The Ancient Church
Father, Cyril of Jerusalem, who lived around 350, said,
Pass now, pray, to the others who
were saved by repentance. Perhaps even among the women someone will say, “I
have committed fornication and adultery. I have defiled my body with every
excess. Can there be salvation for me?” Fix your eyes, woman, upon Rahab, and
look for salvation for yourself too. For if she who openly and publicly
practiced fornication was saved through repentance, will not she whose
fornication preceded the gift of grace be saved by repentance and fasting? For
observe how she was saved. She said only this: “Since the Lord, your God, is
God in heaven above and on earth below.” “Your God,” she said, for she did not
dare call him her God, because of her wantonness. If you want scriptural
testimony of her salvation, you have it recorded in the Psalms: “I will think
of Rahab and Babylon among those who know me.” The salvation procured by
repentance is open to men and women alike.[1]
And that right there is exactly the
point of this passage. Deuteronomy 7:1-6 says,
When the LORD your God brings you
into the land you are entering to possess, and He drives out many nations
before you—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites
and Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and powerful than you—and when the
LORD your God delivers them over to you and you defeat them, you must
completely destroy them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy. Do
not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their
daughters for your sons, because they will turn your sons away from Me to
worship other gods. Then the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and He will
swiftly destroy you. Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear
down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles,
and burn up their carved images. For you are a holy people belonging to
the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be His own possession
out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.
Because of that, it should be very
surprising what we instantly read in Joshua 2. And our historian intends for
that to be the case.
Our historian writes,
“Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove,
saying, ‘Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.’ So they left, and they
came to the house of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there.
The king of Jericho was told, ‘Look, some of the Israelite men have come
here tonight to investigate the land.’ Then the king of Jericho sent ⌊word⌋
to Rahab and said, ‘Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house,
for they came to investigate the entire land.’ But the woman had taken
the two men and hidden them. So she said, ‘Yes, the men did come to me, but I
didn’t know where they were from. At nightfall, when the gate was about
to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after
them quickly, and you can catch up with them!’ But she had taken them up
to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on
the roof. The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan,
and as soon as they left to pursue them, the gate was shut. Before the men
fell asleep, she went up on the roof and said to them, ‘I know that the
LORD has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and
everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you. For we have
heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came
out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you
completely destroyed across the Jordan. When we heard this, we lost
heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is
God in heaven above and on earth below. Now please swear to me by the
LORD that you will also show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness
to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father,
mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.’
The men answered her, ‘⌊We will give⌋
our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and
faithfulness to you when the LORD gives us the land.’ Then she let them
down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was ⌊built⌋
into the wall of the city. ‘Go to the hill country so that the men
pursuing you won’t find you,’ she said to them. ‘Hide yourselves there for
three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.’ The men said to
her, ‘We will be free from this oath you made us swear, unless, when we
enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let
us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into
your house. If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his blood will be
on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house
should be harmed, his blood will be on our heads. And if you report our
mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.’ ‘Let it be as you say,’ she replied, and she
sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.
So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days
until the pursuers had returned. They searched all along the way, but did not
find them. Then the men returned, came down from the hill country, and
crossed ⌊the Jordan⌋. They went to Joshua son of Nun
and reported everything that had happened to them. They told Joshua, ‘The
LORD has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is
also panicking because of us.’”
So we have quite
the story presented to us here today (in addition to this being the largest
chunk of text I’ve ever tried to tackle in one setting before). I pray that I
can do it justice and be accurate and Christ-exalting in my explanation of it.
But so far in the book we have not exactly gotten to any action; that changes
today. We began by looking at the fact that God put Joshua in charge of His
people after the death of Moses. Then we saw God speak comfort and reassurance
to Joshua and charge Joshua with the priority of God’s Word for success in
everything he was to do. Then Joshua spoke publicly to the people and told them
to prepare for the journey across the Jordan which would happen in three days. This
brings us right up to speed with Joshua 2:1, the first part of which reads, “Joshua
son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, ‘Go
and scout the land, especially Jericho.’” This secret sending out occurs in the
midst of Joshua’s speeches in 1:10-18. There he told them they’d march in three
days; here he sends guys out who return three days later (2:22-23).
