⁸ Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof ⁹ and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. ¹¹ And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” ¹⁴ And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

1) A study Bible, esvbible.org, or biblia.org contain cross references that lead you to the stories Rahab is referencing. Exodus 14 tells the story of how, as Israel was fleeing the Egyptian army, God provided a way of escape by parting the waters of the Red Sea so they could cross on dry ground. Numbers 21 and Deuteronomy 2 and 3 tell the story of Sihon and Og. These were kings whose land was east of the Jordan River. Moses asked Sihon for permission to pass through their land, but Sihon refused, and attacked the Israelites. The Israelites crushed Sihon and possessed his land. Similarly, the Israelites defeated Og and possessed his land. Both of these accounts mention that these peoples were completely destroyed—there were no survivors.

2) There are several times in the Old Testament that mention hearts melting. There are also references to hands being feeble and people no longer having any spirit within them. All of these references can be interpreted by context and mean the same thing—the people were weak with fear. They were terrified.

3) Sometimes, a person might help an enemy spy simply for self-interest. But Rahab states in verse 11, “the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” Clearly, she was not just trying to be on the winning side of the battle that was looming, but she truly believed that the God of the Israelites was the one true God. She had faith. This is confirmed in Hebrews 11:31, which says “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” Her faith was proven by her actions of protecting the spies and keeping her end of the deal she made with them.

1) The stories of Israel defeating Sihon and Og caused Rahab to truly believe that the God of Israel was the one true God. Sometimes, when our faith is weak, we need to be reminded of His power and authority. Read some of the “Faces of Grace” stories to hear how the one true God is still working in the lives of women today. (And consider sharing your story, so you can be used to encourage someone else’s faith!)

2) The fear of God Rahab had caused her to recognize him as the God she should serve. Sadly, the rest of Jericho did not have the same reaction. When I think about the all-consuming power and majesty of God, am I tempted to run from God, or run to Him?

3) Lord, please check my motives. Show me whether I am following You for selfish reasons, or whether I am following You because You are Almighty God. Take away my selfishness and help me to truly fear and adore You.

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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