Rahab: A Faith Not Held Back by Fear

How frequently do humans allow themselves to be influenced by the opinions of others?  How often do we learn that "it is correct to follow the crowd and incorrect to follow a single standard?"  

The object of today's study is that faith acts when others are paralyzed by fear.  We are still looking at the events surrounding Joshua as we look at Joshua 2:1-4a, then 8-14; and finally 6:22-25.  

In Joshua 2 we are introduced to Rahab, an apparent sex worker, prostitute or inn-keeper, depending upon the theory that you wish to adhere to.  Let's just say that this independent minded woman kept a lodging at which men, especially strangers to the city, could visit and lodge without fear from the other males staying in the house. 

We are introduced to a woman who, in the face of a powerful majority, sticks to her faith.  She exemplifies for us that concept that One plus God is a majority”, illustrating for us that we need not fear that which strikes fear in others if we are obediently following God’s guidance with trust.  

It is interesting to note that the word Rahab, or Rachab in Greek, means wide.  So while some identify her livelihood as innkeeper, the case for her being, in the vernacular, the broad who is a prostitute (the literal meaning of the words: rahab the zonah) seems pretty certain. Despite her occupation Rahab shows herself to be a woman of courageous faith. The writer of Hebrews included her in the inimitable list of people of faith, and a woman named Rahab is included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:5). She models for us the benefits of a faith that moves into action when others are paralyzed by fear. 

Let's look at the set up.

Joshua 2:1-4a

1 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, “Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land.” 4a But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. 

The use of Joshua's full name here, Joshua Ben Nun, indicates a major plot movement in the narrative.  Joshua, while encamped on the eastern side of the Jordan River about 15 miles from Jericho, some 10 miles east of the river, sent two men on to scout the land and gain their bearings. They would have checked out the hills and dales of the countryside and then worked their way into the city of Jericho to investigate what was there.  

Jericho is among the oldest cities in the world, and it is also the city with the oldest known defensive wall.  Archaeologists have uncovered the first settlement in Jericho and it dates back 11,000 years to about 9000 BC, a time when wheat and barley had just begun to be cultivated, when pigs, goats, sheep and cattle were first being domesticated, and when settlements like Göbeklitepe were being built by humans.  

Copious springs in and around the city have attracted human habitation for thousands of years. Jericho is the "Palm Springs" of the Bible which describes it as the "city of palm trees".  The city was a tactical refuge situated near a vital crossing point of the Jordan River. From the city of Jericho, there were three pathways into the mountains in the center portion of the promised land. From Jericho, Joshua and the people of Israel would be able to wage military campaigns to both the north and the south of the promised land.

Casement wall with houses built INTO the wall

When the two men went into Jericho, they, being foreigners, would likely not have been able to stay in the "reputable" part of town, so they found lodging with Rahab in her house built INTO a part of the lower-city wall, a casement wall.  The term "casement wall" refers to a type of fortification structure, often used as city walls, that consists of two parallel walls with a space in between them, separated into chambers. These chambers could be used as storage areas or even living spaces for the inhabitants of the city, offering a practical solution for crowded cities.  In wartime the chambers could be quickly filled with dirt, rocks, or other materials to create a thicker, more solid defensive wall, making them more resistant to attacks.

Historically, mass migration always causes governments and kings to be concerned. Even in today’s world, mass migration can lead to economic, political, and safety concerns for any government in the path of the moving throng. Additionally, the King of Jericho would have been concerned about the security of his own land and people due to the reports that he had heard about the power of the God of Israel. Just as God had said, His mighty acts—including sending plagues upon one of the most powerful nations in the world at the time—had become known around the world and His power became known to the people in the promised land. 

Someone recognized that the strangers in town were from that group camped about 15 miles away and it seems that they were in town to spy on our defenses.  So the ruler of Jericho ordered that the two men be brought before him for investigation.  But Rahab didn’t appear to hesitate.  Rather than turn the men over to the local authorities as the king ordered, she hid the men, and she did so without knowing IF there was to be any reward for the risk she took.  She had in mind, however, an "ask" of the Hebrews. She asked because of her faith that their God was going to do what he said he would do.

