Matthew 1:1-17; Joshua 2:1, 3; 6:17-25; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25
We are still looking into the genealogy of Jesus as mentioned in Matthew chapter 1. Our emphasis in this study is Rahab.
The genealogy of Jesus given in Matthew is in the Bible to let us know that He had a background a lot like yours and mine. He called himself “the friend of sinners,” and he said he didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He said, “The Son of man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.” (Luke 19:10)
For 40 long, rigorous years, Moses—under God’s direction—led the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness. God had delivered them from Egypt, helped them cross the Red Sea on dry ground and supernaturally defeated the enemies who tried to thwart their path to Canaan.
Now Israel was about to enter the land God promised to the nation. God had transferred the mantle of Israel’s leadership to Joshua, an able, faithful and courageous leader. Before Israel entered Canaan, Joshua sent a reconnaissance party of two men to spy out the land just west of the Jordan River, paying special attention to the formidable city of Jericho. The spies having entered Jericho went into the house of Rahab the "harlot." Rahab is identified as a harlot (prostitute) multiple times. Joshua 2:1, 6:17, 25, James 2:25, Hebrews 11:31. It may seem strange that the spies found refuge in the house of a prostitute—what were they, people of God, doing there? The answer may be quite simple. The house of a harlot was probably a good place to avoid detection—a couple of travelers entering such a house would probably not arouse much suspicion. The spies, seeking anonymity, figured a house of prostitution would be a good place to hide. Also, Rahab’s house was situated on the city wall (Joshua 2:15), providing an escape route.
The first part of Rahab—“Ra,” was the name of an Egyptian god. As an Amorite, Rahab belonged to an idolatrous people, and had a name meaning “insolence,” “fierceness,” or “broad,” “spaciousness.”
Evidently Rahab had her own house and lived apart from her parents and family. Perhaps she was treated as a moral leper because of her profession. We are told that prostitution was not regarded with the same horror then, as now, but the Bible with one voice speaks of harlotry with moral revulsion and social ostracism.
Rahab’s house was built against the town wall Thus, the people of Jericho knew all about the men who entered and left such a disreputable house. While her name came to be sanctified and ennobled, both Paul and James affix the label to her name, Rahab the harlot. She still carried the evil, distinguishing name, thus declaring the peculiar grace of the transforming power of God. How Rahab came to forsake her evil career we are not told. Also the Bible does not specifically state when Rahab turned from her former occupation and sinful lifestyle to follow God; however, we do know from the text in Matthew that she married Salmon and had a son named, "Boaz."
Both Jewish and Christian writers have tried to prove that Rahab was a different woman from the one whom the Bible always speaks of as a “harlot.” . But scriptural usage of the Hebrew word "zanah" (Leviticus 21:7-14; Deuteronomy 23:18; Judges 11:1; 1 Kings 3:16) and the authority of the apostles (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25), establish the credibility for use of the word “harlot.”
To them it was abhorrent that such a disreputable person should be included in our Lord’s genealogy and also mentioned by the writer of Hebrews, as a woman of faith, and so her story has been distorted in order to further a scheme of salvation based upon human goodness. Although man’s sense of refinement may be shocked, the fact remains that Rahab, Tamar and Bathsheba were sinful women who were cleansed by God, and had their share in the royal line from which Jesus sprang. Rahab was an outcast of society for her scarlet sin, but God wove this woman into the lineage of Jesus Christ using a scarlet thread.
What do we know about Rahab, who played such a pivotal role in the fall of Jericho? Halley’s Bible Handbook suggests she may have been a temple prostitute, which in Canaanite eyes was an acceptable line of work (2000, p. 190). Rahab and her family lived within the outer city wall. Her house was apparently part of the wall. It is possible that the house doubled as an inn since the spies were sought there. Besides her infamous profession, it appears that Rahab engaged in less-questionable labor as well. Either growing or buying flax, she dried it on her rooftop and made linen from it.
The whole city had received news about the miraculous events and conquests of the wandering nation of Israel, yet Rahab was the only resident of Jericho who resolved to fear and obey Israel’s God. This she did even before she had the opportunity to interact with the spies from Israel. Although the Canaanites had many gods, she had enough understanding to realize that the God of Israel was no ordinary Canaanite deity.
Probably it was from some of the travelers Rahab entertained and sinned with, that she came to learn the facts of the Exodus of Israel, the miracle of the Red Sea, and the overthrow of Sihon and Og. So, when the two spies from Joshua sought cover in her house, she knew that sooner or later the king of Jericho would get to know of the accommodation she gave them. Here were two men, different from other men who came seeking her favors.
These were men of God, not idolaters, bent on one mission, namely, the overthrow of the enemies of her people, but brilliantly she planned their protection and escape. The flax that she spread on her roof and the scarlet cord she used as a sign indicated that Rahab manufactured linen and also dyed it.
