In this lesson, children learn that God keeps His promises, even when the people who make them are afraid. This lesson is for ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Use the story, the memory verse, and the activities to help children remember that God is faithful.
Big Idea
God keeps His promises. Rahab trusted God, and God kept the promise He made to her family.
Memory Verse
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)
Teach children to put one hand on their heart and then lift both hands high above their heads on the word “heaven.” Repeat the verse together three times, lifting higher each time to show that God is higher than anything.
The Story: Joshua 2 for Kids
Long ago, the people of Israel were camped near the land of Jericho. Their leader was Joshua, and he wanted to know how strong the city was. So he quietly sent two men to look around the land and see what was inside.
The two men came to the house of a woman named Rahab. She lived on the city wall, and she hid them under some stalks of flax on her roof. When the king of Jericho heard about the spies, he sent men to find them. Rahab told the king’s men that the spies had already left, and she sent them off in the wrong direction.
Then Rahab climbed up to the roof and talked with the two men. She said, “I know that the LORD has given you this land.” She told them that everyone in the city was scared of the Israelites, because they had heard how God helped them. Rahab asked the men to promise to save her family when they came back to take the city.
The men made her a promise. They told her to tie a red cord in her window so they would know which house to protect. Rahab let them down with a rope through the window, and they hid in the mountains for three days until the king’s men gave up searching.
Rahab did exactly what the men said. She tied the red cord in her window and gathered her family inside her house. When the spies came back to Joshua, they told him that the LORD had given the whole land to them, and everyone was afraid.
Read It Together
Joshua 2:9
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.
(WEB)
Point out that Rahab told the men she knew God had given them the land. Ask children what Rahab was able to see about God, even though she did not grow up knowing Him the way Israel did.
Joshua 2:12-13
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.”
(WEB)
Show children how Rahab asked the spies to keep a promise to her family. Explain that she was asking for kindness and safety, and that the men agreed to protect everyone in her house.
Joshua 2:21
She said, “Let it be as you have said.” She sent them away, and they departed. Then she tied the scarlet line in the window.
(WEB)
Point out that Rahab did exactly what the men told her to do. Explain that she tied the red cord in her window, showing that she believed their promise and was ready to trust them.
Talk About It
- What did Rahab do to protect the two men from the king’s soldiers?
- Why do you think Rahab was afraid of the God of Israel, and what did she say she had heard about Him?
- What did the men promise Rahab, and what did they ask her to do?
- How can you show someone that you keep your promises, like God does?
- When have you felt safe because someone kept a promise to you?
Activity Ideas
Red Cord Window Craft
You will need a sheet of white paper, crayons or markers, a red piece of yarn or string, and tape. Have children draw a simple house with a window, then tape a short piece of red yarn in the window to match Rahab’s red cord. As they work, talk about how the red cord was a sign that Rahab trusted the spies’ promise.
Promise Keeper Relay
You will need two chairs, a blanket, and a small cup of water. Set up the two chairs to look like a city wall, then have children take turns carrying the cup of water from one chair to the other without spilling. Each time they reach the end, have them say one promise God keeps, such as “God keeps His word.” This helps children practice moving carefully while remembering God’s faithfulness.
Take-Home Promise Card
You will need an index card, a pencil, and a small piece of red string or ribbon. Have children write “God keeps His promises” on the card and tie the ribbon through one corner as a reminder. Encourage them to show the card to someone at home and explain how Rahab trusted God’s people to keep their word.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God’s promises can reach people from outside the covenant community, and that faith can grow even when someone’s background is unexpected. Rahab’s story also shows that God’s people are called to keep their word and to act with mercy. The spies’ oath to protect her family reflects the faithfulness that the whole chapter points to.
Be careful not to overstate how God acts toward children in everyday life. The story is about God’s faithfulness to His promises in a specific historical setting, and children should understand that it is a true story about God’s character rather than a formula for getting what they want.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You that You always keep Your promises. Help us to trust You when we feel scared, just like Rahab did. Teach us to keep our own promises too, and to remember how faithful You are. Amen.
