Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur
Week 4: Chapter 3 — Rahab: A Sinner Saved by Grace
Read Chapter 3 of Twelve Extraordinary Women. Primary passages: Joshua 2:1–21; Joshua 6:22–25; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25.
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Rahab's story is one of the most startling in Scripture — a pagan prostitute becomes an ancestor of the Messiah — and MacArthur uses it to make a point about grace that is almost too good to be true.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.MacArthur does not soften the description of Rahab as a prostitute, nor does he try to redefine the term. Why does he think it is important not to minimize what she was? What is lost if we clean up her story too quickly?
2.Rahab's confession to the spies (Joshua 2:9–11) is one of the most remarkable statements of faith in the Old Testament: "The Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." Where did this faith come from? What had she heard, and how does faith come "by hearing" (Romans 10:17) in her case?
3.The scarlet cord Rahab hung from her window (Joshua 2:18) is widely understood as a symbol of the blood of Christ — protection through an outward sign of trust. How does this symbol connect Rahab's story to the Passover, and ultimately to the cross?
a.What does the act of hanging the cord represent about the nature of saving faith — it is visible, it is public, it involves risk?
b.Is there a "scarlet cord" in your own life — a visible marker of your trust in the blood of Christ?
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