In our last episode we looked at the faith that was involved when God enabled the people of Israel to bring down the Old Testament city of Jericho (see Joshua chapter 6 for the whole story). If you read the account of what happened at Jericho, you’ll find that the people followed God’s instructions first and then the walls of Jericho went down just as God said they would. The army then moved in and everyone in the city got wiped out (see Joshua 6:20-21).
However, there was one group of people who were spared from death after the walls went down…
“Meanwhile Joshua had said to the two spies, ‘Keep your promise. Go and rescue the prostitute and everyone with her'” (Joshua 6:22).
What’s that all about? Well, hold your place in the book of Joshua and let’s bounce back to Hebrews 11 for a moment…
“By faith– because she believed in God and his power– Rahab the harlot did not die with all the others in her city when they refused to obey God, for she gave a friendly welcome to the spies” (Hebrews 11:31).
Now wait a minute- how did a prostitute manage to get into the Bible’s Faith Hall Of Fame?!? Well, to answer this question we need to rewind from what we’ve just read about the walls of Jericho going down and go back to the time when Joshua (who had taken over as Israel’s leader after Moses passed away) first sent spies into the city to scope things out. Here’s the story as found in Joshua chapter 2…
“Then Joshua sent two spies from the Israeli camp at Acacia to cross the river and check out the situation on the other side, especially at Jericho. They arrived at an inn operated by a woman named Rahab, who was a prostitute. They were planning to spend the night there, but someone informed the king of Jericho that two Israelis who were suspected of being spies had arrived in the city that evening.
“He dispatched a police squadron to Rahab’s home, demanding that she surrender them. ‘They are spies,’ he explained. ‘They have been sent by the Israeli leaders to discover the best way to attack us.’ But she had hidden them, so she told the officer in charge, ‘The men were here earlier, but I didn’t know they were spies. They left the city at dusk as the city gates were about to close, and I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them!’ But actually she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath piles of flax that were drying there.
“So the constable and his men went all the way to the Jordan River looking for them; meanwhile, the city gates were kept shut. Rahab went up to talk to the men before they retired for the night. ‘I know perfectly well that your God is going to give my country to you,’ she told them. ‘We are all afraid of you; everyone is terrified if the word Israel is even mentioned. For we have heard how the Lord made a path through the Red Sea for you when you left Egypt! And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, and how you ruined their land and completely destroyed their people.
“‘No wonder we are afraid of you! No one has any fight left in him after hearing things like that, for your God is the supreme God of heaven, not just an ordinary god. Now I beg for this one thing: Swear to me by the sacred name of your God that when Jericho is conquered you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families. This is only fair after the way I have helped you.’
“The men agreed. If you won’t betray us, we’ll see to it that you and your family aren’t harmed,’ they’ promised. ‘We’ll defend you with our lives.’ Then, since her house was on top of the city wall, she let them down by a rope from a window. Escape to the mountains, she told them. ‘Hide there for three days until the men who are searching for you have returned; then go on your way.’
“But before they left, the men had said to her, ‘We cannot be responsible for what happens to you unless this rope is hanging from this window and unless all your relatives– your father, mother, brothers, and anyone else– are here inside the house. If they go out into the street, we assume no responsibility whatsoever; but we swear that no one inside this house will be killed or injured. However, if you betray us, then this oath will no longer bind us in any way.’
“‘I accept your terms, she replied. And she left the scarlet rope hanging from the window” (Joshua 2:1-21).
So how did Rahab the prostitute manage to get into the Faith Hall Of Fame? Well, she didn’t get there because she was a prostitute- she got there because of her real, Biblical, God-honoring faith. We can tell that Rahab had the kind of faith that pleases God simply by looking back at the definition of faith that we first saw in Hebrews 11:1…
“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.”
We know that Rahab had this confident assurance that the Bible speaks about because her actions demonstrated the reality of her faith in God. In fact, Rahab’s actions can tell us a lot about her faith and the things that she really believed about God. For example, perhaps the most basic thing that Rahab’s actions tell us is the fact that she believed that God really did exist. After all, if Rahab didn’t really believe in the existence of God then there would have been no reason for her to risk her life in hiding those spies. This is important because Hebrews 11:6 tells us that, “You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.”
Next, Rahab’s actions clearly demonstrated that she believed that God could and would save her from the upcoming destruction of the city if she asked. Finally, Rahab’s actions proved that she believed that God would be faithful to make sure that the people of Israel followed through on the promises that were made to her once they came in to take over the city. The things that Rahab did tell us a lot about real Biblical faith and how that faith should influence our actions. Because of this, God has chosen to honor Rahab with a place in His Faith Hall Of Fame.
Related Topic: Why was Rahab saved for hiding the Israelite spies when she lied?