The Scarlet Cord in the Window 

According to the Book of Joshua (Joshua 2:1-7), when the Israelites were camped at Shittim, across the Jordan River from Jericho, Joshua sent two spies to scout Jericho’s military strength. The spies came to the house of Rahab, a prostitute who lived on the city wall. When the city guards came to search for the spies, she hid them among the stalks of flax on her roof. After helping them escape, the spies promised to protect Rahab and her entire family from the coming slaughter, telling her to tie a scarlet cord in her window as a sign.

God commanded the Israelites to march around Jericho seven times, once a day for six days, in complete silence. On the seventh day, they were to blow their trumpets. After six silent days, the sound on the seventh day terrified the people inside Jericho. At that moment, many parts of the city wall collapsed, and many houses fell with them. Even though the prostitute Rahab’s house was built on the city wall, God preserved that small section of the wall. The scarlet cord hanging from her window saved her and her entire family’s lives.

After the fall of Jericho, Rahab and her entire family were protected just as the spies had promised. They were accepted as God’s people and “lived among the Israelites to this day.” Rahab later married Salmon of the tribe of Judah and became an ancestor of King David and the Messiah (Matthew 1:5). Her story shows all Gentiles that no matter their race or status, anyone who takes refuge in God can be accepted as His people.