There is a lot
going on in this very first sentence of the chapter. The suspense should
already be mounting, because the last time spies were sent out from Israel
Joshua was one of them and ten of the twelve said, “We can’t do it!” and it
caused a rebellion—the consequences of which lasted forty years. So right off
the bat we should be wondering, “Will it be different this time? What if they
all fail again?”
In addition,
Acacia Grove is an interpretation of the place called Shittim. “This place was
where the Israelites had rejected their God earlier and prostituted themselves
by consorting with Moabite women and gods at Balaam's instigation (Numbers
25:1–3; 31:16).”[2]
The fact that verse 1 ends by saying, “So they left, and they came to the house
of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there,” instantly raises the
question, “Is Israel going to prostitute itself again?”
So before we read
any farther the writer wants us to wonder just what is going to happen, and
ask, “Are they going to trust God this time, or fail miserably, yet again?” The
following 23 verses expand and clarify on this concern and give a sure sign of
just how big the grace of God really is.
First we see
Rahab’s faith shown through her actions at the time. Joshua 2:2-7 says, “The
king of Jericho was told, ‘Look, some of the Israelite men have come here
tonight to investigate the land.’ Then the king of Jericho sent ⌊word⌋
to Rahab and said, ‘Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house,
for they came to investigate the entire land.’ But the woman had taken
the two men and hidden them. So she said, ‘Yes, the men did come to me, but I
didn’t know where they were from. At nightfall, when the gate was about
to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after
them quickly, and you can catch up with them!’ But she had taken them up
to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on
the roof. The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan,
and as soon as they left to pursue them, the gate was shut.”
Already our historian
wants us in suspense at the state of their mission. The spies had hardly gotten
there when the king sent word to Rahab about the spies who had come to her
house. Rahab had already hidden them though. This gives more suspense: she hid
the spies; the king knows they are there; what should she do? She lies.
However, we must look closely at her lie. She does not say, “I don’t know what
you’re talking about; I never saw anyone.” She doesn’t say, “Spies, here? You
joking?” She says, in effect, “They were here, but they already left.” Her
lie—we will find out in the next section—continues when she says, “I don’t know
where they’re from, and I don’t know where they’re going. Chase them and you
might catch them.” Our narrator reminds us of the truth before telling us that
the soldiers of the king believed her, and went out the city gate. John Calvin
adds, on the last phrase in verse 7, “the gates being shut, the city like a
prison excluded the hope of escape. They were therefore again aroused by a
serious trial to call upon God.”[3]
So at this point,
what do we know about Rahab? First, we know she’s a prostitute. Second, we know
she lies. But I introduced this first section of text as, “Rahab’s faith shown
through her actions,” so how can that be true if she’s a liar? Let’s look at
what she was lying about. We see very clearly that her lie was not to harm
someone. Her lie was not to discredit someone. The soldiers and the king would
both assume her as telling the truth, and thus, when they proved unable to find
the spies, would be forced to return home admitting, “They must have just been
too fast for us,” and no one would lose their head for it. In addition, her lie
was in order to protect—and thus show love to—God’s people. The Law states,
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as
yourself.” Rahab’s faith is demonstrated in that she showed faith by lying to
the king of Jericho. If she’d been found out as a liar, she could have been
killed; she put her life on the line so God’s people could go free. Calvin
helps us keep a balanced perspective by saying,
As to the falsehood, we must admit
that though it was done for a good purpose, it was not free from fault. For
those who hold what is called a dutiful lie to be altogether excusable, do not sufficiently
consider how precious truth is in the sight of God. Therefore, although our
purpose, be to assist our brethren, to consult for their safety and relieve
them, it never can be lawful to lie, because that cannot be right which is
contrary to the nature of God. And God is truth. And still the act of Rahab is
not devoid of the praise of virtue, although it was not spotlessly pure.[4]
God is a God of truth, and truth is
extremely important to God, but He is also a God of love, and He expects those
who call themselves His to be loving as He is. Sometimes this might mean
bending the truth—when in a life-threatening situation like this one. At this
point in the story Rahab is most certainly not thinking about herself.
