Session 1 Rahab: Contagious Faith

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Introduction

While fear typically has negative connotations, having a fear of the Lord is a vital part of our spiritual journey. This fear allows us to act wisely and to trust Him more in our daily walk. In this study, we see how fear of God leads to faith in God.
Let’s start with
Joshua 2:1–7 ESV
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
Joshua 2:1-7

SHITTIM (Shĭtʹ tĭm) Transliteration of Hebrew word for acacia trees. 1. Name of a large area in Moab directly across the Jordan from Jericho and northeast of the Dead Sea. Israel camped there for a long period before crossing into the promised land. While at Shittim, they were blessed by Balaam (whom Balak had hired to curse Israel; Num. 22–24; cp. Mic. 6:5), committed sin with the Moabite and Midianite women (Num. 25), and Joshua was announced as Moses’ successor (Deut. 34:9).

Shittim was the site of an earlier instance of Israelite prostitution, both physical and spiritual (). into the house of a prostitute.
Numbers 25:1–3 ESV
1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
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.
Was this the first time Israel had sent men to spy the land?
The story here of the initial conquest and defeat of Jericho stands in stark contrast to the narrative describing Israel’s failure to take possession of the land 40 years earlier. It also shows the stark contrast between the bad report of the 10 spies () as compared to the good report of the two spies (“Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands,” ).
In the second millennium BC, the West Semitic world and that of its Hittite neighbors to the north associated innkeepers, whom Rahab is assumed to be in this story, with prostitutes. The role of the prostitute as innkeeper is attested in the eighteenth-century BC Code of Hammurapi.
In the second millennium BC, the West Semitic world and that of its Hittite neighbors to the north associated innkeepers, whom Rahab is assumed to be in this story, with prostitutes. The role of the prostitute as innkeeper is attested in the eighteenth-century BC Code of Hammurapi.
Why would the spies go to a prostitute’s house of all places?
The narrative avoids terminology that would suggest any sexual contact took place. If this had been the meaning, the phrase “the house of” would have been omitted (compare Judg 16:1).
Going to a prostitute’s house was a logical choice for gathering intelligence, as men who visited the prostitute would likely have included soldiers who might inadvertently provide them with useful information.
The Jewish historian Josephus, writing much later, describes Rahab as an innkeeper, not a prostitute (Antiquities 5.6–30), suggesting that her house may have also served as an inn.
However, the text is clear: Rahab was an immoral woman. The Hebrew word harlot (zona) means either “an immoral woman” (usually for hire, cf. ), or refers to someone prostituting himself to paganism from faith in Israel’s God (“playing the harlot after other gods”; cf. ; ). To force another meaning here would be special pleading.
What was to be different about the reporting of these two spies verses the 10 earlier?
They would report back directly to Joshua before going before the congregation with potentially alarming news. This had happened some 38 years previously () at Kadesh. What followed their report was widespread disobedience and lack of faith that resulted in the death of an entire generation while they wandered in the wilderness. Joshua, a key player in the earlier mission, now demanded discretion.
Numbers 13:25–33 ESV
25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.” 30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
What about Rahab’s lie here verses the ninth commandment?
Deuteronomy 5:20 ESV
20 “ ‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Rahab’s lie is sometimes seen as conflicting with the ninth commandment. However, this commandment demanded that witnesses in the Israelite legal system be truthful; it didn’t specifically apply to Rahab. Moreover, the commandment does not distinguish between telling a falsehood and withholding information.
Rahab’s lie is sometimes seen as conflicting with the ninth commandment. However, this commandment demanded that witnesses in the Israelite legal system be truthful; it didn’t specifically apply to Rahab. Moreover, the commandment does not distinguish between telling a falsehood and withholding information.
Scripture affirms the need for truth telling; however, God Himself uses deception to judge evil or preserve life (e.g., , and Jesus commands His followers to withhold information about Himself and His works (e.g., ; ; ).
1 Samuel 16:1–5 ESV
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
1 Samuel 16:1–13 ESV
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Luke 5:14 ESV
14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
Luke 5:14 ESV
14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
Luke 8:56 ESV
56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.
Luke 8:56 ESV
56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.
Luke 9:21 ESV
21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
Luke 9:21 ESV
21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
