WOMEN OF CHRISTMAS - RAHAB - HARLOT HIDES AND HELPS SPIES

RAHAB – HARLOT HIDES AND HELPS SPIES

Joshua 2 :1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

Moses died and the Lord passed the torch of leadership to his aide, his right-hand man, Joshua. The Israelites were once again on the verge of entering the promised land. In order to do so, they needed to conquer the fortified city of Jerusalem. Joshua sent in two trusted men to spy out the situation there and report back to him. Joshua sent them “secretly” without telling the entire nation of Israel in order to avoid what had happened when he himself had been one of the twelve spies sent out by Moses. The congregation had trusted the negative report of the ten instead of trusting God and the positive report of Joshua and Caleb. They failed to see that any number of people (large or small) and GOD create a majority. In fact, God by Himself is a majority!

In God’s providence, the spies stayed in a inn owned by Rahab the harlot (possibly her former profession that had marred her name forever) in order to go in under the radar, incognito. As two strangers in town, the hope was that this would make them blend in instead of sticking out as Israelites. Also, it would be a place to hear men talking about the city, about the army of Israelites amassing nearby, and ascertain whether they were seen as a threat or not.  We see God’s sovereignty in leading them to the house of Rahab who, as we will see, believed in the one true God.

Joshua 2:2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. 3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.

The two spies got made! Someone recognized them as Israelites, put two and two together that they were spies, and reported this news to the king. In those days, peoples were often warring over territory, so men were hyper-vigilant about suspicious men in their cities. So the king sent word to Rahab to bring the men in to be interrogated as he was certain they were spies.

Joshua 2:4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: 5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.

Rahab lied. She claimed she had not known where the men were from and that they had left after dark, just before the city gates were closed for the night; but she didn’t know where they were going. She urged the king’s men to pursue them immediately in order to catch up to them. She lied in order to protect the two spies. We will see that she knew their God to be powerful; but at this point, she did not know Him well enough to wait on him in the situation. So, she did the best she knew how to take care of it herself by covering for them with a lie.

John MacArthur Study Bible

2:4, 5 Cf. vv. 9–11. Lying is sin to God (Ex. 20:16), for He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). God commended her faith (Heb. 11:31; James 2:25) as expressed in vv. 9–16, not her lie. He never condones any sin, yet none are without some sin (cf. Rom. 3:23), thus the need for forgiveness. But He also honors true faith, small as it is, and imparts saving grace (Ex. 34:7).

Joshua 2:6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.

Rahab had flax for making linen drying on her roof. She hid the spies beneath a blanket of flax.

Joshua 2:7 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

Rahab had successfully diverted the king’s men to leave the city in pursuit of the two spies. All the while, the two men were lying under the flax on her roof. The king’s men had locked the city gate behind them so no one could easily go in or out. This would block the spies’ escape, or so they thought!

Joshua 2:8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; 9 And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

Rahab explained to the spies that the reputation of their God and His people had preceded them. Everyone feared them because of the reports they had heard about the parting of the Red Sea, the conquering of other kings, and the utter destruction of cities that opposed them. She expressed her belief that God was going to enable them to conquer Jericho and all of the promised land.

Joshua 2:11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Rahab declared her belief in the one true God as the God of everything. Her allegiance to this God she had only heard about by word of mouth was stronger than her allegiance to her king or city. This was partly out of fear, but I believe she also knew this God had power to protect her.

Joshua 2:12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: 13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

Rahab made a request of the men and asked them to make an oath in the name of the Lord to carry it out. She begged them to protect her, her family, and all they owned when they came back to destroy the city. She knew the Israelites’ reputation for completely wiping out a people and begged to be spared since she had protected the two spies.

Joshua 2:14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

They told her that as long as she could “zip it,” she had their word that they would do as she asked.

Joshua 2:15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. 16 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

Rahab found a way for the spies to escape despite the locked city gate. She used the Rapunzel method, but instead of her hair she gave them a rope. She advised them to hide in the mountains for three days until the search party gave up and returned to the city. The fact that they were to hide for three days reminds me of the fact that Jesus was in the tomb for three days. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days. I’m sensing a pattern here.

Joshua 2:17 And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.          18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.

The two spies gave Rahab instructions as well. She was to hang a scarlet thread or cord from her window to identify her house as the one to spare. Their instructions were precise and specific. The scarlet thread reminds us of the blood of Christ that saves us from sin. The thread and the blood are reminiscent of the blood of the Passover lamb that protected the Israelites from death during the final plague back in Egypt. Jesus was our final, perfect Passover Lamb. Jesus is the only sacrifice needed for those who believe and trust in Him.

Joshua 2:19 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

Just as during the Passover in Egypt, Rahab’s family needed to stay within the house with the scarlet thread in the window in order to be saved, within the protective barrier that scarlet thread represented. The men explained that they could not be held responsible for any of her family that wandered outside the safety of the house. And they promised protection for those within the house.

Joshua 2:20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

If Rahab did not keep their secret, if she blabbed about their whereabouts, their oath would become null and void.

Joshua 2:21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

Rahab agreed to their terms. Their word was their bond. She followed their instructions by faith in their integrity and faith in the power of their God and tied the scarlet cord so that it hung out the window.

Joshua 2:22 And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.

The two men trusted Rahab and followed her advice, hiding in the mountains until the danger of discovery had passed.

Joshua 2:23 So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: 24 And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

The two spies gave Joshua a full account, including their precarious adventure. They told him confidently that the people of Jericho were shaking in their sandals with fear, that would be like Texans shaking in their boots. They assured Joshua that the Lord would give Jericho to them, that they would be able, in His power, to conquer the city. The Lord had their backs in Jericho by using Rahab to protect them. Rahab believed the Lord was able not only to conquer but to save. She wanted to be on the winning side of the battle she knew was to come.

Ponder this: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (KJV) However, He sometimes provides that help in unusual ways. The spies found refuge in the house of a harlot, and she hid them from their enemies. God’s work in our lives is sometimes “mysterious,” but we can count on His provision in our times of need.