Let’s see what she asked.

Joshua 2:8-14

8 Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of 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 Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed across the Jordan. 11 When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below. 12 Now please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.” 14 The men answered her, “We will give our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the Lord gives us the land.”

Rahab allowed the spies to stay in her house. Additionally, Rahab sent her own countrymen out with erroneous directions when they sought the Israelite spies. Hospitality towards travelers and guests was a high value in many countries around the world. However, Rahab’s behavior exceeded all hospitality norms expected of an individual in those cultures. By defying her king’s order and misleading his men, Rahab put herself and her entire household in danger of incurring the king’s wrath. 

Hiding the men on the roof top sleeping quarters of her home, Rahab believed the men would allow her to discuss a potential partnership with them.  First she confessed her faith that their God would do what he said he would do and that the city of Jericho and the people were doomed to defeat.  She also disclosed the defeated mental and physical state of the people of Jericho.  All important information for spies.

Rahab was confident the people of Israel would succeed in conquering the land. She, like the other residents of Canaan, had heard all that God through His mighty power had done for the people of Israel during their Exodus from Egypt. After all they were only about as far away as the distance from Brenham to Wichita Falls. The prevailing attitude in Jericho seemed to be "if you defeated Egypt, the superpower of our world, what chance do WE stand?!"  Rahab would negotiate for the safe removal of her and her family from Jericho before Israel’s invasion.  

Rahab made several amazing proclamations. First, she declared the God of Israel (Yahweh) controlled heaven above and . . . earth below. The Canaanites believed different gods were in charge of different parts of heaven and earth. In an era when the local gods were limited in power, e.g., the god of rain, the god of fertility, the god of the forest, By declaring Yahweh to be the God of these two vast areas – Heaven AND Earth, she was confessing that the Hebrew God was very powerful. By referring to the Hebrew God by his name, Yahweh, Rahab was expressing faith in this individual God and not a pantheon of many gods. 

Rahab had confessed faith in Yahweh. She believed He was powerful enough to save her and her family. Her request to the spies was the outworking of her new faith. She was no longer trusting the gods of her family or her people. Instead, she was professing and confessing her faith in the God of Israel alone. She had come to know and believe that Yahweh was the dominant power, so she declared her allegiance to God through His people.

The Israelite spies responded to Rahab’s confession of faith in Yahweh and her request that she and her household family be kept safe.  They promised that  as long as she did not report their mission to the authorities of Jericho, when Joshua and the Israelite army came into Canaan they would keep her safe.  

The conditions for Rahab’s safety continued. Not only must she remain silent about their mission, but she also needed to demonstrate faith in their goodwill and power to save her. The Israelite spies told her to do two things. First, she was to hang a scarlet cord from the window of her house. Second, she was to gather into her house all those whom she wanted to keep safe and keep them there. These simple acts of faith would demonstrate that Rahab truly did trust in Yahweh to save her and her family. 

 

Her house was built into the wall of the city, so it was easy for her to let the spies out of a window.  After leaving Rahab, the two spies returned to Joshua and told him everything that happened while they were in the land.

Now, lets move forward in the story to look at the aftermath of the destruction of Jericho.

 

Joshua 6:22-25

22 Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel. 24 They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.

The people of Israel marched around Jericho and trusted the Lord to use His power to bring down the walls of Jericho and thereby deliver the city into their hands. The Lord miraculously brought down the walls of Jericho, allowing Joshua and his troops to march straight in and capture the city. Joshua was faithful to keep the promises made by the two spies whom he sent to spy out the land. He sent the same two men into Jericho to find Rahab and her family. Once they found Rahab and her family, she and her family were spared the destruction that came upon the rest of the city of Jericho. 

Jericho was surrounded by a great earthen rampart, or embankment, with a stone retaining wall at its base. The retaining wall was some 12-15 ft high. On top of that was a mudbrick wall 6 ft thick and about 20-26 ft high. At the crest of the embankment was a similar mudbrick wall whose base was roughly 46 ft above the ground level outside the retaining wall.  So Jericho effectively had a 6 story wall system around the city.