Some sense the need to rescue this member of the “Faith Hall of Fame” (Heb 11). Perhaps it seems odd that such a pronouncement of faith should come from one with such a checkered past. But that is exactly what the believer’s redeeming God does: His ineffable grace makes human wreckage beautiful and serviceable. They went to a house of prostitution because it would have been a good place to gain information.
2:2 The text does not inform the reader how anyone found out about the spies. Something about their dress, manner, or language may have raised suspicion.
2:2 it was told to the king of Jericho. The spies’ intent to remain “undercover” was singularly unsuccessful! Canaan at that time consisted of various city-states, each with a central (often walled) city surrounded by villages and farmland and each with its own “king.”
2:2–4a. Soon discovered, the spies were reported, and so the king sent agents to apprehend them whose plans go awry. Verse 4 begins, But the woman had taken [better, “took,” reflecting the qal stem and the urgency and suddenness of Rahab’s action] the two men and hidden them. Rahab acted swiftly to get the spies hidden before discovery by the king’s agents.
2:4b–5. Rahab lied to the king’s emissaries. She claimed that she did not know where the spies were from and that they had already left. She claimed she had no idea where they were going but then admonished the king’s agents to chase after them in the false hope that they might be caught. Despite the ruse, God wished them to go chasing after phantoms of Rahab’s imagination. Frequently we run up against these ethical conundrums in the Bible. It does not seem that the NT lauds Rahab so much for her personal righteousness in word and action as it does for her faith in God’s program and her part in it (cf. Heb 11:31; Jms 2:24).
Let’s look at
2:5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate. It was not unusual for a walled town to close its gates at night, especially when there was an enemy nearby. City gates were massive structures with several sequential chambers and entrances (see note on Jdg 16:3).
2:5 Rahab lies and provides the king’s men with misinformation to put them off the track of the Israelite spies (see Josh 2:9).
The events that follow (6:17–25) demonstrate that Rahab believes in the God of Israel. New Testament references to Rahab also indicate that her faith was genuine: Rahab is included in the list of faithful people in Hebrews (Heb 11:31). James presents her along with Abraham as an example of faith (Jas 2:25).
2:6 Likely served as bedding or fodder for animals Rahab owned.
Joshua 2:8–11 ESV
8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord 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. 10 For we have heard how the Lord 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 who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
While this may refer to a bare roof, it likely refers to the second story of the house. Ancients often used this area for storage. In this location, the spies would be out of earshot of others staying in the house and would be concealed from sight.
2:6–7. Most flax came from Egypt. However, perhaps Rahab was industrious enough to go gather some of it growing wild in the area. Perhaps she was able to buy some to dry and have woven into linen later. Nonetheless, it made a good hiding place for expatriate spies. The scene in v. 7 cuts to the fool’s errand of the king’s agents.
2:6 Flax is the plant from which linen is made by a process of alternately drying and soaking the flax fibers. The flat rooftops of houses were convenient places for drying the stalks.
2:7 The Jordan River forms a large natural boundary between Transjordan on the east and Cisjordan on the west. As it lacked any bridges in antiquity, the Jordan was generally impassable except by swimming, or it could be waded at shallow areas (or fords) under appropriate water conditions. Between the Sea of Galilee in the north and the Dead Sea in the south, there were few places where the Jordan could be crossed. One such place, however, was near Jericho (on Jericho, see note on 6:1–2), and the king’s men probably hoped to cut off the fleeing spies at that crossing point. (See map.)
Joshua 2:8-11
This fear was prophesied at the crossing of the sea (). At the end of the Sinai law code, God promised to send the fear of Himself on the Canaanites ().
Exodus 15:16 ESV
16 Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
Exodus 23:27 ESV
27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
Make an argument for the situation surrounding Rahab’s confession and for us today who are deciding to follow Jesus. Look at ;
Rahab confesses belief in Yahweh as the supremely powerful God. The statement is noteworthy, since the Canaanites worshiped multiple deities. She possessed knowledge and awareness of who God is.
Galatians 3:6–9 ESV
6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
James 2:25 ESV
25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
Rahab confesses belief in Yahweh as the supremely powerful God. The statement is noteworthy, since the Canaanites worshiped multiple deities. She possessed knowledge and awareness of who God is. Rahab in her faith anticipates the salvation of Gentiles through faith
Rahab in her faith anticipates the salvation of Gentiles through faith
Galatians 3:6–9 ESV
just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Hebrews 11:31 ESV
By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
James 2:25 ESV
And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Devote to Destruction

