Question:

I have been reading through the OT and I was wondering if you think the scarlet cord that the two spies told Rahab to put over her door is a sort of observance of the passover for her and her family, who were saved with her…? It seems like a variation on the passover to me — perhaps that was the first thing that those two young men thought of in their haste to think of a symbol that all the Israelites would recognize immediately, even in the confusion and speed of a battle charge. I noticed that the passover that year took place right after they crossed the Jordan and right before they invaded Jericho.

Answer:

Good insight. I have actually heard this before, although put somewhat differently. People have claimed that the scarlet cloth was a prefigure of the blood of Jesus, which is virtually the same as saying it was a "variation of the Passover" for this Gentile woman. My response is that this is certainly possible. However, I like to be cautious. I say this is a bit speculative. In my book, From Shadow to Reality (www.ipibooks.com) I have an appendix suggesting how we can be confident or when, conversely, we ought to be cautious about such things. In my opinion, this is a definite possibility, but I purposefully chose NOT to use it in my book because it is not completely obvious that God intended to use the red cloth to represent the Passover lamb/Jesus.

So yes, probably but not definitely. At least that is my response. Good work.

John Oakes