Joshua 2:1-7

Rahab Hides the Spies Joshua 2:1-7

And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither tonight 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, they shut the gate.

1. Why were the spies sent out secretly? Joshua 2:1

This was naturally done to prevent the Canaanites from hearing about it. Partly it was done for the sake of Israel. If the reports should prove unfavorable, the people of Israel might have been thrown into despair as they had been before in the time of Moses. When Moses sent the twelve spies out from Kadesh-Barnea, the people had come to him with the suggestion that they send spies. Moses had inquired of the Lord concerning the advisability of this procedure, and with the Lord's blessings he had sent one man from each tribe to spy out Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:22 and Numbers 13:1 ff.). Since the people knew Moses had sent the spies out they were expecting to get a report when they returned. Joshua's action would prevent this kind of anxious anticipation on the part of the people.

2.

What kind of city was ancient Jericho? Joshua 2:1 b

Jericho was a city within the borders of Canaan, lying something more than an hour's journey to the west of the Jordan. Its location was seven miles north of the Dead Sea, and about ten miles northwest of the mouth of the Jordan where it enters the Dead Sea. It was situated in the plain which was formerly very fertile and celebrated for its palm trees and balsam shrubs. It is now quite desolate and barren. The town lay eight hundred feet below sea level, making it some two thousand feet below the summit of Mount Olivet to the west. The Dead Sea, however, is twelve hundred and ninety feet below sea level, making Jericho to be situated on a hill that stood out above the plains surrounding the site. The town controlled the trade routes from the east as well as the road stretching up to the west to Jerusalem. Another road through the ancient site of Bethel and Shechem lay nearby, and a road to the south led down to Hebron. Its overthrow would naturally greatly alarm the Canaanites, and Joshua singled the town out of all the Canaanite tribes when he recounted Israel's victories (Joshua 24:11).

3.

Who was Rahab? Joshua 2:1 c

Rahab is called a zonah, that is, a harlot, not an innkeeper, as Josephus, the Chaldee version, and the Rabbins interpret the word. The spies-' entering the house of such a person would not excite suspicion. Moreover, the situation of her house against or upon the town wall was one which facilitated escape. The Lord so guided the course of the spies that they found in this sinner the very person who was the most suitable for their purpose. The tidings of the miracles wrought by the living God on behalf of Israel had made a deep impression on her. She informed the spies of the despondency of the Canaanites. With believing trust in the power of the God of Israel, she concealed the spies from all the inquiries of her countrymen, though at great risk to herself,

4.

Who was the king of Jericho? Joshua 2:2

Many of the principal cities of the Canaanites were governed by a king who would also take reponsibility for some of the surrounding territory. Five of these kings formed a coalition against the Israelites and fought Joshua after the Gibeonites made peace with Israel. Another group of kings in the northern part of Palestine also banded together to oppose the conquest of the men under Joshua. There were at least five leading kings in this northern group as well. A summary of the kings who were overthrown by Joshua is given in chapter 12, where thirty-one different kings are named. Their principalities would be comparable to the city-states of ancient Greece. Their office would make them equal to the lords of the Philistines, who are mentioned frequently in the days of the judges. This important and powerful man sent to the home of Rahab demanding information about the spies who had come into her house.

5.

How had the king learned of the spies-' mission? Joshua 2:3

A report had been given to the king, but Joshua does not tell us who made the report. Although the coming of two strange men to the house of Rahab would not be sufficient grounds to arouse a lot of suspicion, the strange conduct of the men might have been the reason for someone's surmising that they were Israelite spies. They evidently did not enter Rahab's house for any immoral purpose. Even though she is called a harlot, she may have also provided a place of lodging for strangers, In modern society it is not unusual for women of immoral nature to ply their nefarious business in or about a perfectly legitimate lodging place. Such may have been Rahab's arrangement. If the men of Israel were distinct by their speech, their dress, and their conduct, they may have aroused enough suspicion to cause someone to go to the king with the report that spies were in Rahab's house.

6.

Was she justified in lying? Joshua 2:4

Rahab sought not only to divert all suspicion from herself, but to prevent any further search for them in her house. She wanted to frustrate the attempt to arrest them. Her deceit is not to be justified as a lie of necessity told for a good purpose. Neither can we avoid the problem by saying that before the preaching of the gospel a salutary lie was not regarded as a fault even by good men. Such cannot be shown to be allowable, or even praiseworthy, simply because the writer mentions the fact without expressing any subjective opinion. Even though Rahab was convinced of the truth of the miracles which God had wrought for His people and acted in firm faith that the true God would give the land of Canaan to the Israelites, she still is culpable in affirming an untruth, for a lie is always a sin.

7.

Why did she have flax on the roof? Joshua 2:6

Flax is a herb-like plant which has been cultivated from the beginning of history. It is a herbaceous plant and grows to a height of some three feet, having blue flowers and very fibrous stalks. The tough fibers of the stalk after the decay and removal of the softer woody and gummy material made the crude flax. From the flax linen was made, and linen was in the earliest historic times a favorite material for clothes. The Jewish priestly garments were made of pure linen. The Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen. Linseed oil, and oil cake were also useful products from the same plant. Since the roofs of the Palestinian houses were flat, the area was used for many different purposes. Roof tops made excellent places to spread out farm products for drying, and this was evidently the reason why there were stalks of flax on the roof of Rahab's house.

8.

What gates were shut? Joshua 2:7

Some have called Jericho the oldest city in the world, Numerous archaeological excavations have been made in and around the city, These have revealed an area covering some four or five acres surrounded by a double wall, Some of the walls even in the ruins are twenty-eight feet high, The walls themselves are at places in three sections with a base of clay, gravel, and small stones. Above this is a rubble wall and finally on top is a brick wall sometimes between six and eight feet in thickness. Not even Meggido, a famous military center of the ancient world, reveals work-manship of this kind. Those who built Jericho must have been masters in stonework and masonry. It is taken as a triumph of engineering skill which modern builders under the same circumstances could scarcely improve. Since the city was excellently fortified it would be necessary to have gates which could be opened and closed. Their practice evidently called for the closing of the gates at sundown in order for the city to be safe from attacks by night.