Rahab’s skillful scheme succeeded. The two Jewish spies were in desperate straits, seeing the Amorite pursuers were hot on their trail, but Rahab, although her safety and patriotism as an Amorite would be assured if she informed against the spies, decided to hide and preserve them. Seeing their hunted and dreaded look, Rahab assuredly said, “Fear not, I will not betray you nor your leader. Follow me,” and taking them up to the flat roof of her house, bade the men cover themselves completely with a pile of flax lying there to dry. Shortly after, when the pursuers had tracked the two spies to Rahab’s house, she met them with a plausible excuse that they were there but had left by way of the Eastern Gate. If they doubted her word, they could come in and search her house. But off the pursuers went to catch up with their prey, not knowing that the spies were being befriended by Rahab. As soon as the way was clear, under cover of night, she let the spies down from the window in the wall and, knowing the country, guided the spies in the best way to escape capture.
Before they left she made a covenant with them: She would help them to safety; they, in turn, had to spare her and her family.
The spies then negotiated their side of the agreement: She had to keep their location a secret along with helping them to safety. Moreover, she was required to gather all of her father’s family under her roof and identify her house by hanging a scarlet cord from a window.
The deal struck, God afterward gave Jericho into Israel’s hands by flattening its walls. Yet, incredibly, Rahab’s house was left standing. As had been agreed, Rahab and her family were delivered. They made their home with Israel from that day on.
But the story doesn’t end there, as we’ll see.
Surprisingly, Rahab is one of two women named in Hebrews 11 as examples of godly faith. The other is Abraham’s wife, Sarah. This is in addition to the Matthew genealogy inclusion. Few would question Sarah’s inclusion in Hebrews 11. She exemplified, in most respects, what are generally considered Christian values and qualities. But Rahab? Why would the holy, righteous God include the name of a harlot as one of His faithful saints?
God, we must realize, shows His great mercy and power through human weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). Out of Rahab’s weakness she was made strong in faith—through the power of God. The record of her deeds provides sufficient scriptural evidence for why God included her in the faith chapter: “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).
Rahab risked her life to protect “enemy” spies. Rahab focused on the godly mission of the spies and her realization that they represented the God of Israel. Rahab didn’t believe just in the existence of God, she literally believed what He revealed. That is, she believed it was He who was bringing Israel into the Promised Land. Risking her very life, she had no more evidence to go on than the reports from others that somehow, in some way, the God of Israel had given His people great victories over more-powerful foes.
Rahab stated confidently:
“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. 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.
“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” (Joshua 2:9-11).
Rahab was here living by faith and not by sight. She only heard of the events she narrated to the spies for she saw none of these events actually happen, but had faith to believe that Israel’s God was more powerful than all others and would take care of her and her family too.
Rahab’s faith and conviction gave her the courage to look death in the face—and live. As Proverbs 28:1 tells us, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Courage is born from unwavering faith, as Rahab demonstrated.
We can learn a powerful lesson from Rahab. Her example demonstrates living faith in a forgiving and merciful God.
We should note, however, that Rahab’s response to God's revelation was not perfect. She lied to protect the spies’ whereabouts. Sadly, some will use this to excuse of lying when, in their determination," it’s for a good cause." However, God’s law makes it clear that lying is never acceptable (Leviticus 19:11; Proverbs 12:22). We should bear in mind that Rahab is commended for her faith , not her lying—and realize that her faith was not yet educated, so to speak.
It may even be that Rahab did not yet fully understand the sinfulness of her past way of life. But she did know she had lived apart from the true God and now believed He would receive her if she would serve Him. No doubt this fact would later lead her to a committed life of obedience to God.
No, God did not condemn her for not telling the truth about the spies’ whereabouts; He commended her for hiding His courageous representatives. The apostle James later wrote: “Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?” (James 2:25)—her works being a natural response to her faith. Had she known the truth about lying, this verse would likely read differently. But she acted in the best way she knew—and a merciful and patient God proclaimed her a heroine of faith.
Sometimes we read things in the Bible that strike us as confusing and questionable. And so we ask questions hoping to gain some clarity, but then the answers seem even more confusing to us.
For example, we might be reading the story about Moses’ birth, and we think to ask “Why did God prosper the Hebrew midwives for lying to Pharaoh?” Similar questions could be raised about Abraham lying about Sarah, Tamar’s deception of Judah, Samson lying to Delilah about his strength, David’s attempt to cover-up his affair with Bathsheba even though he was called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), but this was not because he committed adultery and had a man murdered. Noah was “righteous,” not because he got drunk following the Flood (Genesis 9:20-23), but because he obeyed God by building the ark and preached God’s message faithfully. The Bible records many sinful acts that God’s servants committed through the centuries. When the Bible praises these men and women, however, it is not for their evil deeds but for their faith in Him.