Was this genocide on the part of God?
Devote to Destruction
No. The command of to “devote to destruction” (ḥerem/kherem) was focused on the giant clans (denoted by words like Anakim, Rephaim, and, occasionally, Amorites). The rationale for the ḥerem was to eliminate the Anakim, the vestiges of the nephilim () which traces back to the sin of the Watchers in
Numbers 13:32–33 ESV
32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
Genesis 6:1–4 ESV
1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
The conquest account indicates it is the giant Anakim targeted for utter destruction. The motivation is inextricably linked to the idea that rival gods seek to prevent Yahweh’s people from re-establishing the kingdom of God on earth.
Numbers, Deuteronomy = Sihon and Og; warnings to any and all Israelites who get their fellows to follow the gods of the people under ḥerem. Some of the instances are general and, I argue, those must be informed by the particulars in the actual campaigns. This is a “101” principle of Bible study (really, and literary interpretation) that is habitually neglected when it comes to this topic (by evangelicals and atheists alike). = JerichoJoshua 6-8 = AiJoshua 10 = Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Debir, Makkedah. In several instances Joshua and the Israelites pursue the inhabitants to other places, so when we read language like “Joshua left none remaining” in certain instances, the language may refer to the people they were chasing. In any event, the places are all in the hill country. = Hazor (upper Galilee hill country)
I would submit that the above is why Joshua sums up the conquest this way:
Notice that the summary doesn’t say, “There were no more [fill in the people name] in the land of the people of Israel” because “Joshua had cut off [fill in the people name].” The conquest is defined as a success along specific lines: elimination of the Anakim from the hill country so that none of them were in Israel’s land.
I also think it’s why the “mop up” that occurred afterward in the days of Joshua also focused on the elimination of the Anakim by Caleb — again in the hill country ().
Other lemmas that can speak of life-taking
There are other Hebrew verbs of destruction besides ḥerem. Though that word has very specific theological / ritual connotations, let’s see how other lemmas that can involve killing are used in the book of Joshua.
אבד (ʾabad; “destroy, perish”) – occurs three times (; , ). Each instance has the Israelites in view, not other people. The lemma is used in of the wars against Sihon and Og, and and 9 of the impending warfare in Canaan.
שׁמד (shamad; “destroy”) – This lemma is used in to describe the conquest generally. It is used in ; , ; of the conquest. There are no added place names. Each of the instances is associated with an instance already noted, in the hill country. This is also the lemma used in to describe the demise of the very tall Amorites in Amos’ recounting of the conquest.
שׁחת (shaḥat; “destroy” in certain contexts) – The lemma occurs once in Joshua 23:33, which has Reuben and Gad in view (a civil war nearly started after the conquest).
In a nutshell, what I’m saying is that when the conquest account gives us specifics, it is the giant Anakim targeted for utter destruction. The motivation is inextricably linked to the idea that rival gods seek to prevent Yahweh’s people from re-establishing the kingdom of God on earth. Yes, it’s certain other people were killed in the combat, but the Anakim were the rationale for “required killing.” Other peoples could have simply been driven out and displaced (garash and yarash are “non-lethal lemmas”) without being killed. But not the Anakim.
Kings who led the Amorites in the Transjordan. Og was a Rephaite giant related to the Anakim, the group of giant people before whom Israel cowered, resulting in the punishment of the 40 years of wilderness wandering (Num 13–14). See Num 21; Deut 2–3.
The Hebrew term used here, cherem, refers to the destruction of life—human and otherwise—as an act of devotion to a deity (here, Yahweh of Israel; see note on Exod 22:20).
Joshua and his armies were responsible for devoting the inhabitants of Canaan to destruction (Deut 7:2; 20:17). However, the verb is only found only in select passages, suggesting that the cherem was targeted, not indiscriminate (Josh 6:17–18, 21; 8:26; 10:1, 28, 35, 37, 39–40; 11:11–12, 20–21). Other verbs not associated with the destruction of life are also used to describe the task of conquest: garash (“to drive out”: 24:12, 18); yarash (“to dispossess, drive out”: 3:10; 12:1; 13:6; 17:12, 13; 23:5, 9).
2:11 They will not fight because they are resigned to their fate and fearful of that fate.
Rahab confesses the absolute and unique sovereignty of Yahweh. The only other uses of this phrase in the ot also appear in the context of God’s exclusive claim to sovereignty (Exod 20:4; Deut 4:39; 5:8).
