Rahab and the Spies - Bible lessons for kids

Rahab was a woman who lived in Jericho and played a vital role in God’s plan. Despite Rahab’s past life, God showed her great love and grace. Our reading from Joshua 2:1-8 focuses on the story of Rahab hiding the spies sent by Joshua.

Key Points:

God has a plan.
We should help God’s people.
God’s grace is for everyone.

Rahab and the Spies (A4 British) pdf

Rahab and the Spies (USA) pdf

Rahab and the Spies 5+ lesson pack pdf

Lesson Guide – Rahab and the Spies

Talk about how Joshua sent two men to spy on the city of Jericho. Before they attacked, he wanted to know about the city, the people, and their defences. Set up a “spy mission” and ask your child to look around the room they are in right now. What do they see? Get them to tell you about the colours, shapes, and sizes of the things they see.

Repeat with a different room or a view of the outside if there is interest. As you move through other rooms, remind them that just as they can notice different things in different rooms, the spies saw different things in Jericho.

You might also talk about how the spies had to be very quiet and careful not to be noticed. Ask your child how they might move or behave if they were trying not to be seen!

Share how the spies stayed in Rahab’s house. Say that her life hadn’t been perfect and that she had done things that were not pleasing to God. Talk about how we all make mistakes and sometimes do things that don’t make God happy, just like Rahab did. But God’s love and grace are so amazing that He give us a second chance.

Talk about how the King of Jericho found out about the spies. He wanted to capture them. Rahab was brave and chose to protect the spies. Ask your child about a time when they had to be brave.

Rahab showed her trust in God when she chose to help the spies. She knew about the miracles God had done for the Israelites and believed that God was the one true God. Ask your child if they can remember any miracles from the Bible. Help as needed.

Next, explore the concept of God’s grace. Even though Rahab had done bad things, God showed her grace. She was included in God’s plan and later became part of Jesus’ family. Create a scenario game for your child to understand this concept better. Give them several situations where they can decide if the outcome is deserved. For example, if a friend took their toy without asking, should they still invite that friend to their birthday party? Or if they didn’t listen to instructions and made a mess, should they still be allowed to play? Discuss the answers and explain that grace is when God gives us something we do not deserve. He forgives us when we make mistakes, just as He forgave Rahab.

Ask your child to imagine how the spies might have felt when they heard the king knew they were in Jericho. They might have thought they had failed in their mission. Ask your child how they feel when something doesn’t go as planned. But remind them just as God used what seemed like a failure to save Rahab and bring her into His family, He can turn our failures into something good.

Talk about how Rahab asked the spies to spare her and her family when the Israelites attacked Jericho. They told her to tie a red cord to her window. This red cord would signal the Israelites not to harm anyone in that house. Just like the red cord kept Rahab and her family safe, Jesus keeps us safe. Make or display a simple family tree for the child. Talk about Rahab’s place in Jesus’ family tree. This part of Rahab’s story shows that God has a plan for everyone, no matter their past.

Rahab and the Spies – Bible story for kids

Games and activities

Spy Hide and Seek

Turn a classic game of hide and seek into a spy mission.

Designate the child as the “spy” and ask them to “sneak around Jericho” (the house or room) and find a “secret place” to hide. Discuss how the spies must have felt hiding in Rahab’s house.

Red Cord Mystery

Lay out various objects tied to lengths of red string or yarn across the floor, similar to Rahab’s red cord.

Ask the child to choose a piece of string, guess what object it’s attached to, and then pull it to reveal the object.

Talk about Rahab’s part in the story as she lowered the red cord to help the spies escape.

Quiet Tip-toe Challenge

Just like the spies had to move quietly, challenge your child to walk around the room without making a sound. You can expand the activity with different movement styles. Jump, skip, hop, stomp and so on.