Commentary - Joshua 2:1-14

Bird's-eye view

In this chapter, we are introduced to one of the most remarkable instances of sovereign grace in the Old Testament. As Israel stands poised to execute God's judgment on the Canaanites, God is simultaneously working to save a Canaanite. And not just any Canaanite, but a prostitute from the very city that was the first military objective, Jericho. This is an account of espionage, to be sure, but it is far more an account of a saving faith that was kindled by the fearsome reputation of the God of Israel. Rahab, a woman who was an outsider in every conceivable way, becomes an insider through a robust faith that acted. She hides the spies, lies to the authorities, and negotiates a covenant of salvation for her and her household. This story is a beautiful foreshadowing of the gospel's power to reach into the darkest corners of the world and bring sons and daughters of God out of the city of destruction and into the city of God.

Outline

Context In Joshua

Following the death of Moses in Deuteronomy 34, Joshua has assumed leadership over Israel. The nation has mourned Moses and is now camped at Shittim, on the east side of the Jordan River, preparing for the conquest of Canaan. The sending of the spies in chapter 2 is the final preparatory act before the miraculous crossing of the Jordan in chapter 3. This event serves a dual purpose: it provides crucial military intelligence, but more importantly, it demonstrates that God's work of salvation is already underway within the doomed city of Jericho. Rahab's faith is the firstfruits of the conquest, a sign that God is not just giving land to Israel, but is gathering a people for Himself from all nations.

Key Issues

The Faith of a Harlot

1 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, see the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab and lodged there.

Joshua acts with prudent wisdom. Faith in God's promises does not eliminate the need for practical action. God promised them the land, but Joshua still sends spies. This is not a lack of faith, but rather faith in action. And where do the spies go? Providence leads them to the house of a harlot. God's ways are not our ways. He did not send them to the most respectable house in town, but to a place on the margins, a place of sin and shame. This is a profound statement from the outset. God's grace operates in the gutters of human society. The gospel is for sinners, and here, salvation is coming to the house of a prostitute.

2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”

The kingdom of this world is not oblivious. The king of Jericho represents the doomed pagan authority, and he is alert to the threat. He knows who these men are and why they are there. Notice the demand. It is an absolute command from a king who believes he has total authority. "Bring out the men." This sets up the central conflict of the story. To whom does Rahab owe her allegiance? To the petty tyrant of a doomed city, or to the King of heaven and earth?

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 Now it happened when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.”

Before the king's men even arrive, Rahab has already acted. Her faith is not passive. She has taken the spies and hidden them. She has chosen her side. And when confronted, she lies. Let us be clear about this. In the context of a holy war, where the king of Jericho stands under the judgment of God, this is a righteous lie. She is siding with God's emissaries against God's enemies. Her duty is to the higher law of God, not to the demands of a wicked king. She is protecting life and furthering the purposes of God. This is not a sin; it is an act of courageous faith, and it is for this action that she is commended in Hebrews 11:31.

6 But she had brought them up to the roof and concealed them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.

The details show her cunning and commitment. The flax stalks were a common feature of a household at that time, used for making linen. It was a normal, domestic scene, and the perfect hiding place. Her deception is successful, and the forces of Jericho are sent on a wild goose chase. The shutting of the gate is significant. The spies are now trapped in the city, entirely dependent on the faithfulness of this Canaanite woman.

8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.

Here we get to the heart of the matter. This is Rahab's great confession. She begins with a statement of settled conviction: "I know." This is not a guess or a hope. It is the certainty of faith. And what does she know? She knows that Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, has given them the land. She has better theology than many Israelites would have at various points in their history. She understands God's sovereignty and His covenant promise. She also understands the effect of God's power. Terror has fallen on her people; they have "melted away" in fear.

10 For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 Indeed we heard it, and our hearts melted, and a courageous spirit no longer rose up in any man because of you; for Yahweh your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

Faith comes by hearing. Rahab lays out the evidence. She and her people have heard the gospel stories of their day: the Exodus and the victories over the Amorite kings. The same news that caused the hearts of the pagans to melt in terror was the news that produced saving faith in her heart. This is the difference grace makes. She concludes with a magnificent doctrinal statement that would be at home in the mouth of Moses or Isaiah: "for Yahweh your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." She acknowledges His absolute sovereignty over everything. This is the foundation of her actions.

12 So now, please swear to me by Yahweh, since I have shown lovingkindness to you, that you also will show lovingkindness to my father’s household and give me a pledge of truth, 13 and preserve my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters alive, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”

True faith is never merely abstract; it seeks security and acts on its convictions. Because she believes Yahweh is the true God, she wants to be in a right relationship with His people. She asks them to swear an oath in His name. She appeals to the principle of covenant reciprocity. She has shown them hesed, covenant faithfulness or lovingkindness, and she asks for that same hesed in return. Her faith is also covenantal in its scope. She does not just ask for her own life, but for the lives of her entire family. She is acting as a priest for her household, seeking to bring them under the umbrella of God's salvation.

14 So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it will be when Yahweh gives us the land that we will show lovingkindness and truth to you.”

The spies agree. They make a covenant with her, sealed with a solemn pledge: "Our life for yours." This is a form of substitution. They are putting their own lives forward as a guarantee of her safety. They promise to deal with her in "lovingkindness and truth," the very language God uses to describe His own covenant character. A Gentile prostitute, through faith, has entered into a covenant relationship with the people of God. The walls of Jericho are still standing, but the wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile has, in this one woman, been breached by the grace of God.

Application

Rahab's story is a powerful reminder that God's grace is not limited by our categories. He saves sinners, notorious sinners, and He delights to graft them into His covenant family. Her faith was not a vague feeling; it was based on the testimony of God's mighty acts, it resulted in a radical change of allegiance, and it moved her to courageous, risky action. She sided with God's people against her own culture and government because she knew who the true King was.

We are called to the same kind of faith. We have heard a far greater testimony, not just of the Red Sea, but of the empty tomb. We are called to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord in heaven above and on earth beneath. This confession requires us to transfer our ultimate allegiance to Him, even when it puts us at odds with the world around us. Like Rahab, our faith must be active, protecting the things of God, and seeking the salvation not only of ourselves, but of our entire households. She is in the lineage of the Messiah for a reason. She is a picture of the church, the harlot bride made pure and brought into the house of the King forever.