Whatever your understanding of God’s nature, it should come as no surprise to learn that God dislikes lying. In fact, God’s dislike of lying is so strong and passionate, Solomon describes it as hatred. “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:” we read in Proverbs 6:16-19, “a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”
The narrative regarding Rahab, in no way sanctions lying. There are several factors that must be taken into account in examining the Old Testament record.
First 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.
Second , lying is uniformly condemned throughout the Bible (see Leviticus 19:11; Proverbs 6:16-19; Ephesians 4:25; Revelation 21:8
The case of Rahab is an example of God honoring a person due to her obedient faith — in spite of a personal character flaw. Reflect upon the following facts in connection with this incident.
Rahab was a Canaanite, an ancient body of pagans that inhabited Palestine at the time Israel entered the land in the 15th 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.. Jericho was one of the principal seats of idol worship, being especially devoted to Ashtaroth, the goddess of the moon. Here was centered all that was the vilest and most degrading in the religion of the Canaanites. By profession, Rahab was a “harlot,” and the scriptures make no attempt to hide that unsavory 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. Read the narrative recorded in Joshua 2:9-11.
... and she said unto the men [the spies], I know that Jehovah has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Jehovah your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath....
This woman had come to believe in the true God and his power to deliver. She was of a different temperament than her heathen neighbors. Accordingly, when the spies from Israel approached her, she was not “disobedient,” as the others of Jericho who would perish in their pagan corruption. Rather, she, through faith in God, 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). She heard enough from the travelers who came to her to reach the correct, saving conclusion: (1) "I know the Lord has given this land to you...(Josh. 2:9) and (2) "...For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below" (Joshua 2:11). It is this change of heart, this faith—coupled with the actions prompted by faith—that saved her and her family.
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 her faith she is commended her lying was never sanctioned.
Rahab also showed a deep devotion to those close to her. Considering the terrible destruction about to befall the great city of Jericho, Rahab could easily have thought only of her own safety, ignoring the welfare of others. Yet her agreement with the spies was that they should guarantee not only her safety but that of her entire family. Rahab’s faith, courage and concern for others saved her family and herself.
“But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, ‘Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.’ And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel … And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho” (Joshua 6:22-25; see also Joshua 6:17-21).
As Rahab offered to shelter the spies and aid them in their escape, she received from them the promise that when they returned to her country, along with Joshua and his army, that she and her family would be spared alive. While her lifestyle had possibly estranged her from her loved ones, she was concerned about their safety as well as her own. Rahab wanted the kindness she was showing the spies to be reciprocated, and they assured her that she would be dealt with “kindly and truly.” The spies said, “Our life for yours if ye utter not this our business.” Then the sign of the scarlet rope—their means of escape—was arranged. “According unto thy words, so be it,” said Rahab as she let the spies down, and making fast the scarlet rope, she awaited her own deliverance. That red token at the window was likewise a signal to the outside world that Rahab believed in the ultimate triumph of Jehovah. She believed with the heart (Romans 10:9, 10), confessed with the mouth, and acted on her beliefs at the risk of her life.
She had to turn her back on the king of Jericho, her gods, and the people of Jericho. She took a major chance with her life by hiding the two spies. Yes, she was willing to risk her very life to follow the spies and the children of Israel. In Joshua 6:25 we read, "But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho." Rahab and the lives of her family were spared because of her obedience to God and by her faith. In Hebrews 11:31 we read, "By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient."
The characteristic feature of the scarlet rope was that it had to be placed outside the window for Joshua and his men to see. Those inside did not see the token of security. As that scarlet line, because of its color and sign of safety, speaks of the sacrificial work of Christ (Hebrews 9:19, 22), the ground of our assurance of salvation is not experience or feelings within, but the token without. Like the Israelites who were about to leave Egypt, Rahab and her relatives might not have felt safe within the house, but the same promise prevailed, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13).
Jericho was the worst of the cities of the Amorites, thus God commanded Joshua to destroy both the city and the inhabitants. By divine decree, it was to be given over to a perpetual desolation. When Joshua entered the city he set about the execution of the divine command, but respected the promise made to Rahab by the spies. Under the protection of the scarlet line, Rahab and all her kindred were brought out of the house. The spies came to her house, not to indulge in sin with Rahab, but to prepare the way for Joshua to take Jericho. She saved the spies not out of human pity, or because of expediency, but because she knew that they were servants of the Lord. In turn, she was saved. The spies she had hid brought her, and her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had out of her doomed house, and made them secure without the camp of Israel (Joshua 6:17-25). Brought out of an accursed city, and from her own sins which were as scarlet, Rahab is a fitting illustration of another miracle of divine grace, namely, the calling forth of His church out of a godless, Gentile world.
