Rahab the Harlot
Joshua 2:1–24 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. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.”
So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 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. 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. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”
So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.”
Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them. So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.”
In the second chapter of Joshua, we are met by a remarkable woman named Rahab. she lived in the walled city of Jericho which was the first obstacle the Children of Israel would face in the conquest of Canaan land. Before the main body of Israel crossed the Jordan, Joshua sent out two spies to do reconnaissance of the land and give a report back to Joshua. This was a risky trip for them as the leaders in Jericho were on guard as they had heard reports of the Israelites which had filled them with fear. The city had been shut up, and access to the city was limited.
These spies managed to get into the city and came to a house owned by Rahab. We know from the text that she had living parents and brothers and sisters. These family members are not named. There is no genealogy. Her only identification was that she was a harlot. This means that Rehab's house was a house of prostitution. Why the spies went and lodged there is somewhat of a mystery to us other than it would provide a degree of cover. These two men would have been seen as clients to the residents. the people had heard about the God of Israel who was holy. Certainly, no Israelite would be found in a house of prostitution! This did not mean that they contracted her services or that of any other woman who might have worked there. We might think of her place as something like the saloons in the old west in the United States. Lodging, with or without female company was probably offered there.
There has been many in the modern world of feminism who try to justify that women in those days should not be condemned as they lived in a man’s world and were, therefore, victims. By no means should men who sought the services of prostitutes should be held guiltless. But “The devil made me do it” is no excuse in the sight of God. We might show more understanding if Rahab was a widow and an orphan who had no other means of support. But her parents were apparently alive. Did they sell her into prostitution? We don’t know the answer here. But Jericho was a very wicked city, so wicked, that it was to be exterminated. So it is important to see that Rahab was a great sinner, even if some others were even greater sinners. She, like everyone in the city, stood under condemnation. She was not saved because she was a virtuous woman. But she would be saved.
The text tells us that the men of the city had heard of the spies and that they had come to Rahab’s house. They enquired of her, but she lied to her own countrymen by saying that the spies had indeed come but had left. She told them to pursue quickly after these men. But she had hidden the spies among the stalks of flax drying on the roof. The men then left in a futile pursuit of the spies.
We should notice that she lied to save the spies. Some would like to things that she sinned by lying. But she lied to protect the lives of the two spies. In a way, her lie was part of the means of her salvation. I am not suggesting that Christians should lie. but perhaps we should be a little less black and white in our condemnation. She did not lie to protect herself. to gain in some way, or to protect herself and her reputation (as if she had any). She lied to protect others from harm, so they could return to Joshua with the report. In this way, God’s will was done. Perhaps a better way of understanding lying is to be unfaithful to God. Sometimes, one can lie to God by stating a factual truth. So let us at least keep an open mind on this matter.
We should notice that only two spies sent as compared to the twelve which had been sent out forty years earlier as recorded in the Book of Numbers. In that case 10 of the twelve spies in a way told the truth. The cities were walled. They had a chariots of iron. The Canaanites were a much larger people. Even though they also admitted that it flowed with milk and honey, they did not believe that the LORD was able to defeat them. In other words, they were liars in the sight of the LORD, even though they had made many factual statements. They were the majority report. Only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, assessing the same situation believed that the LORD was more powerful than the enemy. The ten spies, along with all of the elder men and women who left Egypt, save Joshua and Caleb (and their wives?) would perish. Their entrance into the land of Canaan was delayed by forty years. Perhaps, this is why only two spies were sent. Decisions in God’s economy are not to be made be a majority report if the majority is wrong. Decisions need to be made on faith, regardless of whether there are many or few. faith that if God has willed such, it will happen.
As the operator of the saloon, she would have her pulse on what was going on in the city. Saloons and brothels were often frequented by the men of the city. she would be in a position to overhear their conversations. Those who were outside the wall might have been able to come to her place via the windows that apparently allowed access through the walls. She heard of the great fear the inhabitants of the city. Those coming without the city brought the report of how great Israel was. They had heard the mighty exploits done by Yahweh. This kindled a spirit of great fear. Even though they lived in a city with strong walls and storehouses were full to withstand a long siege, they were frightened. Even though there were a great company of Israelites, they had no battering rams and siege equipment. It would have been suicide to storm and climb the walls. It was the LORD God of Israel whom they feared, for God had put this fear in their hearts.
We should also not here the saying of Proverbs 9:10 that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Please note it says the beginning of wisdom. But one is also to act properly from this truth. The great multitude feared and did not believe or repent in Jericho. So they perished. Only Rahab and those who believed her report and came to her house were saved. James tell us that the devils fear God. But what good is it because they did not properly respond. There are many fearful people in this world, including those who are members of Christian churches who are afraid of God. This is a good beginning. but one must properly respond.
Rahab is the example of one who did respond properly. She believed the reports of Israel and their God. She realized that she, too, was doomed to perish with all those in Jericho. She did not just accept her condemnation. she hid the spies. Then she asked for mercy in return. The spies promised that if she did not make their location known that she, and anyone in the house with her would be saved from destruction. A red cord was to be placed in the window as a token of the pledge. She obeyed, even though the fact that her house would be the only one standing when the walls fell. It is God who would see the red cord.
The spies returned to Joshua with the report. This time, it wasn’t Israel whose hearts melted but the mighty inhabitants of Canaan Land and Jericho. May the LORD likewise put the rear of God into the hearts of those who oppose the Gospel. But, even more so, may the LORD make us courageous in the face of the many obstacles. May we not hide in our fortresses in fear as though Satan is coming against the walls of the Church. It says in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of Hell cannot stand against the church. Since when does an invading army advance with gates? Gates are to keep enemies out or to lock people in? To be locked in fear in Jericho is death. The Church is instead to storm Hell’s gates itself. It is by the strength of the LORD’s word that this will happen.
Let us look again at Rahab. She became a woman preacher. She was saved because she believed. She went out and beseeched others who were condemned as she once had been to come to her house. Those who responded to the fearful judgment and responded properly in faith came and were saved. It is a shame that these numbers were probably few. If the city had repented as Nineveh did to the preaching of Jonah, the entire city would have been saved. We even see that the Gibeonites who later came to Joshua and lied about where they came from and tricked Joshua into making a covenant with them were spared, if only as water bearers and wood choppers for Israel. Even though they lied, they were saved to a degree. They were not saved from death because they were good. They were condemned. They were not saved by their deceit. They were saved because they acted on the report they had heard, even though the means were not proper. They feared the LORD; they believed; they acted, and they came.
As we have seen, this passage is a paradigm of how we should conduct ourselves and how people are to be saved. We have the fuller report of how God had brought salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ to those who will believe and act upon this belief. We were all condemned sinners. We were afraid. We heard of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ that He came to save those who respond in faith. We heard that it is not God’s will that anyone perish but that He came to save all who believe (John 3:17-18).
We should not try to compare whether we are less or greater sinners than Rahab. This is not helpful at all. Salvation is only by grace through faith alone to all who will come to Christ in faith. What was true of us we are reminded again is also true for all who are in the world. We are saved from sin to go out into the world to bring the word of salvation to a perishing world. Soon, all the walls will be thrown down by the Word of the LORD, and it will be too late. People should not seek safety in anything other that in christ alone. The governments of this world offer no safety. Gold offers no real safety net. Worldly charities do not save. all the walls will fall. Only that which is built upon the true foundation, Jesus Christ shall stand.
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