“Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.”
Josh.2.18
Discussion
The scarlet thread was a symbol of safety, exemption from calamity, deliverance from destruction, forgiveness of sin, and declaration of justification. Rahab was from a heathen city, Jericho. It was a city about to be pulverized and its inhabitants destroyed. To make matters worse, Rahab was a prostitute, a detestable trade in a heathen city and outlawed in Israel. By prostituting her body, she was already in line to be condemned by the attacking army of Israel. To make matters even more hopeless, she lived on the city wall. This means that her house will be first to crumble once the army of Israel crushes the city wall. She was at all points doomed for destruction. But that was until she met two men from Israel and she showed them kindness. Thus, she believed in the God of Israel and laid down her life before Him. By saving these two men, a promise was made to her; a promise of exemption from the destruction of Jericho. She received salvation because she believed in the God of Israel. As a token of this salvation, she was instructed to let down a scarlet thread from her window. Because of this, when the city walls came crashing down, Rahab's house remained standing. Hallelujah! The scarlet thread is similar to the blood of the lamb in Exod.12.13. Death visited every home in Egypt in one night, except the homes with blood-smeared doorposts.
The blood on those doors exempted the inhabitants of those homes from death and destruction. In both cases of the scarlet thread and the blood on the doorposts, the recipients didn't need to struggle or fight or war with the enemy. They simply obeyed and stayed within the covering provided. The scarlet thread and the blood on the doorposts both signify the blood of Jesus. His blood represents His death, and your believing means that you agree that He died your death. His blood declared you righteous and exempted you from death and destruction. You do not have to fight or struggle with the devil; you only need to stay under the covering of the blood of Jesus. How do you do this? Simply by faith in His resurrection. If you believe Jesus died and rose from the dead and you rose with Him (Eph2:5-6), then you are already covered by the blood of Jesus. No power of darkness can ever do you harm right here. By His blood you have been translated from the arena of influence of devils into the basilica of the power of God.
Hallelujah!
Meditation
Rom.5.9 — Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.