Why does Les make a point of discussing Rahab?
The teacher makes a point of discussing Rahab because she is in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew chapter 1, one of four women. Though all four were immoral, their inclusion points to the grace of God—not license, but grace.
Les explains that the reason he spends a little time with Rahab is because she is in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew chapter 1. She is one of four women, and when he teaches Matthew chapter 1, he points out that not a one of us would like to have had any one of those four women in our genealogy, because they were all immoral women, every one of them. And yet, this points out the grace of God—not the license, but the grace of God. In the narrative, Israel is outside of Jericho, still on the other side of the river, and they send the spies over. The spies go to Jericho and enter into the house of Rahab, who is living on the wall. The wall of Jericho was so huge that chariots could be driven two or three abreast around the perimeter. The king of Jericho is told that men from the children of Israel came to search out the country. Les notes that the inhabitants of Jericho could look out across the Jordan and see the millions of Israelites encamped, and they had already heard everything that had happened for the last 40 years concerning this bunch of people—how God destroyed Egypt and destroyed the king of Moab and all things that tried to oppose them, and how they were so great in number.