As we enter Joshua 2, we read about an immoral woman named Rahab who found grace. She was a prostitute, despite some people who have tried to suggest that Rahab was merely an innkeeper that was a role filled many times by women. The word translated ‘harlot’ comes from a root word meaning ‘to nourish’.
However, this particular word can only have this meaning. She is described in the New Testament as a prostitute, Hebrews 11:31 / James 2:25. But the point is she found grace and she was delivered when the city of Jericho was taken, Joshua 6:22-25. She later married a prince of Israel, Matthew 1:4-6 / Ruth 4:18-22 / 1 Chronicles 2:11-12 / Numbers 7:1-12. She is included in the genealogy of Christ, Matthew 1:4-6.
It is interesting to note that there are four women mentioned there. Tamar was guilty of incest, Genesis 38:16, Rahab, who was a harlot, Joshua 2:1. Ruth, who was a Moabite heathen, Ruth 1:4, and Bathsheba, who was an adulteress, 2 Samuel 11:1-12:9. Surely the story of Rahab should give us great joy in realising that God’s grace is extended to everyone.
Joshua sent two young men to spy out the land, Joshua 6:23, but the text says they were sent secretly,’ Joshua 2:1. This could be in secret as far as the Canaanites were concerned or it could mean that the Israelites themselves didn’t know, although highly unlikely.
There were only two spies sent, Joshua 2:1, possibly because Joshua remembered his own work as a spy and possibly because twelve men would leave too much chance for a difference of opinion, just like what happened last time.
Remember only two of those first twelve gave the right report, Joshua and Caleb, Numbers 13:25-33 / Numbers 14:6-10. More likely though, only two were sent to look over the land, especially Jericho, Joshua 2:1, because it would be easier for two men to get the job done.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘He did not want a recurrence of the Kadesh Barnea rebellion, Numbers 13-14.’
The spies went to the house of a prostitute and stayed there, Joshua 2:1. Remember they didn’t go for immoral purposes but simply because at Rahab’s house they could be inconspicuous. We don’t know how they met Rahab, maybe they followed her on the street or met her outside the city. The point is that God is at work through people.
The king of Jericho must have been already suspicious of the people across the river from them. He himself might have had his own spies, but word has gotten to the king, that these spies are nearby, Joshua 2:2, and maybe he knows why and so Rahab gives the spies some protection.
The king sends word to Rahab to bring the men out, Joshua 2:3, and the text says she had taken the two men and hidden them, Joshua 2:4. She says, yes, the men came to her, but she didn’t know where they had come from, Joshua 2:4. Then she lies about their presence saying at dusk, when it was time to close the city gate they had already left her place, Joshua 2:5, but then she tells the kings messengers to go after them quickly because they may catch up with them, Joshua 2:5.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Lying is a more serious sin in some circumstances than in others, but it is always a sin, Exodus 20:16 / Leviticus 19:11 / Deuteronomy 5:20.’
The king’s men didn’t know that the spies were on the roof hidden under flax, Joshua 2:6. Flax was used for making fine linen and sometimes it was laid out on the roof to dry. Why Rahab was engaged in this business we don’t know but the point is that she hid the spies, the king’s men believed her story and leave pursuing the spies, closing the city gate behind them, Joshua 2:7.
Some people justify Rahab’s lie on the basis of the culture in which she lived, whilst others justify her lie saying the safety of the spies depended on it. We have to remember that God doesn’t overlook sin for His purposes, Rahab’s faith is approved, not her sin.
Many people are confused regarding the story of Rahab who, although she lied when she hid Israel’s spies, was described as being ‘justified’, James 2:25 / Hebrews 11:31. Is this an inconsistency within the Bible or a contradiction?
The story regarding the Canaanite, whose name was Rahab, in no way sanctions lying. There are several factors that must be taken into account in examining the Old Testament record.
1. One would not even know of this event were it not for the fact that it is revealed in the biblical documents.
This is a clue as to the openness and integrity of the sacred account. Scripture makes no effort to conceal the episode. Her weakness is bluntly revealed.
2. Rahab’s lie is never condoned anywhere in the Bible text.
The New Testament writers certainly do not claim that she was ‘justified’ by her misrepresentation of the facts regarding the Hebrew spies.
3. Lying is uniformly condemned throughout the Bible, Leviticus 19:11 / Proverbs 6:16-19 / Ephesians 4:25 /
Revelation 21:8.
The fact is, apart from divine revelation it cannot be proved that lying is wrong.
The case of Rahab is an example of God honouring a person due to her obedient faith, in spite of a personal character flaw. Rahab was a Canaanite, who were an ancient body of pagans that inhabited Palestine at the time Israel entered the land in the fifteenth century before Christ. They were a grossly wicked people, steeped in idolatry and immorality.
They even sacrificed their children on occasion as offerings to their gods, Leviticus 18:21 / Leviticus 20:2-5 / Deuteronomy 12:30-31 / Deuteronomy 18:9-12. By profession, Rahab was a ‘prostitute,’ and the scriptures make no attempt to hide that unsavoury lifestyle. Without question, this woman needed considerable refinement.
In spite of her sordid background, Rahab had generated in her heart a growing faith in the God of Israel. We should understand that this woman was from a pagan environment. Her concept of morality and her personal lifestyle, she was a prostitute, needed considerable refining. In spite of her sordid background, she had developed a sincere faith in Israel’s God, Joshua 2:9-11.
This woman had come to believe in the true God and his power to deliver. She was of a different temperament than her heathen neighbours. Accordingly, when the spies from Israel approached her, she was not ‘disobedient,’ like the others of Jericho who would perish in their pagan corruption.
