Discussion Questions

Hebrews 11:6 is framed here as God rewarding those who “diligently seek Him,” especially when the ending is unclear; how does the speaker’s emphasis on Joseph and David “waiting 20, 30, 40 years” reshape what it means to trust God when you don’t get explanations? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Hebrews 11:6 says God rewards those who keep seeking Him. How does Joseph and David waiting decades change what it means to trust God when you get no clear answers?

The teacher lingers on the shock of “Rahab the harlot” being one of the only women named in Hebrews 11; what does her inclusion reveal about what God values as “faith,” and what kinds of people we instinctively think don’t belong in a “Hall of Fame” list? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why is it shocking that “Rahab the harlot” is named in Hebrews 11? What does her story show about what God calls faith, and who we assume doesn’t belong on a “Hall of Fame” list?

The speaker suggests Joshua might have sent the men as “messengers” seeking cooperation and hospitality rather than as pure military “spies,” noting that James calls them “messengers”; how would that reading change what you think God was doing in Jericho before judgment fell? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What if Joshua sent the men more as “messengers” looking for help, not just as military spies? How would that change what you think God was doing in Jericho before judgment came?

Rahab’s confession—“your God is in heaven above and on earth beneath”—comes from hearing about the Red Sea and the defeat of Sihon and Og; what does this say about how God intended His mighty acts to function as public testimony to the nations, not just private encouragement for Israel? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Rahab believed after hearing what God did at the Red Sea and in battle. What does that show about God using big public acts to speak to all nations, not just to encourage Israel?

The teacher compares the spies finding Rahab to the angels finding Lot in Sodom, and he argues Rahab seemed “waiting for an opportunity” to forsake Jericho; where do you see God’s mercy in the timing of this encounter, and where do you see human urgency and decision under impending judgment? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Rahab was already looking for a way to leave Jericho behind, what does the timing of the spies meeting her show about God’s mercy? Where do you also see Rahab having to decide quickly because judgment was close?

The speaker refuses to either condemn or justify Rahab’s lie to the soldiers, focusing instead on her willingness to risk everything to save the messengers; what does that restraint expose about our desire for clean moral categories, and how might early Christians have read the story differently than modern Christians who want every detail resolved? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker won’t clearly condemn or defend Rahab’s lie, and focuses on her risking everything to protect the messengers. What does that show about our need for neat moral boxes, and how might early Christians have read this story differently than we do?

James 2 is used to claim Rahab was “justified by works” through receiving and sending out the messengers, and the speaker highlights that James and Hebrews both pair Abraham with Rahab; how does that pairing confront common evangelical instincts about assurance, “faith alone,” and what kind of obedience counts as real faith? JumpstartAnother way to ask: James says Rahab was “justified by works,” and both James and Hebrews link her with Abraham. How does that challenge common evangelical ideas about assurance, “faith alone,” and what kind of obedience proves faith is real?

Hospitality is presented as the specific “act of faith” that procured salvation for Rahab and her family, described as “laying down our lives” for those who enter our homes; what would have to change in your life for hospitality to become costly, risky, and protective in the way Rahab and Lot practiced it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Rahab’s faith showed up as risky hospitality that protected others. What would need to change in your life for welcoming people to become costly and protective in that kind of way?

Rahab insists on rescuing her father, mother, brothers, and “everything they have,” even though we’re told nothing about their faith; how does this challenge modern assumptions about individualistic salvation, and what does it suggest about one person’s faith creating a refuge for others? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Rahab wanted her whole family and all they owned rescued, even though we don’t hear about their faith. How does that push back on the idea that salvation is only individual, and how can one person’s faith become a safe place for others?

The teacher leans hard into the early church reading of Rahab as a type of the church—salvation inside one house, the scarlet cord as Christ’s blood, Cyprian’s “one house alone,” and the church as formerly “polluted by harlotry”; what makes this typology uncomfortable today, and how should it affect the way you think about the necessity, safety, and reputation of the church? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Early Christians treated Rahab’s story as a picture of the church: safety in one house and the scarlet cord like Christ’s blood. Why does that comparison feel uncomfortable today, and how should it shape how you think about the church’s need, safety, and reputation?