Joshua 2:1–21; 6:17, 20–23, 25
This chapter could easily serve as the script for a spiritual spy thriller. It involves spies, high treason, secret agreements, pursuit, and—of course—at the center of it all stands a woman of questionable morals who nonetheless becomes a heroine of faith. Interesting from a theological point of view too, isn’t it?
JUST AS YOU ARE
1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. (Joshua 2:1)
The Bible is an honest book. It states the facts openly—just as they are. And here Rahab’s “profession” is not glossed over. She is called a “prostitute”—a woman who sells her body for money. Josephus tried to cover up this sad fact by calling her not a “prostitute” but an “innkeeper,” the keeper of a lodging house (Antiq. V, 8 [i.2]). And that is probably true as well, but the fact remains that Rahab was a woman of corrupt morals. Since Rahab had the means to receive guests, it was only natural for Joshua’s spies to go to her. Jericho was a small town, and Rahab’s lodging house was likely the only place to spend the night. Of course, the Hebrew spies were not looking for prostitutes but for the Promised Land. They knew that it was precisely the corruption of the nations living in Palestine at that time that had led God to destroy them and take their land. No one would be suspicious of some men going in and out of Rahab’s establishment. And there is no better place to gather information than an inn. Besides, her house offered an easy escape route, since it was built into the city wall (v. 15).
According to rabbinic tradition, Rahab was one of the four most beautiful women in the world. Her name—“Rahab”—means broad, spacious, an empty space—“breadth,” “expanse.” Despite her physical beauty, Rahab was a sinner; inside she was empty. The famous philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal said: “In the heart of every person there is a God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill.”
The story of Rahab’s salvation, like the story of every other salvation, is a story of God’s grace. Rahab was a prostitute, and yet it was she whom God had chosen to save out of the whole city. Perhaps we would have chosen someone else, someone “more worthy.” But not God—He chooses the weak, the lowly, and the despised things of this world to display His glory through them. The English preacher Charles Spurgeon once wrote: “I am so glad that God chose me before the foundation of the world, because He never would have chosen me after I was born.” It is not that God did not know what we would become after we were born; the point Spurgeon is making is that from the moment we are born, we begin to sin, and for this reason we are not worthy of salvation. But praise God for His grace and mercy. God’s grace always meets us right where we are, in whatever condition it finds us. God does not first tell us to clean up our lives and then come to Him. He does not say: “Stop sinning, and then I will come and save you.” No. He breaks into our sinful lives and changes them from within. God’s grace is not for the “righteous” but for those who need it—for those who are willing to admit that they are sinners. The self-righteous will not receive it. It was on this very theme that Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14):
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. (Luke 18:9–10)
11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ (Luke 18:11–12)
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ (Luke 18:13)
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)
God pays no attention to social distinctions. For Him there are no hopeless or impossible cases. He is the God who “justifies the ungodly.” In Romans 4:4–5 we read:
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. (Romans 4:4–5)
WORKS OF FAITH
When the king of Jericho heard that there were Hebrew spies in the city, he immediately organized a counter-intelligence effort and ordered that they be captured. During this time, however, Rahab managed to figure out who her guests were and succeeded in hiding them on the roof of her house.
2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” (Joshua 2:2)
3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” (Joshua 2:3–5)
Rahab did not want her house to be searched, so she created the impression that if they hurried, the king of Jericho’s men would overtake the spies. Only she had sent them off on a false trail.
6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut. (Joshua 2:6–7)
An open roof would be the most unsuitable place for a hiding spot, since even from a distance one could see what was happening up there. But Rahab’s house was different. It was built into the double city wall, and evidently her “roof” was higher than the roofs of the other houses, so that no curious eye could see what was going on there. Flax is a reed-like plant that grows to about a meter in height with pale blue flowers. It is used to make cloth. When it ripens, the whole flax plant is pulled up and placed in water so that the fiber—the woody, thread-like material beneath the bark of the young plant—can be separated from the stalk. Then the fiber was laid out on the roof to dry and was spun into linen thread.
Because she received the Hebrew spies and gave them the help they needed at the risk of her own life, Rahab was cited by the author of the letter to the Hebrews as one of the heroines of faith (Hebrews 11:31):
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. (Hebrews 11:31)
The apostle James also commends Rahab as an example of living faith (James 2:24–25):
24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? (James 2:24–25)
WHITE LIES?
Now, here we cannot help but pause on the question of lying. Did Rahab lie to the king of Jericho’s messengers? Does it not then follow that Rahab was justified by a lie? We have to take the circumstances into account. This happened during a time of war. And deception is an especially important strategy in wartime. Reconnaissance and espionage would be impossible without it. When Rahab hid the spies, she in effect went over to Israel’s side and stood against her own people. In its essence, from the standpoint of the people of Jericho, this was “high treason.” But it was a good “treason,” because it was treason against God’s enemies and a crossing over to the side of God’s people. We must also bear in mind that the Hebrew understanding of truth is that it is not merely adherence to the facts, but also faithfulness. Rahab chose to be faithful to God rather than to her people, and this choice of hers was the right one.
There is another similar case in the Bible: the Hebrew midwives who did not carry out Pharaoh’s order to kill the male Hebrew babies. In Exodus 1:15–21 we are told:
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” (Exodus 1:15–19)
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. (Exodus 1:20–21)
The midwives were blessed because they lied to Pharaoh?!? Does this mean it is no problem to lie? And does it mean that we must never lie?
If we compare the two cases—Rahab’s and the midwives’—we can draw a conclusion about when and under what circumstances lying is permitted.
First, in both cases the situation was one of life or death.
Second, in both cases those who lied did so in order to protect not their own lives, but the lives of other people.
Third, by telling these lies, both the midwives and Rahab put themselves in greater danger than if they had told the truth. In other words, telling these lies did not benefit them personally in any way. On the contrary, by it they were saving someone’s life.
In Rahab’s case specifically, we can say that according to the ancient Babylonian law of Hammurabi, if some criminal or lawbreaker came to the house of a prostitute or innkeeper and she did not hand him over to the authorities, she was to be condemned to death. So by lying to the king of Jericho’s messengers, Rahab risked her life.
If we can conclude anything from all this, it is that if saving someone’s life requires a lie, and we are willing to risk our own life to protect the life of another, then in such a case the lie is justified by God. Perhaps a good modern example of this would be those who lied in order to hide Jews when the Nazis were hunting them to send them to concentration camps and kill them during the Second World War. By doing this, these friends of theirs were putting their own lives in greater danger than if they had told the truth.
So if the last lie you told was not under such circumstances or for one of these reasons, then you have sinned, and that lie was a sin of which you must repent. In Psalm 25:3 it says:
3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. (Psalm 25:3)
FAITH IN THE LIVING GOD
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, (Joshua 2:8–9)
The greater part of the story actually revolves around the conversation between Rahab and the Hebrew spies, and this shows that it is precisely this conversation that is of special interest to the author in this chapter. Can you picture the scene? The men are perhaps still lying hidden under the stalks of flax, and from a distance it looks as if Rahab is talking to herself on the roof of her house. Perhaps she is even whispering, so that it will not be evident that she is speaking with someone. It is remarkable how much Rahab knows about the history of God’s people and about God’s plans for the future of Israel. It is also interesting that she speaks as though the conquest of the Promised Land is already an accomplished fact. This shows a perspective of the future—in other words, faith.
“I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 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 Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. (Joshua 2:9–11)
The words “the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” are remarkable coming from a pagan woman, and they are proof of her conversion to faith in the God of Israel. Everyone in Jericho had heard of the God of Israel and of His deeds, but even so, they did not repent of their ways. Only Rahab received the Israelite spies and their God. Only she confessed that God is the one true God—supreme and almighty.
Even today there are people who do not deny that “there is some kind of power.” But such a passive faith is insufficient. As James 2:19 says: “Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” The apostle James calls such a faith “dead.” But Rahab’s faith was not like that. It was a living, saving faith—a faith backed up by works.
SALVATION FOR THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD
Rahab did not want to be saved alone. She interceded not only for herself, but also for her household. In this she is a wonderful example for us—that we too should pray for our families and relatives, that they too may be saved. For the blood of Christ was shed not only for us, but for our entire families. As it says in Acts 11:14: “… you and all your household will be saved.”
