Twelve Extraordinary Women: Rahab

This particular chapter has some amazing things in it. One of the things that I love the most is exactly what ehart wrote about this particular chapter and you can read her post here.

Rahab was the mother of Boaz, who later married Ruth. Of course, the next chapter in the book is 'Ruth', so I think it flows rather well. To get a really good insight into the connection of Rahab, Boaz, and Ruth you need to read ehart's post. She did a very nice recap of it.

Rahab was a harlot. Yes, there really isn't any way around it, that's what her profession was. MacArthur makes note later in the chapter that some rather 'scholastic rabbis' before Jesus' time were embarrassed that a harlot and her family were the only redeemed people at Jericho. They concocted a theory that Rahab was perhaps a innkeeper of sorts as the term used for harlot is similar to a Hebrew word 'to feed.' But MacArthur shows that the actual Hebrew word really can only mean 'harlot.' He explains that in the Septuagint the Greek word to describe Rahab is 'porne,' which can only be interpreted as 'harlot' which we get our English term 'pornography.'

So with that argument set aside, we have to look at Rahab's lifestyle and admit that it certainly wasn't the best from an Israelite's view point seeing that harlotry was forbidden. Yet, the two spies that Joshua sends out end up at Rahab's domain. It didn't take long for the king to receive information that the spies had visited Rahab, so he sent his men out to question her.

Upon the arrival of the king's men, Rahab hid the Israelite spies on her roof among the stalks of flax. Then she went to converse with the men who had come to question her. Hiding the Israelites was a dangerous action for Rahab. She was putting her life in jeopardy for these men. Perhaps before the king's men arrived the Israelites had expressed their purpose for being within the gates of Jericho. If so, then they would have most likely told Rahab about their God, YHWH.

Of course, we know that Rahab lied to these men when they questioned her. MacArthur asks the question as to whether Rahab was justified in telling the lie for the greater good. He states that many have argued over this through the centuries, but one thing you can't ignore is the fact that God hates a lie. Proverbs 12:22 states, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord."

So then we ask, could God have saved Rahab and the spies without a lie? Absolutely! We must believe in God's power and strength to bring to fruition His will. There are many biblical accounts that justify God's will taking place even when things started to look like there was no way out. For example, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego might have lied and escaped punishment, but they told the truth and God saved them from the fiery furnace.

After the king's men leave Rahab, and they start to 'pursue' the Israelites as Rahab had told them that the Israelite men had left the city; Rahab goes back to the rooftop to converse with the two spies. During this time, Rahab confesses her faith to them.

You have to remember that Rahab had heard about how God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt by separating the Red Sea. In fact, during her proclamation of faith, she says, "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt....And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you." But she continues, "For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." That's quite a statement of faith when you consider that Rahab was living in a grossly, sinful, pagan world. She recognized the one true God and made her proclamation before the Israelite spies. Therefore, God bestowed grace upon her so that she and her family would survive Jericho's destruction.

Albeit, Rahab's statement of faith was spurred on by her fear. But fear is often the first emotion that we feel when we come to faith. Ps 111:10: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."

Rahab's life represents an extraordinary woman who was saved by extraordinary grace.

A few points of interest that I found in the recap of Rahab's life are:

• Rahab was the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth.
• Rahab, a harlot, is included in the lineage of our Lord.
• Rahab is the first Gentile that we meet in the Promised Land.
• Rahab played a gigantic role in helping the Israelites to conquer the gateway to the Promised Land
• Rahab is a reminder to us that the most demeaning life of a harlot can be redeemed by God's grace.