2 March | Youth
«Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.» Joshua 2:21
Despite technological advances in aviation, many helicopter pilots still use an old technique to maintain the correct route. They tie a small piece of red yarn to the aircraft's windshield, known as a “yaw string,” to understand the direction of the wind in relation to the aircraft. If the wool is displaced to the left, for example, it indicates that the wind is coming from the right. Thus, the pilot adjusts the helicopter to that side until the string is aligned with the aircraft again.
When Israel's spies visited Rahab (the prostitute who lived in Jericho), they asked her to place a scarlet rope in her window as a sign of protection during battle. This cord would be an outward symbol of her faith in God (Josh 2:9-11), keeping her life on the right path.
It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word tiqwah can be translated both as “cord” and as “hope.” It is first used in Joshua 2:18, referring to the “yaw string” that Rahab used in the window of her house. With that gesture, Rahab showed where her hope for salvation was. Because of her faithfulness, she and her entire family were spared from destruction (Heb 11:31).
This thread of hope runs throughout the Bible, especially through Rahab's descendants. In the dialogue between Naomi and Ruth, we find the word tiqwah translated as “hope.” “If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,” said Naomi, “would you wait for them till they were grown?” We know that it was not Naomi who brought a descendant to marry her daughter-in-law Ruth, but rather the Lord's providence. Ruth married Boaz, a rich farmer. Who was he? Son of Rahab (Matt 1:5), the former Canaanite prostitute. Ruth and Boaz were David’s great-grandparents (Ruth 4:22), the great king of Israel and ancestor of the Messiah.
Rahab put the thread of hope in her window. And you, do you have this same “thread” in your heart?