The Scarlet Thread (An article by Christian Henry)

MAY 11, 2023

 “Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.” (Joshua 2:18-19)

In Chapter 2 of the book, the titular Joshua and the Israelites prepare to cross the Jordan and begin conquering the land of Canaan. Their first stop is the city of Jericho, a city with tall walls surrounding it. Before attacking the city, Joshua sends spies to scout it out and discover whatever intel would be helpful. Seemingly moments after being sent, the spies are found out and flee to the home of the harlot Rahab, seeking shelter from the soldiers sent to capture and kill them.

In the house, they do indeed find shelter. Rahab also lies for the men telling the soldiers, “…whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.” (Vs. 5) If the deception had been found out, Rahab would have been killed. She put her life on the line for these two strangers because she knows that Israel’s God is the true God.

As thanks for keeping the spies safe, they tell Rahab her house will be spared when they take the city. The Israelites will know which house to spare by the scarlet thread bound in the window. As our passage says, everyone in the home with the thread in the window will be spared.

When the walls of Jericho do fall, in Joshua 6, and the Israelites take the city, Rahab and her family were indeed spared, and the thing that marked her home was this cord of scarlet thread. It’s easy upon a first read to dismiss the color of the rope, but the color is highly significant. The string in her window was a sign of her faith and led to her salvation, as she was not destroyed with the rest of Jericho.

The scarlet rope worked for Rahab much as the blood of the Passover lamb had worked during the Exodus: every home marked with blood was spared from death (Exodus 12), which was a symbol of the blood of Christ. Like the homes adorned with the blood of the lamb, or Rahab’s house with the scarlet thread in the window, those who are covered by the blood of Christ will be spared from destruction.