Rahab: Self-employed. Hostess. Protector. Sex worker?

Series Review

Several years ago I was listening to a program on public radio, and they were talking about a television series on the AMC Network. The premise intrigued me: It was about a high school science teacher who was diagnosed with cancer. The prognosis was not good, and he was worried about how his family would support themselves after he was gone. To make more money, this teacher, along with a former student, turned to a life of crime, making and selling crystallized meth. The program I’m referring to is Breaking Bad, which was one of top rated shows during its time. Walter White was the main character, and he is a good example of an antihero.

The Bible is full of antiheroes. They are not people we would normally call heroes: they are deeply flawed, they are often misunderstood, and yet they drive the story and God uses them for his glory. Today we are looking at a prostitute named Rahab.

Sermon Introduction

If you ask Christians what is their most important story, they will say “The Resurrection.” You ask a Jew the same question, the answer would always be the Exodus story. God, through his servant Moses, delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery. As a result of his faithfulness, Moses was given the most miserable job in the entire world. He led them out of Egypt and the plan was to go to a land that God had set aside from them. It took them much longer than it should have, because God’s people were stubborn, unbelieving and rebellious. Most of them died before reaching the promised land - it was their children that inherited the land. Even Moses died before they crossed the Jordan River and entered the land flowing with milk and honey. In other words, it was good real estate. But the real estate was occupied by enemy nations, so they had to be taken by force.

But the real estate was occupied by enemy nations, so they had to be taken by force. In this story

In the story of Rahab, Joshua (Moses’ successor) sent two spies into Jericho, a huge, fortified city. Spies, as you know, have to blend in with everyone else, so for the 2 spies this meant hiding out in...a brothel?They hid in the house of a woman named Rahab.

Who is Rahab?

Joshua 2:1 NIV

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 NIV

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.

Well, Joshua identifies her as a prostitute. That doesn’t require a lot of definition. Many authors as early as the 1700’s, referred to prostitution as the “oldest profession in the world.” That’s not a fact of history, but that phrase was frequently used by authors as a delicate way of referencing prostitution in their writings. Today’s text is a very ancient example of the profession, so it’s been around for a long time, and in many respects the industry hasn’t changed.

When I was working on a degree at a seminary in Pasadena CA. Two weeks out of the year I would fly out to LA airport and take a van shuttle to the school. One year the van was packed full of people who were going to Los Angeles, to the San Fernando Valley area. The driver, who was acting as a tour guide, explained to me that if we were to come back later, there would be prostitutes on almost every street corner.

It might be easy for someone to look at these women and be offended and perplexed by their choice of profession, and their lack of morals. But groups like the United Nations and California State University have conducted studies, and have found that prostitutes were frequently held against their will and were miserable victims of commercial sex traffickers. Over 80% of the prostitutes they interviewed (it was hard to talk to them) desperately wanted to get out of this profession that generates over 9.5 billion dollars yearly - and this is just the United States. Sex trafficking is a global problem.

It is overly simplistic (and wrong) to look at the story of Rahab the prostitute and preaching something like, “Rahab was a sinner, she made bad choices, but God forgave her.” Yes, she made the choice to become a prostitute, but she made that choice within the boundaries of choices that were made by men in power. Men created economic structures that left widows and orphans without resources. Men created religions that included temple prostitution. Knowing what we know about Cannan culture, it makes more sense to see Rahab as a victim of a corrupt society than a woman who found a way to make good money.

That’s Rahab the prostitute.

women are frequently held against their will and are miserable victims of commercial sex by human traffickers, who generate approximately $9.5 billion yearly in the United States through the “oldest profession in the world”, according to a report produced by the United Nations. Countless studies report that over 80% of prostitutes state they wish to get out of prostitution.

The two spies come knocking on her door - and the text is very careful not to imply that they were customers. The last verb in the sentence, “stayed,” is not the word used when describing sexual relations. Also, whenever the Old Testament refers to a person visiting a prostitute, the name of the house is never mentioned. Why visit a prostitute? The likely answer is because they were spies, they wanted to find a place where they would not be noticed by the king’s agents.

for the ones that do choose to be out there, that choice was on a broken foundation

Rahab knows these men are representatives of an invading army. It would be easy for her to turn them in to the authorities. Here’s where we learn that there is more about Rahab than just being a prostitute: She is an example of faith. In this story makes a profession of faith and she backs it up with obedience. (Trust and Obey?) I want you to hear...

Here’s where we learn that there is more about Rahab than just being a prostitute: She is a woman of faith. In the story she makes a

Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary i. Joshua Sends Two Spies (2:1)

The text carefully avoids implying a sexual liaison between the spies and their hostess. There is a common expression for going into buildings of all sorts (cf. Judg. 9:5; 2 Sam. 12:20; 2 Kgs 19:1). It does not imply sexual relations with a prostitute. If the intention was to imply sexual relations, there would be no intermediate term, such as the house of, used when Samson visited a prostitute and ‘went in to spend the night with her’ (Judg. 16:1). Further, the last verb in the verse, stayed there, is not used for sexual relations without the occurrence of the preposition ‘with’ followed by the designation of a partner. Why then do the spies choose the house of a prostitute? This house was more likely a tavern, hostel or way station, which could be used by visitors, than a brothel.