12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” (Joshua 2:12–13)
Notice that here Rahab makes a covenant with the spies—a covenant sealed with an oath, for which she asks a “sure sign”—a “sure sign” which, as we will see in a moment, becomes the scarlet cord. In this agreement Rahab requires reciprocal care—just as she cared for the Hebrew spies by not handing them over to the royal officers, so they in turn were to secure her safety—hers and her family’s.
14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.” (Joshua 2:14)
Notice that the members of Rahab’s family had to demonstrate their faith by coming into her house during the battle and by keeping secret the matter of the spies and their agreement with Rahab. In this way they would show that Rahab’s faith was also their faith. In the same way our relatives too must confess Christ and imitate our faith. If they are to be saved, it will not be simply because they are related to us, but because they too have received the same saving teaching and made the same saving confession.
15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.” (Joshua 2:15–16)
Rahab sent the Hebrew spies in exactly the opposite direction from the one in which she sent their pursuers.
THE POWER OF THE BLOOD
17 Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. (Joshua 2:17–19)
The expression “their blood will be on their own heads” means that whoever violated the instruction to stay in Rahab’s house would bear the guilt and responsibility for his own death.
20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.” (Joshua 2:20)
Here we see that the spies set three conditions for Rahab: first, the scarlet cord had to remain tied in the window of her house; second, her entire family had to stay inside her house; and third, the covenant between Rahab and the spies had to remain classified (kept secret). Fulfilling these conditions would be the practical way by which Rahab and her family would demonstrate their faith.
If we break our covenant with God, then in condemning ourselves to eternal destruction, the guilt is our own and not God’s. On this theme the author of the letter to the Hebrews writes (Hebrews 10:26–31):
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26–31)
21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.” So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. (Joshua 2:21)
The tying of the scarlet cord is an act of faith on Rahab’s part. Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the New Testament, we can draw a parallel or analogy between the scarlet cord and the blood of Jesus. A cord is a symbol of a bond, of love. In Hosea 11:4 the prophet speaks of “cords of human kindness”—of “ties of love.” And scarlet thread in the Bible is a symbol of the blood of Jesus. All believers are protected and made safe from the outpouring of God’s wrath through it. So our covenant with God is founded on His love and sealed with His blood. Moreover, the resemblance to the Passover here is striking: compare the doorposts sprinkled with blood to the scarlet cord, and the requirement that no one from the family leave the house—in both cases faith was expressed through obedience and submission to God’s instructions.
Just as the people of Jericho then saw the scarlet cord but did not understand its meaning, so today the people of this world see the cross every day but cannot grasp its meaning. If they could, they would surely drive us out of the church just to take our place!
The blood of Jesus has a cleansing power that washes away every sin (1 John 1:7–9).
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7–9)
22 When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. (Joshua 2:22)
The spies’ obedience to Rahab’s instructions shows the degree to which they trusted her.
23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.” (Joshua 2:23–24)
GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMOTHER OF CHRIST
Later we see that the two spies and Israel fulfilled their promise to Rahab. In Joshua 6:17, 20–23, 25 we read of Joshua’s special command and of what happened when the wall of Jericho fell.
17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. (Joshua 6:17)
20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys. 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” (Joshua 6:20–22)
Evidently that section of the wall on which Rahab’s house was built had been miraculously preserved!
23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel. (Joshua 6:23)
Rahab and her family were left outside the camp so that the necessary rites of purification could be carried out. The camp of Israel was holy, and nothing unclean was allowed to enter it. After the appointed time had passed and the appointed rites had been performed, Rahab and her family were received into the community.
25 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—and she lives among the Israelites to this day. (Joshua 6:25)
Why do we devote so much time to talking about Rahab? The answer lies in “the rest of the story”—a story that includes names like those of King David and Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1, 5). Rahab became part of the genealogy of the Messiah, of our Savior—a privilege any Hebrew woman would have envied. After the fall of Jericho, Rahab’s life was changed. She never again returned to her former occupation. She abandoned her sinful life once and for all. She married the Israelite Salmon, gave birth to a child, and became an honored homemaker. Seeing the wisdom and compassion of her son Boaz, who married Ruth and became the grandfather of David, we can appreciate how well Rahab did as a mother and a wife.