Joshua 2:1-24
1 And Joshua the son of Nun senta out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.
3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
7 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;
9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faintb because of you.
10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:
13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
16 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.
17 And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bringc thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
19 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
22 And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.
23 So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them:
24 And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faintd because of us.
Joshua 2:1. Sent out two spies. Many read, “Joshua had sent out.” Being a wary general he would lose no time in gaining every kind of information. A harlot's house, named Rahab. The word is rendered hostess, or landlady, as well as harlot. She got her bread by keeping a sort of inn. Her subsequent marriage and issue, in the line of David, indicate that she was no prostitute. But the Greek and Latin fathers all use the term harlot. Josephus follows the LXX in reading, γυναικος πορνης, which must here be understood as landlady rather than harlot.
Joshua 2:5. Whether the men went I wot [or know] not. Her motives were pure, but her words were not true. So it was with Abraham before Abimelech. The Holy Ghost having recorded the reproof which Abimelech gave Sarah, we ought not to defend the practice. Genesis 20:9. And if lying be reprehensible for the safety of life, how wicked must it be to lie in the common affairs of business and conversation.
Joshua 2:12. Swear unto me by the Lord. This was the ancient way of making covenants; and such covenants, whether relating to marriage or property, if holy and compatible with salvation, cannot be broken. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not, shall ascend into the hill of the Lord. Psalms 15:5.
Joshua 2:15. Window. The ancient houses in western Asia had a gloomy appearance; their construction exhibited the fears of the people. The windows were high, and many of them not larger than a loop-hole through which a man might pass. The scarlet thread seems to have been hanks of yarn which she was accustomed to spin and weave.
Joshua 2:24. The Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land. Those spies were believers; the ten spies forty years before were unbelievers, and perished in their sins; but these by faith obtained safety and salvation.
REFLECTIONS.
The Lord had encouraged Joshua by many gracious promises of his presence and support; but this did not supersede the use of means. Therefore he sent two men to acquaint himself with the road, and with Jericho, the object of their first attack. When we seek the aids of providence, and neglect the means, we do but tempt the Lord.
The spies entering on their arduous mission, after surveying the country, ventured within the city, but with so many fears that they stopped at the first paltry inn on the wall; and not without being perceived, and traced to Rahab's house. It was now that this admirable woman learned the character and business of the strangers. Following the impulse of the moment, having heard the fame of Israel's God, she concealed them in the flax, at the risk of her own life, and then excused herself to the guards. What an act of faith; and what an example of virtue combined with prudence.
After this noble act of faith which had sprung up in a moment from the bottom of her heart; faith that exceeds all the army of Israel; she ascended to acquaint the trembling strangers of all that she had done. She apprized them also with the motives of her singular conduct; for she had heard how the Lord had opened the channels of the Red sea, wide as the wilderness, to give his people a passage, and had caused the waters to return on the presuming Egyptians, long hardened by a course of miracles. She had heard how Sihon and Og had fallen before them, and because of which her whole land fainted with fear. She apprized them farther, that seriously believing the Lord would give them the land, she had risked her own life for their safety. She then stipulated, that they in return should save her life, and the lives of all her kindred; nor would she be satisfied with less than an oath of the Lord for their safety. Here sinners, here is faith in a poor gentile. Here is grace which shames and confounds the supineness of the christian world: here is a glorious example for the wicked to follow. Our God through a long succession of ages has cut off the men who despised his miracles and grace; and he is proceeding with his work. Do you believe the visitation of his rod? Do you believe that conversion or destruction speedily awaits the unregenerate world? Do your souls, like the Canaanites, faint with fear? Then haste to day, haste while you have opportunity. This was Rahab's only opportunity; haste to the Lord's ministers, and never rest till they shall find your repentance so sincere as to give you with safety promises of pardon and peace; promises which Jesus Christ, like Joshua, shall ratify and confirm. Nor be content, oh man, with thy own salvation; but make intercession that thy whole household may be included in the covenant of peace. The safety of Rahab and her house was connected with conformity to the covenant signs. The scarlet chain of linen must be hung in the window for a sign of respect to the house, and the whole family must abide in the house till the carnage and vengeance were overpast. Thus the believer and his household must abide protected with the blood of the cross, and sheltered in society with the saints. “If any of Rahab's brethren,” says bishop Hall, “shall fly from the red flag, and rove about the city, not contented with the roof that hid the spies, it is in vain to tell the avengers he is Rahab's brother. That affinity will save him in the house; not in the streets. If we will wander beyond the line of demarcation, we place ourselves out of divine protection. We cannot claim the benefits of redemption when we fly in the byways of our own heart. The church is that house of Rahab, saved while all Jericho is put to the sword.”
Lastly, we see in Rahab's case the truth of our Saviour's prediction: Whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, and the gospel's, the same shall save it. May our faith hereby be greatly strengthened; and acting henceforth ingenuously for God, we may not be afraid of any evil.