Joshua 2:18-21 "Behold, when we come
into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which
thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and
thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. (19)
And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the
street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and
whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if
any hand be upon him. (20) And if thou utter this our business,
then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
(21) And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she
sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window."
This morning, we look at the scarlet thread. Rahab had hidden the two spies that Joshua had sent into Jericho. They made an oath that because of her faithfulness to them, they would be faithful in sparing Rahab and her family when Israel took the city. There was a token of the oath, or covenant, that was established concerning this oath. That token was the "line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by". Rahab was to place the scarlet thread in the window and when Israel destroyed the city of Jericho, her house in the wall would be protected and saved.
Most of you know by now that my mind goes in different directions as I do my studies. From a little boy, I've always wondered how Joshua and the people of Israel see a small red thread as they went against the city. This morning, those same thoughts came to my mind as I read that passage. So, my inquisitive mind decided to look at the word, "thread". What is meant by the word thread in the Hebrew language. According to my concordance, the word thread can also mean a "cord". Okay, the thread is now a cord, or a rope, that is bright red and if woven around the window might stand out to Joshua and the people.
But, then the Lord said, "Who really needed to see that thread?" Was it Joshua? Caleb? the captains of the army of Israel? Who really needed to know where the thread would be located? Okay Lord, now I'm beginning to understand. The people of Israel did not lay a hand on Jericho. (We will see that in a chapter or two.) Joshua and the people understood what Rahab had done and knew there was an oath that had been made. God was the one who knew which home to save. The red thread was a token to the people. God knew He was going to deliver Rahab and her family.
The "line of scarlet thread" was a token of God's covenant. I'm reminded of the blood of the lamb that was on the doorposts of Israel when God delivered them from Egypt. The word, "line," then jumped out at me. I was expecting that word to help me understand the part concerning thread. So imagine my surprise when the concordance told me that "line" indicates hope. Yes, it literally means a cord as an attachment. But figuratively, the word line means an expectancy, hope, thing that I long for. So now, we try to put all this together. There was a period of time from the men leaving until the entire nation of Israel came against Jericho. There was a period of time for Rahab from the time the men left until she and her family would be delivered. As soon as the men left, she bound the scarlet line in the window. I have no doubt that many times when Rahab would feel despondent or when fear would creep upon her (for she had helped the two men escape the king), she would look at that scarlet thread and find hope. "It's only a matter of time until my deliverance is come!"
What was the basis of her expectation? The scarlet thread. This morning, what is the basis of our expectation? What is the foundation of our hope of deliverance? When we get despondent or fearful, where should we look? We do not have a scarlet thread, but we have something far better. By faith, we look to the cross and we see the scarlet blood of Jesus Christ. The thread of His blood is woven throughout the window of the Word of God. Everytime we begin to read the Bible, we should be looking for the scarlet thread woven into it. For on each page, we can see the Father telling us all our hope and all our righteousness: His covenant that is based upon the scarlet blood of His only begotten Son. This is the token of His everlasting love for us. Let us find hope and comfort and assurance as we see the blood of our Lord that was shed for us.
This morning, we look at the scarlet thread. Rahab had hidden the two spies that Joshua had sent into Jericho. They made an oath that because of her faithfulness to them, they would be faithful in sparing Rahab and her family when Israel took the city. There was a token of the oath, or covenant, that was established concerning this oath. That token was the "line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by". Rahab was to place the scarlet thread in the window and when Israel destroyed the city of Jericho, her house in the wall would be protected and saved.
Most of you know by now that my mind goes in different directions as I do my studies. From a little boy, I've always wondered how Joshua and the people of Israel see a small red thread as they went against the city. This morning, those same thoughts came to my mind as I read that passage. So, my inquisitive mind decided to look at the word, "thread". What is meant by the word thread in the Hebrew language. According to my concordance, the word thread can also mean a "cord". Okay, the thread is now a cord, or a rope, that is bright red and if woven around the window might stand out to Joshua and the people.
But, then the Lord said, "Who really needed to see that thread?" Was it Joshua? Caleb? the captains of the army of Israel? Who really needed to know where the thread would be located? Okay Lord, now I'm beginning to understand. The people of Israel did not lay a hand on Jericho. (We will see that in a chapter or two.) Joshua and the people understood what Rahab had done and knew there was an oath that had been made. God was the one who knew which home to save. The red thread was a token to the people. God knew He was going to deliver Rahab and her family.
The "line of scarlet thread" was a token of God's covenant. I'm reminded of the blood of the lamb that was on the doorposts of Israel when God delivered them from Egypt. The word, "line," then jumped out at me. I was expecting that word to help me understand the part concerning thread. So imagine my surprise when the concordance told me that "line" indicates hope. Yes, it literally means a cord as an attachment. But figuratively, the word line means an expectancy, hope, thing that I long for. So now, we try to put all this together. There was a period of time from the men leaving until the entire nation of Israel came against Jericho. There was a period of time for Rahab from the time the men left until she and her family would be delivered. As soon as the men left, she bound the scarlet line in the window. I have no doubt that many times when Rahab would feel despondent or when fear would creep upon her (for she had helped the two men escape the king), she would look at that scarlet thread and find hope. "It's only a matter of time until my deliverance is come!"
What was the basis of her expectation? The scarlet thread. This morning, what is the basis of our expectation? What is the foundation of our hope of deliverance? When we get despondent or fearful, where should we look? We do not have a scarlet thread, but we have something far better. By faith, we look to the cross and we see the scarlet blood of Jesus Christ. The thread of His blood is woven throughout the window of the Word of God. Everytime we begin to read the Bible, we should be looking for the scarlet thread woven into it. For on each page, we can see the Father telling us all our hope and all our righteousness: His covenant that is based upon the scarlet blood of His only begotten Son. This is the token of His everlasting love for us. Let us find hope and comfort and assurance as we see the blood of our Lord that was shed for us.