This is what loomed high above the Israelites as they marched around the city each day for seven days. Within the upper wall was an area of approximately 6 acres, while the total area of the upper city and fortification system together was about 9 acres. Based on the archaeologist's rule of thumb of 100 persons per acre, the population of the upper city would have been about 600 and perhaps another 300 in the lower city. 

The citizens of Jericho were well prepared for a siege. A copious spring provided water inside the city walls. At the time of the attack, the harvest had just been taken in, so the citizens had an abundant supply of food. This has been borne out by archeology.  Many large jars full of grain were found in the Canaanite homes in Jericho.  With a plentiful food supply and ample water, the inhabitants of Jericho could have held out for several years from a conventional attack.  But after the seventh trip around the city on the seventh day, Scripture tells us that the wall “fell flat”. A more accurate rendering of the Hebrew word here would be “fell beneath itself.” There is ample evidence that the mudbrick city wall collapsed and was deposited at the base of the stone retaining wall at the time the city met its end.

Rahab's house was incorporated into the fortification system. If the walls fell, how was her house spared? As you recall, the spies had instructed Rahab to bring her family into her house and they would be rescued. At the north end of Jericho, archaeologists made some astounding discoveries that seem to relate to Rahab.  

In 1907-1909 archaeology found that on the north of the city a short stretch of the lower city wall did not fall as everywhere else. A portion of that mudbrick wall was still standing to a height of 8 ft. What is more, there were houses built against the wall! It is quite possible that this is where Rahab's house was located. Since the city wall formed the back wall of the houses, the spies could have readily escaped through the wall. 

Archaeology also gives us a bit more insight into the situation at Jericho.  The Bible tells us that the Israelites 'burned the whole city and everything in it'. A portion of the city destroyed by the Israelites was excavated on the east side of the city. Wherever the archaeologists reached this level they found a layer of burned ash and debris about 3 ft thick, and found many storage jars full of grain that had been caught in the fiery destruction. This is a unique archaeological find. Grain was valuable, not only as a source of food, but also as a commodity which could be bartered. Under normal circumstances, valuables such as grain would have been plundered by the conquerors. Why was the grain left to be burned at Jericho? The Bible provides the answer.

 

Joshua commanded the Israelites:  

The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into His treasury.

Such a large quantity of grain left untouched gives silent testimony to the truth of yet another aspect of the Biblical account. A heavily fortified city with an abundant supply of food and water would normally take many months, even years, to subdue. The Bible says that Jericho fell after only seven days. The jars found in the ruins of Jericho were full, showing that the siege was short since the people inside the walls consumed very little of the grain.

At the time the book of Joshua was written, the writer said that Rahab still lived in Israel. There are a couple possible interpretations to this statement. First, it is possible that Rahab herself was still alive when the book was written down—indicating the accounts of the book were written shortly after the events described therein. Second, it is also possible that the author was referring to Rahab’s descendants who were still living in Israel at the time—thus maintaining her legacy. 

Rahab’s faithfulness was rewarded not only in her lifetime but beyond her lifetime. In the Gospels, Rahab appears as one of only a few women in the ancestry of Jesus (Matt. 1:5). In addition to being one of the only women, she is also one of the only Gentiles in the list. Rahab’s actions serve as an example of works accompanying one’s faith. Taken together, the New Testament presents this Gentile woman as an example of faith not only to the early church made up mainly of Jewish believers but also to the worldwide church today that will one day be made up of some from “every nation, tribe, people, and language”.

For her courageous faith, this woman of low reputation among her worldly neighbors, was enrolled among the faithful in the book of Hebrews—the only woman, besides Sarah, named there. James used Rahab as an example of how a character can be transformed by a living faith that yields works. And eventually, she was no longer known as the harlot who hid the spies, but as the wife of Salmon the mother of Boaz, and the ancestor of Jesus.  

Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).  Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah), and on down to Jesus.

Faith calls us to do what is right even in the face of cultural pressure. Rahab is an example of a risk-taker who put her actions where her faith was.  As an ancestor of Jesus we can look to Rahab as as a faithful example of a faithful risk taker.