Sunday 16th May | The Story of Rahab
Today we are looking at women of faith and the story of Rahab.
Game - Play ‘Eye Spy’
Recap
Do you remember the story of Moses and Joshua from a few weeks ago? Here’s a bit of background:
Moses had led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years, waiting to enter the Promised Land. You might remember that God told Moses he wouldn’t be able to enter the land because of he sinned against God by not trusting Him. Even though Moses would never set foot in the Promised Land, God took him up to the top of Mount Nebo to show him the land so Moses could see that God’s promise was about to come true. Moses died there and soon after God chose Joshua to take his place as leader of the Israelites.
God told Joshua that the time had finally come for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land! The wait was over! It was an exciting time for Israel, but maybe a little scary too. You see, there were other people living in that land already, and God had told the Israelites that it was their job to drive the people out. God encouraged Joshua by saying, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Story
You can also find this story in the Bible in the book of Joshua chapter 2!
Rahab and the Spies
Questions
- Where did Rahab live? (Jericho)
- Who did Joshua send into the Promised Land around Jericho? (Two spies)
- Where did the spies hide? (Rahab’s house)
- Why did she agree to hide the spies? (Because she knew their God was the one true God and that the land belonged to them)
- What did Rahab ask the spies to do in return? (To remember what she had done and to show kindness to her family when they returned)
- What did the spies ask Rahab to do to remind the Israelites of how she had helped them? (Tie a scarlet rope to the window)
- For how long did the spies hide from the Kings men? (Three days)
- Why was Rahab remembered by the Israelites? (For her faithfulness because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies and put her trust in the one true God)
Discussion
Have you ever helped someone else? What did you do for them? Why did you want to help?
Do you think it would have been easy or hard for Rahab to help the spies?
She was probably a little scared, especially since it meant hiding the spies from the king of her own country! She believed that God was bigger than the king, and she was right! Because she trusted in God, Rahab and her whole family were saved.
Did you know that God had a very special plan for Rahab?
Even though she wasn’t an Israelite, God welcomed her into His family because of her faith. Not only that, but she became the great- great- great- grandmother of Jesus! You see God’s plan of salvation wouldn’t be just for the people of Israel. God loves people from every nation and wants to bring us all close to Him. And just like Rahab, anyone who trusts God and has faith in His Son Jesus is saved because God rescues those who put their trust in Him.
Prayer
Rahab had made some bad choices before she knew about the one true God, but God still loved Rahab and had a plan for her life. We all can make bad choices, grown ups and children. Isn’t it good to know that God loves us no matter what and has a special plan for each of our lives. Spend some time together as a family:
- Praising God and thanking Him that He has a special plan for each one of us
- Saying sorry to God for the bad choices we make. He promises to forgive us because of what Jesus has done already for us.
- Asking God to help us trust in Him and be faithful like Rahab in the story today.
Worship
We Shine
Sing and join in with the actions – this video was created by our friends at Lagan Valley Vineyard
Craft
You could make some ‘Spy’ binoculars and see what you can spot! There are some great ideas on this website:
