Fall of Jericho
Rahab - Part II
By Ethel Barrett
Publisher’s Note: In 1949, the recording of the Rahab story earned Ethel Barrett first place in a nationwide competition held by the National Religious Broadcasters. However, the award nearly slipped away during the live-to-disc session. As the story reached its fiery climax, the sound effects technician had fallen asleep at his post. Realizing the production was seconds from failure, Barrett delivered the climactic cry of 'FIRE!' with such bone-chilling intensity that it bolted the technician upright just in time to catch the cue. That moment of authentic 'enthusiasm' didn't just wake the technician—it defined the recording and later served as a powerful example of enthusiam during her storytelling seminars.
The Fall of Jericho, Rahab II
MUSIC: SET GAY MOOD: THEN OUT. NG fast
BOY: You promised. Now you have to do it.
MOTHER: Did I put it in writing?
BOY: Nope.
MOTHER: You mean about the other half of the story I started?
BOY: Yep.
MOTHER: Where’d we leave off? Or better still, let’s recapitulate.
BOY: Yes, LET’S—a—do that.
MOTHER: Once there was a wicked city -
BOY: Jericho!
MOTHER:—with walls around it—
BOY:—and houses on the walls—
MOTHER: God’s people, the Israelites were going to march on Jericho, and sent spies on a dangerous mission to search it out -
BOY: And a woman named Rahab hid the spies so they didn’t get caught -
MOTHER: Yes, Rahab chose the Israelites—and God.
BOY: Then the spies made a promise—they made a promise—
MOTHER: They promised that when the army came, Rahab and her family’d be saved, if she left a scarlet cord hanging from her window. And now they’re coming back! They got across the river Jordan. God parted the waters!
MOTHER: YES, and when we left the story, the Jericho soldiers were running like the wind back to the city to warn them the army was coming!
BOY: Well, go ON!
MUSIC: TENSE, EXCITED: THEN OUT (Hamlet (side #6) 1 1/2” in)
MOTHER: When the gates of Jericho were opened to the Jericho soldiers, they fell in, half dead with fright. “They’re coming! They stop for nothing! They walk across rivers! We are doomed!”
They were taken to the king. The news spread like wild-fire through the city. Rahab heard it when she went out to get water. She hurried home, went up to that certain window, felt the red cord, made sure it was still there, hanging from the window. That cord meant EVERYTHING. That cord was her—her family’s—salvation. Her heart beat fast. She shaded her eyes, peered across the plain toward the Jordan valley. Pretty soon now, they’d be coming. The Israelites and God. HER God—now—
MUSIC: TENSE: THEN OUT
Well, for several days, nothing happened. As far as they could find out, the Israelites were setting up camp and making preparations for the big attack. Meanwhile orders were flying thick and fast in Jericho. The gates were to be closed now at all times—not just at nite. (TRUMPET) A state of emergency was declared. No one was to come in without being questioned and searched—no one was to go out without permission from the king. The king himself was terrified. Everyone was terrified—but Rahab. She was a little frightened—yet filled with a strange new hope that made her eager for the great army to come. When she went to get water, she hurried back to the house—dashed to that upper window to see if anything had happened while she was gone. If any of the others wanted to go out—her mother or father or sisters or brothers—they had to answer to her first—she was so afraid they’d be gone too long—or perhaps wouldn’t come back at all.
It was hard to make them believe they HAD to be in her home when the attack took place—for she couldn’t tell them about the promise of the spies. Every morning she’d awaken, thinking “today’s the day!” And she’d rush to the window, and look toward the Jordan.
And one morning she saw them. Way across the plain, she saw them. Like specks in the distance, at first—they were coming!
Others had been watching too, and before she got downstairs to tell the family, the cry was going up all over the city! Everywhere people crowded to see—people at windows, people on roof-tops—watching, hardly daring to breathe. As they drew closer, close enough to fight, people scampered down from roof-tops—some to hide in the center of town, some to stay by their possessions and save them if they could—the armed men were stationed by the walls and gates. And so—they watched and waited.