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible A. Preparations (1–5)

She may have been a cultic religious prostitute, an honorable status in most of the world at that time. Under that title she could have operated a public establishment of some other sort, such as an inn. On the other hand, she could have been a professional courtesan

Her Profession of Faith

Joshua 2:10–11 NIV

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. 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.

We have heard what God has done for you. God rescued you from Egypt, parted the waters so you could leave. God has given your armies victory over powerful nations. Quite frankly, we’re afraid of you. - That’s her profession of faith.

Joshua 2:

I was baptized when I was in 3rd grade. In the Baptist church we had to make a verbal profession of faith in front of the congregation before we were baptized. Imagine asking a 3rd grader to do that. The pastor made it easier for me - he asked me a series of questions like “Have you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior?” For the adults they were on their own. Some adults who weren’t public speakers were allowed to do that in a room with a few church leaders and the pastor would share their testimony from the baptismal pool. Others would profess their faith right from the water. I wonder how many of us here are ready to make a public profession of faith. What would you say if a table of friends asks a question about your faith? A friend is hurting and is asking the “God questions.” Rahab the prostitute has some good ideas for us.

Her decision to protect the spies was not just about self preservation. She lied to the king’s men because of her faith in Israel’s god. Look at her profession of faith: She believes in God’s power: “We have heard how God divided the waters so you could cross the Red Sea. We’ve heard of how your God helped your undermatched army defeat the great kings east of the Jordon river. From the baptism pool I heard stories of how God’s power delivered them from sin. God’s forgiveness was a powerful reality. The people in that baptism pool talked about a God was personal and powerful. God had given them a new life - or as Jesus said to Nicodemus in : They were born again. In other words, they testified to God’s power.

God’s Power and Majesty

Rahab also believes in God’s majesty. She sees the miraculous ways that God has been working, and she connects the dots - "Your God is God in heaven and on earth below.” Going back to the baptism pool, a good profession of faith wasn’t just about God’s power - it was about God’s majesty. It wasn’t enough to talk about what God has done in the past. A good profession of faith also testifies to who God is. Talking about Christ’s saving work in our lives was only part of the profession: Those people in the baptism pool openly professed that Jesus is Lord!

Rahab did more than talk a good talk. God is not stupid - He knows the difference between lip service and discipleship. Rahab backs up her profession of faith with...

Her Obedience

Joshua 2:21 NIV

“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.

In exchange for hiding the spies, and trusting in Israel’s god, she asks that her family is spared. She was given specific instructions: She was to tie a scarlet cord - the same one she used to help them climb down the side of the city wall - tie it in the window, so when the battle began her family would be spared. These are very specific instructions, and she obeys them.

Some pastors amaze me by taking a short phrase and making a long sermon out of it. Charles Spurgeon was a Baptist who preached in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He made a 5 page sermon out of verse 21 - “she tied the scarlet cord i the window.” Spurgeon points out 2 important things that could be easy to miss.

it was specific, it was public (tie in to passover?)

it was specific ( the item, the color, the placement [passover significance?], what the family was supposed to do during the battle [gather in the house]). She did everything she was told.

I believe that when calls us, he does so specifically. God does not point to a broad area and say, “Put your discipleship in action in the church.” Rather, God gives us specific callings and instructions: “Teach our children or serve the poor along with my people at HUMC.” God does not give general directions (be nice to people)

Not only was her obedience specific, it was public. It was hanging out the window for a while, in front of of her neighbors, in front of the religious and political leaders in her country that was hostile to God.

it was public (tie in to passover?); was hanging out the window awhile

It can be hard to publicly share our faith, depending on where you are. It’s one thing to talk about your faith in a Sunday School class, it’s another to talk about Christ in a place where God is mocked.

(U Michigan, staying in dorm during spring break; made fun of, smoking pot; that was his life; he was surrounded by atheists and skeptics; it sharpened his mind and now he teaches philosophy in ann arbor)

He had to make a choice - keep his faith private or make it public. Rahab decided to make her faith public.

God’s Redemptive Plan

God’s Redemptive Plan

Joshua 6:22 NIV

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.”

Matthew 1:5 NIV

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

Joshua 6:25 NIV

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.

This might be the sort of person who has been rejected by churches because of their appearance, because of the assumptions we make about them. This might be the sort of person who desperately wants to hear from God, but can’t the stares, or the distance. This is tragic, but it happens.

She is an example that puts God’s people to shame. She demonstrates how Jesus was not sent to the righteous (meaning self -righteous who grade themselves on a curve), but to the sinners. When I look at this congregation that’s what I see -a congregation of sinners. When you look at me right now, you are seeing a sinner saved by grace. When you were baptized, you were incorporated into a society of sinners…sinners saved by grace

6:25 lived among - imagine the offense, the shock of having a prostitute living among God’s chosen people receiving His blessings.

Compare her righteousness to that of God’s people: who selectivly obeyed God, doubted and disobeyed

better righteiousness than God’s people who rejected God, disobeyed

We can learn alot from a prostitute: