Rahab ~ Bible Study Questions

Rahab Study 1

Read Numbers 33:50-53, Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and 20:17-18

1. Why were the people of Jericho the enemies of God’s people?

Read Joshua 2:1-14

2. Why would the spies have chosen Rahab’s house as a base in Jericho?

3. What does Rahab do to protect the spies?

4. What does she ask in return?

5. What had Rahab heard about their God?

6. What characterised Rahab’s faith at this time? Read Psalm 111:10a

7. How was Rahab’s fear of God different from that of the other people in Jericho?

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Rahab Study 2

Read Joshua 2:5-24

1. What was the purpose of the scarlet cord?

Read Exodus 12:21-23 and Revelation 5:9

2. Of what was the scarlet cord a fitting symbol? Why was it able to save Rahab and her family?

3. What was the fate of Jericho? Why was everything destroyed?

Read Joshua 6:25

4. How was Rahab’s faith rewarded?

Read Matthew 1:1 and 5, Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25-26

5. How was Rahab remembered in the New Testament?

Read Ephesians 2:11-22

6. In what ways was Rahab’s experience of salvation similar to ours? From what were we saved and what marks us as belonging to God?

A Brief Prophetic History of Israel

by Deborah Horscroft

Below is a brief historical outline from Abraham to Jesus to help put our People of the Old Testament Bible studies into context.

The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were the fathers of the nation that came to be known as Israel. Jacob (renamed Israel) had 12 sons and his descendents became the 12 tribes of Israel. They settled in Egypt around 1876 BC.

Moses and the Law: Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt around 1446BC. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the generation who had rebelled against God and worshipped the golden calf had all died (other than the faithful Joshua and Caleb). Moses gave the people God’s law but did not enter the Promised Land. Joshua led the people into Canaan.

The Judges: For 480 years God’s people were ruled by Judges. Samuel was the last.

The Golden Age of Israel: Kings Saul, David and Solomon reigned over the united kingdom of Israel from 1050-930BC. Psalms and Proverbs were written during this period.

The Divided Kingdom: The Kingdom split into the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah), which maintained the dynastic line of David and contained the holy city of Jerusalem. Elijah, Jonah and Amos were prophets of this period.

The Fall of the Northern Kingdom 722BC: The Assyrians conquered Israel. Isaiah and Hosea were prophets during this period.

The Fall of Jerusalem 586BC: The people of Judah were taken into exile in Babylon. Jeremiah was the prophet of God’s judgement. Daniel and Ezekiel were written during the exile.

The Restoration 538BC: When Cyrus, king of Persia, conquered Babylon the Jewish exiles returned under Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Esther and Zechariah were also written during this period.

Between the Testaments 432BC-5BC: After the last group of exiles had returned under Nehemiah and the last prophet, Malachi, had spoken, there was a time of scriptural silence until…

The Birth of Jesus the Christ 5 BC: Now under the rule of the Great Roman Empire, Israel awaited the promised Messiah, born in Bethlehem in the line of Judah.

This very sketchy history, including all the dates, was gleaned from the very useful notes in the Zondervan NIV Study Bible, especially the historical timeline.

June Quiz answers: Quiz champion and eBook giveaway winner!

Congratulations to Jessie who has won an eBook copy of People of the Old Testament: Judah and Tamar, Rahab and is our June 2012 Bible Quiz Champion! Jessie is now listed in our Bible Quiz Honour Roll.

Jessie, please contact us at info [at] 30minutebiblestudies [dot] com to claim your prize.

The June Quiz questions and answers are:

1. Who were Tamar’s first two husbands?

Answer: Er and Onan.

2. Which city did Rahab live in before it was destroyed by the Israelites?

Answer: Jericho.

3. What was Joshua’s original name before Moses changed it?

Answer: Hoshea.

4. Name Judah’s sister who was mentioned in Genesis.

Answer: Dinah.

5. Name two sets of twin boys and their parents who were mentioned in Genesis.

Answer: Esau and Jacob (sons of Isaac and Rebekah), Perez and Zerah (sons of Judah and Tamar).

6. List all the tribes of Israel, including the priestly tribe and the tribes who received allotments of land in Canaan.

Answer: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Napthali, Gad, Asher, Benjamin, Manasseh, Ephraim.

Our featured eBook Bible Study of the month in June will be People of the Old Testament: Deborah, Ruth.

Book Recommendation: A Lineage of Grace (Unashamed) by Francine Rivers

Back cover blurb:

2009 Retailer’s Choice Award winner! In this compilation of the five books in the best-selling Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers, we meet the five women whom God chose – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary – even scandalous – challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

Narelle:  In Francine River’s fictionalised account of Rahab’s story, she casts Salmon, Rahab’s future husband, in the role of one of the Israelite spies who Rahab hides in her home from the king of Jericho. We journey with Rahab and Salmon as the Israelites conquer the mighty city of Jericho.

Rahab is a harlot who rejects the Canaanite gods of her family and homeland. Instead, she chooses to embrace the God of the Israelites and turn her life around. Rahab’s story is one of incredible courage and faith and I recommend this novella collection to those looking for exciting and insightful Biblical fiction stories.

Read first chapter for FREE at Amazon.com

Rahab

by Deborah Horscroft

Rahab does not seem like the type of person to be included in the genealogy of God’s son, or the book of Hebrews list of the faithful, but she is mentioned in both.