MUSIC: HAMLET SIDE 6. FROM START. HOLD IN B/G
The Israelite army! The warriors came first, armed with swords and shields and spears! And then—Seven holy men all dressed in white—and they carried strange trumpets! Behind them were more men in white robes with something—something that glittered in the sun like gold! It WAS gold—it was the ark! That strange and beautiful box they carried by poles on their shoulders—it had two carved figures on top with outspread wings—all made of gold—it was dazzling in the sun! And then as far as they could see, more warriors.
MUSIC OUT SLOWLY
The first in the procession had already started around the city—outside the city wall—and the rest followed. It was so quiet! No shouting—no battle cry—no military orders—no call for a parley—no one even spoke!
Then suddenly, the men with the trumpets pulled them from their belts and—(LOUD TRUMPET SINGLE NOTE BLAST) it froze the blood in the veins of those inside Jericho’s walls. But then, nothing happened! They marched on in complete silence. All the way around the city, and then—when the first ones got back to where they’d started, they marched away in the direction from which they came! And the others followed—and without a word, without even an upward LOOK, they came and went! (PAUSE) It was a trick. It was a TRICK. A war of nerves, that’s what it was. They’d be back that nite for a surprise attack.
The guards were doubled. A watch was kept. No one dared sleep. All through the long nite, they waited. Nothing happened. Next morning—sure enough, way in the distance, the specks could be seen—the glitter of light from the gold ark could be seen—they were coming! This time to fight! But—no—without a word, they marched around the city again and after a blast from the trumpets (TRUMPET BLAST) they were gone as they had before.
For six days they did that, marched around once, and were gone. For six nites, all Jericho waited for some trick, some surprise attack—that never came. By the seventh day, they were exhausted—the tension was almost unbearable. They watched, from the top of the gate, from the outer wall—from all the windows in the houses along the top of the wall—
Rahab and her family were watching too. Sure enough, the Israelites came back—the priests with white robes and trumpets, the golden box shining in the sun—and began that march around the city walls. Rahab watched from her window until the first ones got to the starting point again—then started to turn away—but wait.
MUSIC: EXCITED: WELL UNDER: (Night in Bare Mountain)
The first ones weren’t starting back. They were—they were starting around the city wall again! She called to her father to keep watch—she was down the stairs in a flash—making sure everybody was in the house, bolting doors—closing windows—breathless, back up to the window, her family with her. She called out to her father—
RAHAB: What are they doing?
FATHER: They’ve started around yet another time. This is the third time.
RAHAB: Third time. This is the day, then. Something’s going to happen. Is the cord in place—in sight from the window?
FATHER: Yes, daughter. It’s here.
RAHAB: Then everything’s alright. We’ll just wait and see.
MUSIC: SWELL; THEN OUT
MOTHER: It seems like a foolish thing to do.
RAHAB: What, just wait?
FATHER: No—this marching around and around. What can they hope to accomplish? They are not setting up for a siege. These walls are double and thick and high.
RAHAB: I know. But their God doesn’t work in ordinary ways. He—How many times have they gone around now?
FATHER: It’s been six—no, seven—they started the seventh time around, I think.
RAHAB: Perhaps, perhaps the whole city will yet surrender. They’ve had ample time to surrender, haven’t they, father?
FATHER: They will never surrender. They—listen—
SOUND: TRUMPETS IN BG
FATHER: They’re blowing the trumpets again.
RAHAB: Yes—something will happen now. The trumpet blasts seem longer—and louder—and so—final. Somehow -
MOTHER: The rest of what she said was swallowed up in noise!
SOUND: TROUBLE CRASHING, CONFUSION ETC.
MOTHER (NARRATER): The rest of what she said was swallowed in the noise!
MUSIC: START BG OF TROUBLE, CRASHING, CONFUSION, ETC. UNDER THE FOLLOWING:
After the last long loud blast of the trumpets, Joshua gave the command to shout! Shout! Jericho is yours! And the great cry that went up from the multitude outside the city walls—was terrible to hear! Jehovah has given us this city! Jericho is ours in the name of Jehovah!
