Joshua 2:1-14

“Mercy” is not a term that is in frequent use in our daily speech. We may use it occasionally to speak of an “act of mercy” or something similar.

When the word is used in relation to the character and work of God, it is important that we understand it. The primary definition in the dictionary is that kindness is an excess beyond what may be expected.

There are three words we need to understand clearly:

Justice – what we deserve

Mercy – not getting what we deserve

Grace – getting or experiencing precisely what we don’t deserve

Today’s Scripture is a very clear example of the nature of God in the expression of mercy and the rich benefit it brings to those who will trust Him.

• God’s mercy is seen through a person
  • Rahab had a past
    • A sinful lifestyle
    • She lived in a tavern
  • Rahab had a present
    • She had an opportunity to serve God
      • She took action and hid the spies
      • Her action was born out of a belief and a trust in God

Rahab knew what God had done for His people. She believed what He would do for His people. God’s providence and mercy sent the spies to her place. Rahab had mercy on the spies and hid them. The greatness of the sin is no barrier to God’s mercy and pardon.

• God’s mercy is seen in a pledge (Joshua 2:12-14)
  • God had a purpose for this woman
    • Spare my family
    • A responsibility
      • Fulfill the conditions
• God’s mercy is seen in a promise kept
  • Her family is spared (Joshua 6:22-25)
  • A faithful person is blessed
    • She lived among the Israelites the rest of her life
    • Married Salmon
      • Mother of Boaz
      • David’s grandmother
    • An ancestry in the earthly life of Jesus
    • Listed in the honor roll of faith in Hebrews 11

Having seen the mercy of God at work on behalf of Rahab, we can be confident that His mercy extends to us as well, for it is within the very nature of God to act in this manner.