Rather, she, through faith in Jehovah, received the spies in peace, Hebrews 11:31, hid them and sent them out another way, James 2:25. It was by these works of faith that she was delivered. Later, she was even incorporated into Christ’s genealogy, Matthew 1:5.
Admittedly she lied in the process of hiding the spies, and that was wrong. But her faith and obedience allowed her to obtain pardon from her blemished history. It is for the former that she is commended but the latter was never approved.
She was not ‘justified’ by lying, rather, she was justified by her faith and her works, in spite of her ignorance and or weakness. It would be a gross misuse of this narrative to employ it as proof that there are occasions when it is divinely permissible to lie.
We must not pass from this point without noting that the case of Rahab demonstrates the wonderful harmony between faith and works in the divine plan. The writer of Hebrews states that Rahab didn’t perish, as a result of her faith, Hebrews 11:31. James declares that she was justified by her works, James 2:25. These two requirements are not mutually exclusive from one another.
Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof, Joshua 2:8. She goes ahead and speaks of the fear of her people, Joshua 2:9. Look at how she describes their fear, the terror of you has fallen on us, the inhabitants have melted away, Joshua 2:9.
In other words, everyone is terrified and there is no courage to be found anywhere, Exodus 23:27 / Deuteronomy 2:25 / Deuteronomy 11:25. Her faith is very humbling indeed, she says first of all, ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land’, Joshua 2:9.
Remember that Rahab didn’t have, what the Israelites had, they had seen the plagues of Egypt, she didn’t, Joshua 2:10, they had seen the crossing of the Red Sea, she didn’t, they had seen pillars of smoke and fire, she didn’t, they had seen the quail and manna, she didn’t, so if anyone should have great faith it should be the Israelites.
But Rahab responded in a way which reflected her faith, she speaks of the exploits of which her people were aware, the crossing of the Red Sea and the defeat of Sihon and Og, Joshua 2:10 / Numbers 21:21-35. Her faith is very humbling indeed, she says secondly ‘the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath,’ Joshua 2:11.
We see that Rahab makes a plea, not just for herself and her own possessions but for her father’s household, Joshua 2:12-13. She wanted her father, mother, brothers, and sisters to be saved, Joshua 2:13. But she’s a prostitute and who would listen to a prostitute? Well, the same could be said of the Samaritan woman, John 4:28-30, people listened to her and so did Rahab’s family, Joshua 6:23 / Joshua 6:25.
After some bargaining, Rahab makes a deal. She says, if she tells no one about the spies, they will live, Joshua 2:13, and the two spies agree. Joshua 2:14. She let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall, Joshua 2:15. She tells them to go to the hills so the pursuers will not find them and hide themselves for three days until they return and then go on their way, Joshua 2:16.
The two spies tell her that her oath will not be binding unless when the spies enter the land and they have tied a scarlet cord in the window through which she let them down, Joshua 2:17-18. The two spies tell her that her oath will not be binding unless she bring her father, mother, brothers and all her family into her house, Joshua 2:18.
If any of them go outside her house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads and Israel will not be responsible and as for those who are in the house with her, their blood will be on Israel’s head if a hand is laid on them, Joshua 2:19. However, if she tells what Israel are doing, Israel will be released from the oath she made them swear, Joshua 2:20.
Rahab agrees and says let it be as they say, Joshua 2:21. So she sent them away, and they departed and she tied the scarlet cord in the window, Joshua 2:21. There have been numerous suggestions as to why the scarlet cord. It would simply contrast with the wall of the city and be easily seen. It simply might have just been there, after all, scarlet was sometimes associated with prostitutes and therefore would go unnoticed by the people of the city, Revelation 17:3-4 / Jeremiah 4:30.
Scarlet was felt by some to be a protection against evil spirits. The early church fathers preached it as being typical of the blood of Jesus to be shed later and the blood sprinkled at the Passover previously. Whatever the reason, it served its purpose.
The spies followed Rahab’s instructions and they went to the hill country where there would be many caves in which to hide, Joshua 2:22 / Joshua 2:15-16. They remained there long enough for their pursuers to give up on them, Joshua 2:22-23.
The spies returned to Joshua and reported all that had happened to them and they repeated Rahab’s words, Joshua 2:23. They told Joshua that God has surely given the whole land into Israel’s hands, Joshua 2:9, and all the people are melting in fear because of them, Joshua 2:24 / Joshua 2:9 / Joshua 2:11.
This confirmed what God had promised back in Joshua 1:2 / Joshua 1:5. God used this same kind of proof for Gideon, Judges 7:13-15. In other words, God really would keep His promises.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The report of these spies to Joshua must have been a source of infinite encouragement to the Commander. Up to here, Joshua could have supposed that a military assault would be necessary, but, after this report, he no doubt sought to know the will of God by every means open to him. In these circumstances, God spoke directly to Joshua, Joshua 3:7, with specific instructions on how the conquest was to proceed.’
A lot of people struggle with the concept of God’s grace because it’s so vast and almost beyond comprehension, most of the time we think we do well feeling the guilt of our sin, but we sometimes take that guilt too far and feel that God cannot forgive us because, as we put it, ‘I’ve been too bad.’ Paul knew he had been a sinner, yet he found grace, 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 / Ephesians 3:8 / 1 Timothy 1:15-16.
We clearly see that God does forgive. Some commentators see four doors of salvation in the Bible. 1. The door of the ark. 2. The door of the Passover. 3. The door of Rahab’s house 4. Jesus as a door, John 10:9. Whether this is true or not, we still see that God forgives.
Rahab also teaches us that we must live for God despite being surrounded by a world of sin, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 / 2 Corinthians 6:17, but at the same time, we need to be concerned about the salvation of others.