Second we hear
Rahab’s faith through her words. Joshua 2:8-13 says, “Before the men fell
asleep, she went up on the roof and said to them, ‘I know that the LORD has
given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone
who lives in the land is panicking because of you. For we have heard how
the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of
Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely
destroyed across the Jordan. When we heard this, we lost heart, and
everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in
heaven above and on earth below. Now please swear to me by the LORD that
you will also show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you.
Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father, mother,
brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.’”
After the soldiers
rush out the gate, Rahab goes up to the roof to check on her fugitives. Her
words evidence clearly that she has heard much of Israel in the recent
weeks—even as much as forty years earlier. Perhaps the fact that Israel had
wandered in the wilderness for forty years only exaggerated Canaan’s fear at
their arrival? She says flat out, “the LORD your God is God in heaven above and
on earth below,” and she uses that as a way to say, “We know this is true, and
it’s scary.” While the rest of her town sought to flee from that reality, Rahab
sought it out, as the conversation shows. She didn’t want to flee the terror to
come; she wanted to adjust her allegiances so she didn’t have to be afraid. She
asked for a sign that she would be saved from the wrath to come. And her
selflessness is shown again in that she didn’t seek just for her own salvation
but the salvation of her family also. Since her salvation—in its truest
sense—wouldn’t come until the future, the spies’ response is in the next
section.
Third we look
forward to her faith being proved through actions to come in the future. Joshua
2:14-21 says, “The men answered her, ‘⌊We will give⌋
our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and
faithfulness to you when the LORD gives us the land.’ Then she let them
down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was ⌊built⌋
into the wall of the city. ‘Go to the hill country so that the men
pursuing you won’t find you,’ she said to them. ‘Hide yourselves there for
three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.’ The men said to
her, ‘We will be free from this oath you made us swear, unless, when we
enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let
us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into
your house. If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his blood will be
on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house
should be harmed, his blood will be on our heads. And if you report our
mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.’ ‘Let it be as you say,’ she replied, and she
sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.”
John Calvin
explains about her house,
Her house was contiguous to the wall
of the city, nay, its outer side was actually situated in the wall. From this
we may infer that it was some obscure corner remote from the public
thoroughfare; just as persons of her description usually live in narrow lanes
and secret places. It cannot be supposed with any consistency to have been a
common inn which was open to all indiscriminately, because they could not have
felt at liberty to indulge in familiar intercourse, and it must have been
difficult in such circumstances to obtain concealment.[5]
I share that first, because it is
relatively clear that the verses here are presented out of order. Given that
soldiers were looking for the spies, it is clear that the spies couldn’t have
been either on the rope or at the bottom of the rope when she speaks in verses
16-21. The description of her house is given in verse 15 to help us understand
how the spies were afforded an exit from the city even though the gate was
closed and people were searching for them.
But the most
important thing in these verses is the content of the discussion that I believe
occurred before they were let down. The spies say that if she doesn’t report them
they will treat her family well when Yahweh gives them the land. They repeat
the same general thing in verse 20. The interesting part about verse 14 is that
it says, “when the Lord gives,” and not “if the Lord gives.” The spies totally
trusted God that He would deliver the land into their hands. Perhaps this faith
was due to Rahab’s words in the prior section; they now knew the land was
terrified of them and it encouraged them to press on.
Rahab then
continued to give them guidance on how to get back to their camp. She told them
to hide out in the mountains for three days and then to go home. She wanted to
make sure that they were absolutely safe, and thus told them to hide in the
exact opposite direction from the way they had originally come,[6]
since the soldiers wouldn’t be looking there.
