Joshua 2 tells the story of two Israelite spies sent into Jericho, the woman who hid them, and the promise they made in return. These questions are for a small group, a Sunday class, or a personal study, and they move from what the text says, to what it means, to how it shapes everyday faith. Each section includes a leader’s note so you can guide the discussion without preparing separately.
Joshua 2 at a Glance
Joshua sends two men to scout the city of Jericho, and they lodge at the house of a woman named Rahab. When the king of Jericho learns of them, Rahab hides the men on her roof and misdirects the searchers. Before they sleep, she confesses that the people of the land are terrified of Israel’s God, and she asks for mercy for her family in return for her protection.
The spies agree, on the condition that she keep their business secret and tie a scarlet cord in her window. She lets them down the wall, and they hide in the hills for three days before returning to Joshua with their report: the Lord has given the land into their hands.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of the session to make sure everyone has read the text carefully and agrees on what happens before anyone starts interpreting it. Let several people answer each question, and point back to the verse numbers when the group disagrees.
Joshua 2:1-3
1 Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, including Jericho.” They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and slept there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, “Behold, men of the children of Israel came in here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 Jericho’s king sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to spy out all the land.”
(WEB)
These opening verses set the scene and introduce Rahab, so reading them first gives everyone the same starting point. Hearing the detail about her house and the king’s messengers helps the group see why the rest of the chapter unfolds as it does.
Joshua 2:9-11
9 She 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 to Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.
(WEB)
Rahab’s confession is the emotional and theological center of the chapter. Reading it aloud lets the group hear her words as testimony rather than as a summary, and it prepares them for the interpretation questions that follow.
Joshua 2:12-14
12 Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a true sign; 13 and that you will save alive my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death.” 14 The men said to her, “Our life for yours, if you don’t talk about this business of ours; and it shall be, when the LORD gives us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
(WEB)
This passage records the request and the oath that define the rest of the story. Reading it aloud helps the group notice how carefully the terms of the agreement are stated, which matters for the application discussion.
Joshua 2:18-19
18 Behold, when we come into the land, tie this line of scarlet thread in the window which you used to let us down. Gather to yourself into the house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. 19 It shall be that whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his head, and we will be guiltless. Whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand is on him.
(WEB)
The instructions about the scarlet thread and the household are specific and concrete. Reading them aloud helps the group see that the promise depends on a visible sign and a particular place of safety.
Joshua 2:23-24
23 Then the two men returned, descended from the mountain, crossed the river, and came to Joshua the son of Nun. They told him all that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands. Moreover, all the inhabitants of the land melt away before us.”
(WEB)
The chapter closes with the spies’ report to Joshua, which echoes Rahab’s earlier words. Reading this ending aloud helps the group finish the session by hearing the chapter’s main theme of God’s faithfulness voiced once more.
Memory Verse for Joshua 2
Joshua 2:11
As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.
(WEB)
This verse captures Rahab’s confession that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth beneath, which is the theological anchor of the chapter. Memorizing it gives you a short statement of faith to return to when you are tempted to fear what you see more than what God has said.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you are God in heaven above and on earth beneath, and that your faithfulness reaches people no one would have expected. As we read the story of Rahab, we ask you to give us the courage to trust your promises even when we cannot see how they will be kept. Teach us to speak of what you have done with honesty and humility, and help us stand with one another when obedience costs something. Keep our hearts open to your mercy and steady in your word. Amen.
