Saved By The Tale
How Do I Reach Those I Don’t Know
Rahab assumed great personal risk to herself and her family; if they had discovered her deception the consequences would have been severe.
Scripture does not condone Rahab’s lie; the Bible makes it clear that such deception is wrong. Nevertheless the NT celebrates Rahab’s action (Heb 11:31) as a demonstration of her faith in the God of Israel and rejection of the Canaanites.
Go courageously (Jos. 2:1, 10)
Rahab was convinced of the truth of the miracles which God had wrought for His people, and acted in firm faith that the true God would give the land of Canaan to the Israelites, and that all opposition made to them would be vain, and would be, in fact, rebellion against the Almighty God himself.
the omnipotence of God had been visibly displayed, so that what the Lord foretold to Moses (Deut. 2:25) had now taken place; it had filled all the surrounding nations with fear and dread of Israel, and the heart and courage of the Canaanites sank in consequence.
But these miracles of divine omnipotence which led the heart of this sinner with its susceptibility for religious truth to true faith, and thus became to her a savour of life unto life, produced nothing but hardness in the unbelieving hearts of the rest of the Canaanites, so that they could not escape the judgment of death.
While some suggest they saw her walking the streets and followed her, it seems better to believe that in the providence of God the men were led there.
Because of the power of Israel’s God which parted the Red Sea for the Hebrew slaves 40 years before, and more recently gave them victories over Sihon and Og, the mighty kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan (Num. 21:21–35). Now that same God was closing in on them and they knew they could not win.
This experience may serve to encourage us. We too are fighting the battles of the Lord under the heavenly “Joshua.” All appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, the forces of evil cringe before the manifest power of God. He is going before us, and the fear of us and of what the Lord has done for us is in the heart of His enemies. The kingdom of darkness is tottering to its fall, and Satan and his hosts know it. In view of this fact let us be strong; perfect faith and love cast out fear (1 John 4:18). The inhabitants of Jericho all heard and trembled; only Rahab passed from fear to faith and service.
Clearly, Israel’s reputation had preceded them: Rahab knew that Israel’s God had given her people’s land to Israel (v. 9), and the entire land was melting in fear because of Israel (vv. 9, 11).
The verbs of his address are both imperatives, Go, look. The reaction of the spies is in keeping with the first command. They went
These accounts represent the source of the knowledge of God by which Rahab was able to make her confession in verse 9.
The two events that are described represent the major acts that marked the beginning and the end of Israel’s trek through the desert.
Rahab believes that God has acted powerfully on behalf of his people to deliver them from the mighty nation of Egypt through miraculous deeds
Rahab, in addition to being a prostitute, was probably an innkeeper.
Show God’s love compassionately (Jos. 2:11, 12-13)
But these miracles of divine omnipotence which led the heart of this sinner with its susceptibility for religious truth to true faith
After this confession Rahab entreated the spies to spare her family (father’s house), and made them promise her on oath as a sign of their fidelity, that on the capture of Jericho, which is tacitly assumed as self-evident after what had gone before, they would save alive her parents, and brothers and sisters, and all that belonged to them
The oath itself was taken in these words, “our soul shall die for you,” by which they pledged their life for the life of Rahab and her family in this sense: God shall punish us with death if we are faithless, and do not spare thy life and the lives of thy relations
Rahab demonstrated her faith not only by protecting the spies (Heb. 11:31; James 2:25) but also by showing concern for her family’s safety.
When Rahab asked for kindness (ḥeseḏ) to be shown to her family she used a significant and meaningful word. Found about 250 times in the Old Testament, ḥeseḏ means loyal, steadfast, or faithful love based on a promise, agreement, or covenant.
Her chief knowledge had no doubt come from the reports of how Jehovah, the God of Israel, was working for them.
After making her confession of faith Rahab proceeded to enter into covenant relations with God and the representatives of His people for the preservation of her life. Surrendering her life to God, she received assurance that it would be preserved in the coming judgment of Jericho.
Because of her “kindness” (ḥesed) to the spies, Rahab asked the spies to take an oath of protection for her and her household.
She now requests that they give her their oath that they will spare her and her family. Of course, in Rahab’s case she is able to add weight to the request by observing how she has treated the spies in sparing their lives
Rahab’s statement that she has shown kindness is an expression composed of the verb ‘to do, make’ and the noun whose rich meaning has been translated as ‘covenantal loyalty’ or ‘commitment’ (Heb. ḥesed).
She asked two things: (1) that she and her family might be preserved, as she had preserved them, and (2) that the spies would give her “a token of truth,” which the Israelites would recognize and respect
Grow Together Continually (Jos. 2:14, 6:25; Matt 1:5)
Rahab stated that Israel’s God, Yahweh, was indeed (the only) God: “the LORD your God is God.”
Thus, when Rahab stated that “Yahweh your God is God,” she was stating that Baal, Asherah, and the rest were not true gods. This
she was doing far more than merely trying to save her skin or that of her family. She was acknowledging that this God she had heard about was the one and only true God, the only one—out of dozens that she as a good Canaanite knew about—who was worthy of worship and allegiance.
she may have been afraid, as were all the other Canaanites, but she also had come to believe in her heart that there was only one true God
She is a prime example of a foreigner who responded in faith to Israel’s God.
She becomes part of the family line that leads to the birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:5) and a model of faith for all Christians (Heb. 11:31).
Admittedly she sought her family’s physical deliverance, but she must have desired also that they too become a part of God’s people, serving the one true God of Israel instead of being enslaved to the Canaanites’ vile and degrading idolatry.
They pledged their lives as security for hers. Should they fail, she and her family would be slain.
Both scholars have rightly noted that Israel was expressly forbidden by God to enter into covenantal agreements with Canaanites.
However, the story of Rahab is of a far different nature. The crucial difference is Rahab’s confession of faith in Israel’s God. By this, she made herself an Israelite, so to speak. She chose to cast her lot with Israel’s God, not the Canaanites’ gods.
Rahab and her family, being Gentiles, had to be ceremonially cleansed; the men were no doubt circumcised before they could be identified with the people of Israel.
Regardless of her past life she was saved by faith in the living God and even became a part of the messianic line (Matt. 1:5).
Rahab and her family and extended household were spared because of what she did for the spies, and, the author tells us, she still lived there until the day that he wrote those words (v. 25).
However, the point of the verse is not to date the writing of the book, but rather to indicate something of the lasting effects of the agreement the two spies had made with Rahab: it was a binding agreement, one that Israel honored, because of Rahab’s faith
She is not distinguished from, but is part of, Israel. She has ceased to be a Canaanite or non-Israelite and has now become an Israelite.
For the Christian, the story of Rahab is the story of the shepherd’s search for the one lost sheep (Matt. 18:12–14; Luke 15:4–7). It is the concern of Jesus for the despised of the world (Matt. 15:21–28; John 8:1–11). It is the transformation of values to which Christianity calls disciples. Those rejected by the world are precious to God (1 Cor. 1:18–31; Jas 2:5).