God liked Rahab; God likes me too … always!
1. Lesson (based on Joshua 2): Rahab & the 2 Spies
- Hook:
- Have you ever felt that nobody liked you?
- Maybe some other kids don’t like you because you are different — the clothes you wear, or the way you speak. Maybe they think you are weird. Maybe they tell their friends not to be your friend. Maybe they don’t want to share their toys with you or to play with you. Maybe it’s because you once did something wrong that made them unhappy.
- It’s tough when you feel nobody likes you. It’s tough when you think you are not good enough. You can feel lonely, or sad, or angry. Sometimes we all feel this way.
- But do you know that there’s Someone who likes you ALL the time. He doesn’t care about what you wear, or how your talk or what you’ve done. Even if you made other people really, really mad. He’s there for you. And He loves you always.
- What’s His name? Jesus!
- Story:
- Once upon a time, there was a woman called Rahab. She lived in a town called Jericho. People in the town did not like her very much. Because she did things that were not very good.
- One day, she met two men. They were Israelites from the desert. They wanted to find out some information about Jericho. They were spies.
- Rahab let them into her house as it was night time and getting dark.
- However, the king of Jericho heard that there were two spies in Rahab’s house. So he sent men to find them.
- The king’s men came to Rahab’s house and demanded that she bring the spies out.
- But Rahab took the spies to the rooftop and hid them under some stalks of flax, a type of long-stemmed plant.
- She told the king’s men, “Some men came to my house. I don’t know where they were from. But they left in the evening before the city gate was closed.”
- So the king’s men quickly headed off to look for the spies.
- After they left, Rahab went to the spies and said, “I know that God has given you this land. Everyone here is afraid because we’ve all heard what God has done for you — drying up the Red Sea, winning battles. Your God is the real God!”
- Then Rahab made a bargain with the spies. “Just as I have protected you, promise me that you will save me and my family when you take over this city — don’t let us be killed.”
- The spies agreed. “If you don’t tell anyone what we have been doing, we promise you that when the Lord gives u this land, we will treat you well.”
- The city gates were closed, and the guards were looking for the spies. So Rahab let the men out of her window with a long red rope. It was a bit like Rapunzel and her long hair. The spies had to climb down the long red rope.
- Then the spies told Rahab: “When we come back, tie this red rope at your window. Get all your family members together in your house. And we promise you that you will all be safe.”
- And the spies returned to Joshua and told him, “We are sure that the Lord has given us the whole country. All the people there are terrified of us.”
- Later on, the spies did return, and Joshua and the Israelites did take over Jericho. And as promised, Rahab and her family were all saved!
- Even though people in the town may not have liked Rahab because of her life and her past, but God still used her to help the Israelites. God still saved her and her family.
- And more than that, God brought her into His own special people, and she lived together with the Israelites. And do you know something special? Rahab is one of Jesus’ great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great … grandmother!
- So no matter how you feel today, know that if “God likes Rahab, God likes me too … always.”
2. Activity suggestions:
- Memory Verse: “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands.” (Joshua 2:24)
- Reinforcement: “God likes Rahab, God likes me too … always.”