The roar was like thunder! It was more than shouting—it was the walls! THE WALLS! The very earth seemed to rent and give way beneath them! Big jagged cracks zig-zagged their way up the outer walls and they came crashing outward—dragging the inner walls with them and the houses that were built upon them—all came down—down—ripping, crashing, tearing, sprawling down the hillside. Homes turned inside out as if by some giant hand—insides of homes spilling—people leapt from windows, screaming—fought their way farther into the city, climbing blindly over rubble—through the confusion, the dust, the fire—
SOUND: FIRE BG
FIRE! It was springing up everywhere, choking—blinding—FIRE! (FADE)
MUSIC: SWELL: THEN DOWN UNDER
SOUND: SWELL: THEN DOWN UNDER (FIRE)
And the orders went forth, and the Israelite army went into the city, every man “straight before him”—and the word went forth:
ELLIS1 (NARRATOR #2): “Rahab shall live, she and all that are with her in her house, because she hid the spies that we sent!”
MOTHER: A little group, led by the two spies, started off, in the direction of the portion of the wall where Rahab’s house—there it was, beginning to sag—ugly, jagged cracks finding their way up toward it—the walls on both sides of it bending outward crazily—fire eating its way all around it—and there it was—the scarlet cord in the window!
Heads in the window disappeared when they saw the soldiers coming—the crack widened—the two spies hurried around to the other side, soldiers followed into the choking blinding dust and smoke. Pounded on Rahab’s door. It opened immediately and Rahab was framed in the doorway—her hair streaming down—her eyes swollen from the stinging smoke—and her family—their faces masks of terror—all with bundles—their precious possessions—
There was no time for words. The soldiers grabbed bundles and half dragged that frightened family over the debris—keeping a safe distance from that sagging wall—
When they were outside, they turned to watch, their faces white with terror. The last section of wall bent, lurched crazily, and then with a tremendous groan—plunged outward, dragging Rahab’s house and the inner wall with it!
MUSIC: SWELL TO DRAMTIC CLIMAX: THEN OUT
SOUND: CRASHING
The last thing Rahab saw before it crumpled into nothingness, was the window with the scarlet cord dangling from it. And as they stood and watched—the city was destroyed utterly—by fire—by the sword—every possession was destroyed—except the gold and jewels—things that were tried by fire. They were saved for the treasury of the Lord.
MUSIC: MOOD BG
“Believe on the Lord and Thou shalt be saved—and thy house.” Rahab was saved—by faith—because she believed. “To as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.” Rahab was saved because she received the messengers of the Lord. She was not only saved from destruction—she was saved for a glorious destiny—for our God is always ready to do exceedingly abundant above all that we ask or think. And as she stood there, clutching her robes about her, hugging her bundle of possessions, pushing her streaming hair from her face—she could see only smoke and flames and a crumpled city wall—where she could NOT see—was down through the years when her name would be written in the most significant family tree of all times—Rahab, mother of Boaz who married Ruth, mother of Obed, whose son was Jesse, whose son was David the king. And on through the years—from David to Joseph, husband of Mary, of whom was born, by God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus, who is called Christ.
How could she know as she stood there, the glorious destiny that was hers? She only knew she was saved—by faith.
She wiped her face on her sleeve, turned wearily away—and, with her family, followed the soldiers who had charge of her—to safety.
“Eye hath not seen nor mind conceived the wonders that God hath prepared for those who love Him.”
If Rahab could choose to cast her lot with God—with nothing to go on—then you can choose to cast your lot with Him—you have the word of God to go on—and He says —”Whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
As Rahab received the messengers—and knew she was lost without the scarlet cord— so you must receive Jesus—knowing you’re lost unless you take for your salvation, His sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross.
MUSIC: UP AND OUT TO FINISH
“Ellis” was hand-written in the original script to deliver this particular line. Ellis Barrett was Ethel’s husband and co-narrator during Ethel’s early radio career.