canaanite (and the Canaanites were enemies of God’s people) and a prostitute—an unlikely candidate for God’s grace. Yet, when the spies of Israel came to Jericho, Rahab believed in the God of Israel. Given the context, her confession is remarkable: “...the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:11).

Her faith moved her to protect the spies, and in return, God spared her and her family from the destruction of Jericho.

Maybe what’s most astonishing - and most relevant to us to today - is what happened afterward. Rahab didn’t just escape judgment—she became part of God’s people. She was brought into Israel, married Salmon, and became the great-great-grandmother of King David. Ultimately, Rahab became a direct ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). This is not merely a story of rescue; it's a story of adoption.

The apostle Paul uses the image of grafting in Romans 11 to describe how Gentiles—those who were not part of Israel—are brought into the family of God. Just as a wild branch can be grafted into a cultivated olive tree, those who put their faith in Christ are grafted into God’s covenant family. We are no longer outsiders but children of God and heirs of his promises.

Rahab’s faith mirrors the kind of faith we are called to have. She trusted in a God she couldn't see with her eyes but could see by his powerful works, she responded courageously, and left behind her old life. In return, God not only saved her but gave her a new identity. In Christ, we receive the same promise: “The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15).

Through Jesus, we are not only forgiven but welcomed into his household as new family members, on equal footing in his eyes with those who have been part of the family for years.

Think about this: Rahab went from being a foreigner destined for destruction to a woman remembered for her faith (Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25). In the same way, no past is too broken, no life too far gone for God’s redeeming love. Adoption into God’s family is not about where we come from but about who we trust.

Today, we can rejoice that God adopts the faithful. Like Rahab, we may feel unworthy or on the outside looking in, but by faith in Jesus Christ, we are grafted into his story. We share in the inheritance of his kingdom and the hope of eternal life.

Pray:
Lord, thank You that, through Christ, You have adopted me as your child. Help me to trust you as Rahab did, leaving behind fear and my old life to walk in faith. Remind me daily that I am part of your family and an heir of your promises. Amen.

TO KNOW HIM AND MAKE HIM KNOWN!
- Pastor Brady