Rahab: A Faith Not Held Back by Fear • Joshua 2:1-14, 6:22-25
By Becky Brown
The nation of Israel had just completed the days of mourning the death of Moses. Joshua, servant of Moses from his youth, had been commissioned by God to lead the people. The forty years of wilderness wanderings were done. It was time to cross the Jordan River from east to west and prepare to divide, conquer and distribute the Promised Land of Canaan. The leaders of Israel were staring at the city of Jericho.
Jericho was the oldest known walled city. Those walls loomed large, appearing invincible. Joshua sent two spies across the Jordan River and into the city to bring back a reconnaissance report. They entered Jericho and landed at the home of the local prostitute named Rahab. Against the edict of the King of Jericho, Rahab received the Jewish spies and hid them on the roof of her home.
Rahab risked her life to hide these spies. In Joshua 2:10-14, we see why. In the face of fear, she declared her faith in Yahweh, the covenant-making God of Israel. The people in Canaan had heard all about the deeds of Yahweh at the Red Sea. They had also heard how the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, had been easily dethroned and defeated by the Israelite armies. All of Canaan was paralyzed with “fear-melted hearts” at the possibility of Israel’s advancing army.
Rahab’s faith in God gave her the reason she needed to hide the spies and to spin up the courage to ask them for protection for her and her family members. In Joshua 2:11, Rahab declares her faith in the Lord their God. “He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” That faith helped Rahab squash her fears and stand firm. She bargained with the two spies for the lives of her family in the event of the inevitable defeat of Jericho.
A pledge for their safety was guaranteed by the two spies. A scarlet cord was to be placed in the window of Rahab’s home which was located on the city wall. Their lives would be spared if they kept the battle plans secret and if they all remained inside her home when the city was attacked.
As soon as the spies returned with the report, Joshua led the people across the Jordan River. In Joshua 5, he meets the Captain of the Lord of Hosts and receives the battle plan for the defeat of Jericho. I’m certain that each day’s march around that city was being closely observed by Rahab and her family through that window on the wall. The scarlet thread waved in the breeze. Seventh day — seventh time around — the marchers shouted. The walls fell down flat. The city was defeated. Rahab and her whole family were spared. They became a part of the camp of Israel from that day forward.
Hebrews 11:31 contains the name of Rahab the harlot. She was included in the famous “Hall of Faith-ers” chapter because “she had welcomed the spies in peace.” This act of faith separated her from those in Jericho who were the “disobedient” ones that fought against the people of God. Her faith distinguished her as different. In the face of great fear, she stood firm.
Rahab would become the wife of a Jewish man named Salmon. Rahab’s son would be Boaz, the husband of Ruth. Ruth’s son would be Obed the father of Jesse of Bethlehem. Jesse’s son would be David, the shepherd boy, King of Israel. The last word in the Book of Ruth is “David.” Rahab was to become the Great-Great Grandmother of King David!
In the first chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, we see the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Ruth and Rahab and Tamar are mentioned by name. Ruth was a foreigner from Moab. Rahab was a harlot from Jericho. Tamar pretended to be a harlot to trick her father-in-law Judah, the son of Jacob, into accepting the responsibility of caring for her. Bathsheba is not mentioned by name in Matthew One, but she is identified as the wife of Uriah who committed adultery with David and birthed King Solomon. The other lady mentioned in that chapter is Mary, the mother of Jesus the Christ. Rahab was in good company!
When people respond to God in faith, His wonderful plans for them materialize.
Brown leads LittleBrownLight Ministries.
