“Please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house.” Joshua 2:12
Rahab pressed the spies not just for a promise, but for a promise that was made in the name of the Lord, because she knew that a promise with God’s name attached was a promise that would be kept.
The spies gave a solemn promise in the name of the Lord: “Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household” (2:18).
Rahab trusted a promise that had God’s name attached to it: “swear to me by the LORD …” (2:12). The promise was clear: Tie the scarlet cord in the window, and anyone who is in your house will be saved.
Joshua records, “She tied the scarlet cord in the window” (2:21). Faith commits to God’s people because of who God is, what He has done. And faith trusts God’s promise.
Sometime after the spies had gone, the people of God appeared on the horizon. When Rahab saw them coming, she gathered all her family.
When you come to believe, you have a great desire that your loved ones should also believe and be saved. And Rahab was concerned not only for her own safety, but also for the safety of her parents, her siblings, and all of their families too (2:13). So, Rahab gathered her family and must have told them: “This city is going to be destroyed. Come to my house and you will be safe.”
Is there someone in your family who has demonstrated a desire for you to be saved? Get in touch with him or her to talk about it. If you have come to believe, take some time and bring each of your family members before the Lord in prayer.