The spies speak at
this point and specify the conditions of their protecting Rahab when they take
the land. These provisions conclude in verse 20 with the same condition as
verse 14. The fact that the narrator repeats it again after she tells them
where to go from there is because the narrator wants us to see that she is who
she is claiming to be. The narrator wants us to trust her. The other conditions
that the spies lay out are as follows: she was to tie a scarlet cord in the
window and bring her entire family inside her house, if someone inside died,
the spies would assume the blame, but if someone went outside and died, that
would be on them.
After the spies
are let down the rope, out the window, and on their way to hide in the
mountains, Rahab ties the scarlet cord in her window, which again shows us that
she is genuine.
The passage
concludes in Joshua 2:22-24, “So the two men went into the hill country and
stayed there three days until the pursuers had returned. They searched all
along the way, but did not find them. Then the men returned, came down
from the hill country, and crossed ⌊the Jordan⌋. They went
to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them.
They told Joshua, ‘The LORD has handed over the entire land to us.
Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.’” What we see
here is that God protected the spies and brought them back to Joshua safely.
The fact that the spies were outside of Jericho for three days is good proof
that no sexual business happened while the spies were with Rahab—and is also
more proof that her faith was genuine—since their trip only lasted for three
days. The other thing we see here is the fact that their report was positive:
the land would be theirs and it propved that God was faithful. So this spy trip
had been better in every way than the previous—forty years earlier.
So we’ve come to
the end of the text, and we’ve seen a woman show all the signs of being a
believer. She claims Israel’s God as her God; she protects and cares for God’s
people; she wants her family to be saved; she’s turned her back on her old
lifestyle. What is clear throughout the text is “that God uses not only his own
prophets and leaders to bring faith and courage to disconsolate Israel. God
uses the most unexpected and immoral persons to further his purposes in the
world. . . . People of God must be open to learn from all sources which God
would use.”[7]
And perhaps you
stumbled upon this blogpost today and you feel totally unworthy. Perhaps you’ve
lived a wretched life of sin and it’s not fulfilling you. Perhaps you feel as
used and abused as Rahab probably felt. Man or woman, I’m talking to anybody
right now: God doesn’t make junk, and no one is too far gone for His grace. God
has used many “total screw-ups” to further His plan, and He is calling you
today as well. Turn from your sin as Rahab did, and know that Rahab was one of
Jesus’ ancestors. And just as the spies said that anyone hiding in Rahab’s
house would be saved when the city fell, so also if you are hiding in Christ
when the sky rolls back and He appears, you will be saved. Place your faith in
Him and seek Him daily. He is your only hope and sign for salvation. Please
believe today.
And with that, we
have seen—in a book of conquest and war—the most complete and thorough conquest
explained in the book of Joshua. Rahab, a former prostitute turned woman of
God. This is the type of conquest the whole book previews by shadows and types,
boldly displayed in 1080p high definition as early as chapter 2. Just as the
Israelites were to take the land of Canaan, so also Christ said, “The Kingdom
of God is near.” When He rose from the dead it came, and now it spreads through
the preaching of the gospel. This is much bigger than what nation a person
belongs to—as referenced at the beginning of this post.
Turn to Him and be
saved—all the ends of the earth!
Solus Christus
Soli Deo Gloria
[1]
John R. Franke, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2
Samuel, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, ©2005), 12.
[2]
David M. Howard, New American Commentary – Volume 5: Joshua, (Nashville,
TN: Broadman & Holman, 1998), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 97.
[3]
John Calvin, Commentary on Joshua.
[4]
John Calvin, Commentary on Joshua.
[5]
John Calvin, Commentary on Joshua.
[6]
David M. Howard, New American Commentary – Volume 5: Joshua, (Nashville,
TN: Broadman & Holman, 1998), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 113. “She
shrewdly sent them in the opposite direction from where the pursuers had gone:
they had headed east, toward the Jordan River and its fords (see v. 7 and comment
there), whereas the hills near Jericho were to the west of it, as it lay in the
Jordan valley.”
[7]
Trent C. Butler, Joshua, Word
Biblical Commentary (Waco, TX: Word, 1983), 35.
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