By Roy E. Ciampa, Ph.D.
S. Louis and Ann W. Armstrong Professor of Religion, Samford University
Rahab: Courageous Faith
Joshua 2:1–14
This week we begin a series of studies of women who are powerful examples of faith. We start with Rahab.
Fear of God can fuel our courage. (1–7)
Jericho was of particular interest due to its proximity to trade routes and thus its military and economic value. Joshua’s spies found a place to stay in Jericho with a prostitute who also served as an innkeeper. Somehow word spread not only of their presence but of their secret mission as well. The king’s knowledge that the spies were staying with Rahab turned their situation into a life-or-death predicament for her and for them.
To give them up would probably cost them their lives. To help them escape would probably cost Rahab her life. How would she respond?
One would normally expect a stranger to be more loyal to her own people than to two people she had just met. Amazingly Rahab hid the spies and came up with a story that saved their lives and her own: an ancient version of the well-known “They went that-a-way” ruse.
This part of the story has an almost comedic effect as those searching for the spies take her at her word instead of carefully searching her premises. If she had been caught in her lie it undoubtedly would have cost her life and theirs. Although the text does not comment on the issue it is understood the spies were not merely “lucky” but God had providentially prepared the way for them.
The following verses make it clear Rahab’s extraordinary courage had an extraordinary basis: knowledge of the unmatched power of Israel’s God and to defy Him would be a more self-destructive move than to defy local authorities.
Fear of God is grounded in the confidence of who God is and what He does. (8–11)
Only after covering for the spies and sending the search party on a wild goose chase does Rahab reveal why she had taken such extraordinary steps to save these strangers. Her explanation is given in the form of inverted parallelism (also known as chiastic structure) which stresses the repeated points and the central point around which they pivot:
A: A theological conclusion: God has given Israel this land (v. 9a)
B: A reference to the fear that has fallen on the people (v. 9b)
C: The basis for the fear and the theological conclusion: Hearing of what God did for Israel in the exodus and with the Amorites (v. 10)
B’: A reference to the fear that had fallen on the people (v. 11a)
A’: A theological conclusion: Israel’s God is God of heaven and earth (v. 11b).
God’s reputation had gone before Him (and before Israel) to Jericho. God’s powerful way of dealing with the Egyptians and Amorites had led to tremendous fear and for Rahab tremendous insight into the nature of Israel’s God and boldness to act in light of what God had revealed about Himself and His commitment to Israel.
Rahab realized Israel’s God was not some inferior Israelite god with only local and limited powers but instead He reigned in heaven and over earth.
Fear of God leads us to trust. (12–14)
Rahab’s life-saving and life-risking act of protecting Israel’s spies was grounded in her newfound faith in Israel’s God. And faith in Israel’s God resulted in a willingness to trust in His people as well.
Rahab knew they would come back and capture Jericho and was prepared to trust them (and God) with the salvation of her family as they had trusted her (and God) with their own lives. She is an example to all of us of courageous faith.
Share with others: