Genesis 17:12-13 says, “Every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.”
God called Abraham and made a covenant with him, saying, “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee” (v. 7). The sign of the covenant between God and Abraham was circumcision. All who were circumcised belonged to God, and all who were not circumcised were not of God. God also told Abraham that his whole household needed to be circumcised, including those who were born in his house and those who were bought with his money. Therefore, the promise of circumcision was not given to Abraham alone but to his whole household. Circumcision takes the household as a unit. God’s promise came to Abraham’s house, not to him alone.
Exodus 12:3-7 says, “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house...and they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.”
The Passover lamb was clearly given to a household, not to an individual. Again we see the importance of a household before God. The Passover lamb had to do with a household; it was not an individual matter. A lamb was not prepared for each person, but for each household. The blood struck on the doorpost and side posts was to protect the whole household. The angel of destruction would pass over a whole household.
It is marvelous to see that the salvation prepared by the Lord Jesus Christ is not for an individual alone but for the whole household, just like the Passover lamb. If one man eats the lamb, it means that only he is being saved. But if the whole household eats the lamb, it means that the whole household is being saved. Salvation is for the whole household. The whole household eats the lamb, and similarly the whole household strikes the blood. The whole household enjoys these things together. May God open our eyes to see that salvation is a matter of the whole household, not individuals.
God’s promise of the priesthood was also for a whole house. It was not for one or two individuals. Numbers 18:1 says, “And Jehovah said to Aaron, You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary.”
Verse 11 says, “This also is yours, the heave offering of their gift, all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due; every one who is clean in your house may eat of it.” God gave all the sacrifices and offerings to the house of Aaron. The sacrifices were for the house of Aaron, not for Aaron alone. This is because God accepts the house as a whole. Please remember that the priesthood was for Aaron’s house, not for Aaron alone. The priesthood took the household as a unit.
Joshua 2:19 says, “Anyone who goes forth from the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be upon his own head, and we will be innocent. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood will be upon our heads if a hand should come upon him.” Joshua 6:17 says, “And the city shall be devoted to Jehovah for destruction, it and all that is in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the messengers we sent.”
Here we see Rahab the harlot and her household being saved. What did she do? She received the spies. When she received the spies, God gave her a sign. She was to tie a line of scarlet thread in the window. All who were in the house which had the scarlet thread were spared, while the rest of the inhabitants of Jericho were killed. The scarlet thread signifies salvation. The scarlet-thread salvation saved Rahab’s household; it did not save just her.
We need to be very clear about the scope of salvation. Chapter two of Joshua gives the promise, and chapter six gives the actual execution. Both the promise in chapter two and the execution in chapter six show us that Rahab’s whole household was saved. All who were in the house which had the scarlet thread were saved. God’s salvation is for the whole household, not for individuals.