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Sabbath School Lesson

Surprised By Grace

God's grace never stops surprising us. Discover how He gives undeserving sinners like us multiple chances to be restored, meets us exactly where we are, and miraculously turns our mistakes into blessings. Through the stories of Rahab and the Gibeonites, explore three powerful ways God's amazing grace shows up in our lives—even when we least expect it.

12 min study

Memory Text:

“By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace” (Hebrews 11:31, NKJV).

Outline

  1. Introduction
  2. Talking Points
    1. Giving us multiple chances in being restored.
    2. Meeting us where we are and leading us where we should be.
    3. Turning our mistakes into blessings.
  3. Conclusion and Challenge
  4. Discussion Questions

Introduction

God never fails to surprise us. As the song says, “Your grace still amazes me. Your love is still a mystery.” It’s not that we cannot comprehend even a fraction of His love, but that His love is manifested in so many ways that always seem to surprise us. Same love—unconditional, never changing. But manifested and realized in so many ways that our human minds and hearts can’t help but be in awe of Him. This week’s lesson reminds us of this powerful concept. Hop in for a ride toward an exploration of God’s grace!

This Looks Familiar…

Joshua 2:1 NKJV 

Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.

Wait! Haven’t we seen this play before? The leader sending out spies to view the land that God is about to give? History sometimes does seem to be on repeat, doesn’t it?

Numbers 13:1-2 NKJV 

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [2] “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

This scene is very familiar to Joshua. He has been there before. In fact, he was in the exact position many years ago. But now the scene repeats, not with him as a spy but now as the leader. What could have been in the back of Joshua’s mind? “Look how far you have come. You’re now the leader.” Looking at the book of Joshua, especially how his story as leader is just starting out, this is unlikely. The more plausible line of thinking must have been, “How gracious You are, Lord! We don’t deserve to be in this exact place again,” and most of all the pressure: “Will we get it right this time?”

Grace surprised Joshua. Despite the numerous times Israel rebelled and broke the heart of God, He was still faithful to His promises. Just look at where Israel is now! Ready to take over the land once again. But this story also shows us that God doesn’t bless the disobedient. Don’t get me wrong—His love is for all, and He loves us regardless of our sinful course. But His blessings are conditioned upon man’s willingness to accept and follow God’s plan for him.

Joshua was surprised by God’s grace. In the same manner, we are surprised by God’s grace by the fact that He gives us numerous chances to accept a faithful walk with Him. God showers grace on us, not so that we should stay where we are, but in order to fulfill where God wants us to be—obedient and fulfilled in Him.

And so, Israel’s story is a surprise to us. God is willing to give us all the chances we need just to restore us back to Him.

Who Would Have Thought!

Joshua 2:9-11 NKJV 

and said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. [10] For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. [11] And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

This is remarkable in so many ways! Here we can see a pagan woman who seems to act much better and has stronger faith than Israel had before (Numbers 13-14). Her words are confident: “I know that the Lord has given you the land.” What?! Can’t you see the mighty fortress of Jericho, Rahab? Can’t you see that this new generation of Israelites is not made up of warriors? But no. She was confident. “I’ve heard what your God did to those Egyptians. I know that He will fight for you!” Wow! If only Israel had had this kind of faith before, they wouldn’t have wandered for so many years!

Who would have thought! Who would have thought that a pagan woman would display such a level of faith in the God of the universe? One might ask, how about the lying part? That doesn’t make her so perfect. That’s true, but one must remember that God is working with her. As small as the knowledge and faith she has—small as a mustard seed, perhaps—God knew it could grow into a massive tree.

God, in His grace, saw a spark of faith through which He could save her. God used what was good in Rahab—which was her manifest faith in Him and her choice to belong to His people—but never commended everything she did. – Sabbath School Lesson Monday par. 2

God meets us where we are, and this surprises us. The level of patience and understanding that God has for us is incredible! In a way, God slows His pace just to walk with us. What a picture of grace!

No One Could Have Ever Thought

Unlike other nations who wanted to preserve their nation through battle, the Gibeonites tried another route—tricking Israel into an alliance with them. Their trickery was well crafted, even to the point that they had worn-out shoes and moldy food to show as proof that they were people from afar who wanted to join forces with Israel. Israel, without consulting God, hastily joined the alliance. And after three days they found out the truth.

Joshua 9:16-18 NKJV 

And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them. [17] Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim. [18] But the children of Israel did not attack them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers.

An action of judgment and mercy was then given:

Joshua 9:22-23 NKJV 

Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell near us? [23] Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

But though servants to Israel, the seemingly “curse” turned out to become a huge blessing for the Gibeonites:

The subsequent history of Gibeon testifies to the high religious privileges the city enjoyed, as well as to their loyalty to God’s people. The vow taken by Israel remained in place down through generations, so that when the Israelites returned from the Babylonian captivity, the Gibeonites were among those who helped rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 7:25). Their actions will have eternally positive consequences, but only because of God’s grace.

What might have happened had the Gibeonites disclosed their identity and requested mercy as Rahab did? We don’t know, but we cannot rule out the possibility that even a consultation of God’s will could have resulted in an exemption of the Gibeonites from destruction. God’s ultimate purpose is not to punish sinners but to see them repent and to grant them His mercy (compare with Ezek. 18:23 and Ezek. 33:11). – Sabbath School Lesson Thursday par. 4-5.

Though it still turned out to be for the good of the Gibeonites, their course of action was not ideal. This is in stark contrast to Rahab. No need for conquest or trickery. What God requires is surrender. What God had done for Rahab, He could have done for the Gibeonites and for other surrounding nations. They only needed to surrender.

But grave as their sins might have been, God had showered them with mercy. The Psalmist echoes this concept:

Psalm 103:10 NKJV 

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

Grace can’t seem to stop surprising us. Mistakes are mistakes. Sins are sins. God doesn’t excuse them, and obviously there are consequences for such a course of action. But God does not treat us as He ought. He showers us with grace. If that doesn’t surprise you, I don’t know what will.

Conclusion

Grace is what God gives to undeserving sinners like you and me. Each time we realize how God showers His grace, it always seems to surprise us. In this lesson we have learned that grace is manifested by:

  1. Giving us multiple chances in being restored.
  2. Meeting us where we are and leading us where we should be.
  3. Turning our mistakes into blessings.

Discussion Questions

  1. Can you share a time when God gave you a second (or third, or fourth!) chance in an area of your life where you had previously failed or stumbled? How did that experience change your perspective on His character?
  2. Rahab had limited knowledge of God but responded in faith to what she knew. In what area of your life is God meeting you “where you are” right now, and what might be the next step He’s inviting you to take?
  3. Think of a mistake or detour in your journey with God that He eventually turned into a blessing (like the Gibeonites’ servitude). How can sharing these “redeemed mistakes” encourage others who might be feeling discouraged about their own failures?