The references of Rahab in the New Testament reveals how she became a faithful follower of the Lord . She had been taken from the dunghill and placed among the saints in the genealogy of Matthew 1:5. Her remarkable faith was a sanctifying faith leading her to a pure life and honorable career. As the result of her marriage to Salmon, Rahab became an ancestress in the royal line from which Jesus came as the Saviour of lost souls
The writer of Hebrews highly commends Rahab for her energetic faith and gives her a place on the illustrious roll of the Old Testament of those who triumphed by faith. “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she received the spies with peace” (Hebrews 11:31). What a suggestive touch that is, “with peace.” There was not only faith in her heart that God would be victorious, but also an assured peace when she hid the spies that her deliverance from destruction would be taken care of. She knew the rest of faith. In fact, Rahab is the only woman besides Sarah who is designated as an example of faith in the great cloud of witnesses. What a manifestation of divine grace it is to find the one-time harlot ranked along with saints like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and David!
The Apostle James adds to this record about Rahab being justified by faith by saying that she was likewise justified by works (James 2:25), and there is no contradiction between these two aspects for Rahab’s courageous deed was but faith in practice. Faith had wrought in her a change of heart and life, and it likewise enabled her to shield the spies as she did in the confidence God would triumph over His enemies.
God spared the life of Rahab, a woman who had been a prostitute in Jericho. He took a Gentile woman and her sinful life and gave her a godly husband and a son whom they named, "Boaz." Boaz is identified as being the kinsman-redeemer in the book of Ruth. Boaz married Ruth and they too had a son, "Obed." Obed was King David's grandfather.
Yes, the Israelites received Rahab and her family into the nation of Israel. Over time, she would have learned the laws of God and come to serve Him more completely, repudiating the mistakes of her past. Indeed, being of Canaan and a former prostitute, she must have convincingly changed her life to have been able to marry a prominent Israelite. Amazingly, then, a former prostitute of Canaan would become what every Israelite woman hoped to be—a mother in the line of the Messiah.
In fact, Rahab experienced the messianic hope in an especially personal way—finding deliverance, physical and spiritual, through the mercy of God. Rahab’s story represents what God has in store for those in non-Israelite nations (the gentiles), who are also promised God’s salvation (Acts 2:21; Romans 9:22-26). Her conversion reminds us that one day God will write His laws on the hearts and minds of all mankind, converting all peoples (Hebrews 8:11).
It is often said that Rahab, while being a true historical person, also serves as a symbolic foreshadowing or "type" of the church and Gentile believers. She was, in fact, the first recorded Gentile convert. There are many ways in which Rahab depicts the church.
First, she was part of a pagan world system, a prostitute, who by her conversion was enabled to become a legitimate bride. In like fashion, Israel was the first chosen people of God, but they were set aside temporarily so the Gentiles could be brought into the kingdom of God, and the church is now considered the bride of Christ (Romans 11; Ephesians 5:25-27).
Second, Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was saved because of her faith in ., “The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:11) Likewise, Christians are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
Third, although Rahab and Christians are saved by an act of grace through faith, true faith requires and is exemplified by action (James 2). Rahab had to put the scarlet cord out of the window. Christians must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and then go on to live in a manner that verifies that our faith is real.
Fourth, Rahab could have indicated the location of her home in any number of ways. But the only way that she and her family could be spared was to follow the directions given to her by the Israelite spies. The world tells us that there are many ways to God and salvation, all equally invalid. But the Bible tells us, concerning Jesus Christ, that "salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Fifth, Rahab's faith enabled her to turn away from her culture, her people, and her religion and to the Lord. Commitment to a true faith in God may necessitate setting priorities that are contrary to those of the world, as we are exhorted to do in Romans 12:2. We must leave the past and cling onto the Lord.
Finally, once we come to Christ, our pasts no longer matter. The slate is wiped clean for all who believe and accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on our behalf. ( 2 Cor. 5:17) Rahab was no longer viewed as an unclean prostitute, but as one worthy by grace to be part of the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as she was grafted into the line of Christ, so we become children of God and partakers in His inheritance (Romans 11). We find in the life of Rahab the inspiring story of all sinners who have been saved by grace. In her story, we learn of the amazing grace of God that can save even the worst of sinners and bring them into an abundant life in Christ Jesus.
A transformed life, like that experienced by Rahab, is there for you if you follow the apostle Peter’s instruction: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
If a common harlot of Canaan could become an uncommon saint of faith and courage and receive the privilege of motherhood in the line of Jesus Christ, then surely nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26). Rahab’s amazing story is a lesson for us all. This is the story of Christmas. “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Matt. 1: 20-21.