Rahab is an example of a non-Israelite (Gentile) who comes to faith in Yahweh. She is included in the genealogy of Jesus in Matt 1 along with three other women who were also Gentiles (Tamar, Ruth, and Bathsheba).
2:10 In Genesis 15 the Lord promised Abraham that his descendants would one day inherit the land of Canaan, but not until the iniquity of the Amorites was full. Outside the Bible the Amorites are referred to as Martu (Sumerian for “westerner”) and Amurru (Akkadian). They are attested as early as the beginning of the third millennium b.c. Migrating westward and southward into Canaan, they were at their strongest in the middle of the second millennium b.c. and faded quickly thereafter. In biblical parlance, the term “Amorite” is variously used to connote the inhabitants of Canaan generally, and the inhabitants of the hill country specifically. Sihon and Og are not mentioned outside the Bible (see Numbers 21; Deuteronomy 3).
2:11 heard. Cf. Ex. 15:14–15. On the apparent faith here, see note on Josh. 2:9.
Let’s move to
Joshua 2:12–14 ESV
12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
Rahab negotiated for her family’s life. They vowed loyalty with three caveats: First, Rahab was not to betray their meeting. Second, she was told to tie a scarlet cord in the window. Third, those to be preserved alive were to be with Rahab when Israel attacked. Repeating the terms, she agreed to them as the spies fled into the darkness.
2:12 Rahab asks for an oath in the name of the God in whom she believes and whom the Israelites worship.
The Hebrew phrase used here, oth emeth, literally means “sign of truth.” The spies comply (see Josh 2:12–14, 16–21).
While vows and oaths both invoke the name of God, they are not identical. People took oaths to clear themselves of a charge (e.g., Exod 22:7; Lev 6:1–5) or to obligate themselves to an action; oaths promise something (e.g., 1 Kgs 1:13, 17, 30). Vows also promise something, but they are conditional.
2:12–13. Next, Rahab negotiated for her family’s life. The word kindly (v. 12) is the Hebrew word chesed. “Kindness” is too weak for this word. When it pertains to God and His favor upon His people, it means “everlasting lovingkindness.” When it is used in reference to people, it means “loyalty.” In effect she is saying, “Since I have proven my loyalty to you, show your loyalty to me and save my family.” Sparing someone condemned to death makes “kindness” an understatement; it is undeserved and ineffable mercy. She asked for a sure sign and seemed satisfied with their word (vv. 13–14).
2:14–21. The spies spoke. They vowed loyalty with three caveats: First, Rahab was not to betray their meeting. Second, she was told to tie a scarlet cord in the window. Third, those to be preserved alive were to be with Rahab when Israel attacked. Repeating the terms, she agreed to them as the spies fled into the darkness.
The response of the spies (v. 14) comes as a surprise, given that Israel was to dispossess and destroy the inhabitants of the land God had promised to Israel (see Num. 33:50–52; Deut. 7:1–2). This underscores the gracious character of the God of Israel and the fact that the boundary between Israel and Canaan was not drawn along ethnic lines but in terms of allegiance to the Lord.
2:14 The spies take a blood oath, pledging their lives against hers and her family’s.
Although a prostitute, Rahab was spared judgment by the mercy of God, and she is remembered as one of the ancestors of Christ (), for her faith () and for her good works ().
Matthew 1:5 ESV
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
Hebrews 11:31 ESV
31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
James 2:25 ESV
25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
Rahab is one of four women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the first chapter of Matthew; the other three are Tamar (), Ruth the Moabitess (), and the “wife of Uriah” ().

Application: Rahab and our own Journey of Faith

Her conversion marks the beginning of the Gentiles grafted into the bride of Christ ()
Ephesians 5:25–27 ESV
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
She was saved by her faith in God alone ()
Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Her actions (tying a scarlet cord) indicate a true faith ()
James 2:17 ESV
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
She followed the directions of the Israelites without variation, just as we follow the singular way to God for salvation ().
Acts 4:12 ESV
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Her faith enabled her to turn away from her present world, just as we are exhorted to in
Romans 12:2 ESV
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
The sins of her past were no longer relevant ()
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
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 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 valid. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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.
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