This past Sunday, I preached on the Justice and Mercy of God from Joshua 6. For many, this passage simply details the fall of Jericho to the Israelite people. The storyline is somewhat common to those who have been in church a majority of their lives. God gives supernatural victory to the Israelites over an intimidating enemy. Without a doubt, this passage is one of the strongest examples of justice in the Old Testament. All “breathing” inhabitants of Jericho were to be put to death. For over four-hundred years, these rebelled against God. Eventually, this led to their destruction, yet this destruction was not without a profound demonstration of mercy. While the demonstration of justice was great, how beautiful is the demonstration of mercy toward Rahab and her family! A woman on the lowest rung of society is shown mercy for her willingness to turn to the LORD and forsake her false gods while the king of Jericho and his warrior men are defeated by an unskilled army of Israelites. Some find the story of the fall and destruction of Jericho to be irreconcilable with God’s nature to love and forgive, but if you miss those characteristics being on display in this story, it is only because you have failed to consider Rahab!