The first thing we learn about Rahab in Joshua chapter 2 is that she is a prostitute. The next few things are that she is a traitor and a liar. But as the story unfolds we realise that Rahab has heard of the true God who is the “God of Heaven and Earth”. Like all the people of Jericho, Rahab has come to fear the God of the Israelites. But alone among these Canaanite people living in Jericho, Rahab asks to be saved from the coming destruction and puts her faith in the Lord, risking her life to defy her own king and hide the Israelite spies.

The sign chosen by the spies is a scarlet cord, not to show Rahab lives in a “red-light district”, but as a symbol of the Passover which the men celebrate as they prepare for battle. Like the slaves in Egypt, the cord in Rahab’s window marks her as one who will be passed over on the day of destruction, to be redeemed when salvation comes. In his first letter, Peter reminds his readers that they, like Rahab, are to see themselves as “strangers in the world”.

Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:17-19)

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The deadline to enter our June Bible Quiz and eBook giveaway is midnight on JUNE 25 AEST.

The June 20 Bible Quiz and eBook giveaway post can be found here: Bible Quiz and eBook giveaway

June Bible Quiz and eBook giveaway!

Narelle here. Today we’re holding our second Bible Quiz. The first person to correctly answer all six questions in a comment on this post before the deadline of midnight on Monday, June 25 (Australian Eastern Standard time) will win a copy of our June eBook Bible Study of the month People of the Old Testament: Judah and Tamar, Rahab from Smashwords and they will be named our June 2012 Bible Quiz Champion.

The winner will be announced in our post on Wednesday, June 27 and they will be listed in our Honour Roll on the blog.

We are also giving away a second copy of our June eBook Bible Study of the month People of the Old Testament: Judah and Tamar, Rahab from Smashwords to a reader who comments on this blog post and attempts to answer at least one question in our quiz before the deadline of midnight on Monday, June 25 (Australian Eastern Standard time). You don’t even have to provide a correct answer to enter the drawing!

And you can comment more than once to answer the quiz, although you must be the first person to include all six correct answers in the one comment to become our June 2012 Bible Quiz  Champion. Only one entry per person will be included in the eBook drawing.

Please include your name with your comment and leave an email address [ ] at [ ] dot [ ] where you can be reached or remember to check our Wednesday blog post. You can follow our blog by email, Twitter or ‘Like’ our Facebook page to receive notifications of new blog posts. We will do a redraw if we are unable to contact the giveaway winner within the next week.

“Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.”

The June Quiz Questions:

1. Who were Tamar’s first two husbands?

2. Which city did Rahab live in before it was destroyed by the Israelites?

3. What was Joshua’s original name before Moses changed it?

4. Name Judah’s sister who was mentioned in Genesis.

5. Name two sets of twin boys and their parents who were mentioned in Genesis.

6. List all the tribes of Israel, including the priestly tribe and the tribes who received allotments of land in Canaan.

Good luck!

Rahab and the fall of Jericho

by Narelle Atkins

Joshua sent two spies into Jericho who were hidden from the king of Jericho by Rahab. Rahab understood that the Lord of the Israelites had given Jericho to the Israelites. She feared for her life and pleaded with the spies to show kindness to her family. She made an oath with the spies and tied a scarlet cord in her window so the Israelites would know to pass over her household and save her family.

In Joshua 6 the Lord spoke with Joshua and told him how Jericho would be delivered into his hands. For six days the Israelites marched one lap around the city of Jericho. Seven priests carrying seven trumpets marched before the ark of the Lord. Armed men went ahead of the ark and a rear guard followed behind.

On the seventh day they arose at dawn and marched around the city seven times. At Joshua’s command during the seventh lap, the trumpet sounded, the people shouted and the wall of Jericho collapsed. The Israelites charged straight into Jericho and took the city. The spies rescued Rahab and her family before the Israelites burned the city.

Rahab and her family were spared in the destruction of Jericho. They joined the Israelites and Rahab became an ancestor of King David and Jesus.

Joshua and Caleb explore the land of Canaan

by Narelle Atkins

Under Moses’ leadership, God rescued the Israelites from the harsh rule of Pharaoh in Egypt. Moses led the Israelites into the desert on their journey to Canaan, the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendents.

In Numbers 13 and 14, Moses appointed a leader from each of the tribes of Israel and sent them to explore the land of Canaan. Joshua (from the tribe of Ephraim) and Caleb (from the tribe of Judah) reported that the land was flowing with milk and honey. Caleb told Moses and the Israelites that they could take possession of the land but the leaders from the other tribes gave false reports to the people and stirred up unrest among the Israelites. They claimed the people of Canaan were too powerful and they didn’t believe they could conquer the land. Joshua and Caleb appealed to the Israelites to not be afraid of the people in Canaan because the Lord was with them.

God punished the Israelites for their unfaithfulness. He said that all males over the age of twenty, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, would die in the desert and not enter the promised land of Canaan.

The Israelites spent forty years roaming the desert and Moses died before the Israelites conquered Canaan. God appointed Joshua to take over from Moses as the leader of the Israelites. In Deuteronomy 31:23 God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous and promised He will be with Joshua as he leads the Israelites into Canaan.