January 27

Joshua 6:17, 19

17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she

hid the messengers that we sent.

...

19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.

Biblical Insight

Everything in Jericho was designated for destruction with two exceptions: Rahab and her family, who feared God and helped the spies exploring Jericho (Joshua 2:1–24); and precious metals to be stored in the Lord’s treasury presumably for Tabernacle worship, for God had designated these precious metals as consecrated and holy. When Achan later sinned by keeping gold and silver from Jericho for himself (Joshua 7:21), perhaps the most severe aspect of his sin was the fact that he was technically robbing from God’s treasury items dedicated to the Lord.

Daily Devotion

Rahab was labeled a harlot in her day. In the world’s eyes, she appeared to be tainted—both used and unusable. However, her place in the Kingdom was special. Rahab would be part of God’s orchestrated plan for redemption. The woman who deserved a scarlet letter, instead lowered a scarlet cord and was saved along with her household.

The beautiful thing to note about this story is that God saw fit to save His most precious jewels—Rahab included. The people of that day tried to steal and devalue what meant so much to the Savior. He saw beauty in what was branded as broken, and He consecrated it unto Himself. He looked past her past and saw the rare gem she would become. What others see as worthless, God may already be setting aside for a greater purpose, even if the story does not make sense in the present.