Both Hebrews 11: and James 2: indicate that Rahab had put her faith in Jehovah God before the spies ever arrived in Jericho. Like the people in Thessalonica, she had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). She wasn’t like the people of Samaria centuries later who “feared the Lord, and [at the same time] served their own gods” (2 Kings 17:33).
Jericho was one of many “city-states” in Canaan, each one ruled by a king (see Josh. 12:9–24). The city covered about eight or nine acres, and there is archeological evidence that double walls about fifteen feet apart protected the city. Rahab’s house was on the wall (2:15).
Meanwhile, Jericho was a strategic city in Joshua’s plan for conquering Canaan. After taking Jericho, Joshua could then cut straight across and divide the land, and then it would be much easier to defeat the cities in the south and then in the north.
Forty years before, Moses had sent twelve spies into Canaan, and only two of them had given an encouraging report (Num. 13). Joshua sent two men to spy out the land and especially to get information about Jericho. Joshua wanted to know how the citizens were reacting to the arrival of the people of Israel. Since Joshua knew that God had already given him the land and the people, the sending of the spies wasn’t an act of unbelief (see 1:11, 15). A good general wants to learn all he can about the enemy before he goes into battle.
How did the two spies make their way through the city without being immediately recognized as strangers? How did they meet Rahab? We certainly have to believe in the providence of God as we watch this drama taking place. Rahab was the only person in Jericho who trusted the God of Israel, and God brought the spies to her.
The Hebrew word translated “harlot” can also mean “one who keeps an inn.” If all we had was the Old Testament text, we could absolve Rahab of immorality and call her the “proprietress of an inn.” But there is no escape, for in James 2: and Hebrews 11:31, the writers use the Greek word that definitely means “a prostitute.”
It’s remarkable how God in His grace uses people we might think could never become His servants. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Cor. 1:27–29 nkjv). Jesus was the “friend of publicans and sinners” (Luke 7:34), and He wasn’t ashamed to have a former prostitute in His family tree!
Rahab took her life in her hands when she welcomed the spies and hid them, but that in itself was evidence of her faith in the Lord. True saving faith can’t be hidden for long. Since these two men represented God’s people, she was not afraid to assist them in their cause. Had the king discovered her deception, he would have slain her as a traitor.
Since Rahab was a believer at that time, how do we defend her lies? On the one hand, she demonstrated her faith in the Lord by risking her life to protect the spies, but, on the other hand, she acted like any pagan in the city when she lied about her guests. Perhaps we’re expecting too much from a new believer whose knowledge of God was adequate for salvation but certainly limited when it came to the practical things of life. If seasoned believers like Abraham and Isaac resorted to deception (Gen. 12:10–20; 20; 26:6–11), as well as David (1 Sam. 21:2), we had better not be too hard on Rahab. This is not to excuse or encourage lying, but simply to take her circumstances into consideration lest we condemn her too severely.
Lying is wrong (Prov. 12:22), and the fact that God had Rahab’s lies recorded in Scripture is no proof that He approved of them. However, let’s confess that most of us would hesitate to tell the truth if it really were a matter of life or death. It’s one thing for me to tell the truth about myself and suffer for it, but do I have the right to cause the death of others, especially those who have come under my roof for protection? Many people have been honored for deceiving the enemy during wartime and saving innocent lives, and this was war! Suppose we looked upon Rahab as a “freedom fighter”; would that change the picture at all?
Ethical problems aside, the main lesson here is that Rahab’s faith was conspicuous, and she demonstrated it by receiving the spies and risking her life to protect them. James saw her actions as proof that she was truly a believer (James 2:25). Her faith wasn’t hidden; the spies could tell that she was indeed a believer.