The Surprising Underlying Message about Rahab’s Story
The Surprising Underlying Message about Rahab’s Story
Do you have a habit of looking for the underlying message about who God is within every biblical story?
So many times we read or study our Bible and come away committing to:
- I’ll be wise like Daniel
- I want to be strong like Joshua
- I will become more content like Naomi
There is indeed great wisdom and value in that. But I know you would agree the Bible is about God and His Son Jesus and their “His Story”–the history of God showing who He is in truth.
That is certainly true about the story of Rahab and how she lied. What can we emphasize about who God is in this story? Seem a little vague. But let’s take a look.
Read Joshua 2 for the story.
You’ll remember Rahab intentionally lied and misled the king’s messengers to protect and save the two Israelite spies. Canaanite culture approved of lying; she most likely didn’t think twice about it. Regardless of cultural standards (or lack of them), the commands of the Bible stand firm. We can never use cultural viewpoints as an excuse to diminish our commitment to God’s holiness. God wants to strengthen our courage to stand for him regardless of any consequences we fear.
As we study this story, we could wonder why the king’s messengers did not search all of Rahab’s home, especially her bedroom. The customs of the day included the belief a woman’s bedroom was a private place no one could enter. Rahab was known as a harlot, and some commentators think the Hebrew word zonah for harlot can also indicate an innkeeper, which would go along with the fact the spies “lodged there” (v. 1). What better place for them to stay, because a lot of people would be going in and out. God used these aspects of the Canaanite culture for His own purposes and advantages.
Even though Rahab’s lying was wrong, we must acknowledge her courage. She knew very little about the God of the Israelites, and yet what she knew was enough to prompt her to risk her own life.
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Rahab didn’t know God well enough to trust she didn’t have to lie. He could provide some amazing plan to protect his people.
Our goal as Bible students should not be to vindicate her lying. She did sin. But her knowledge about God was limited. If she was indeed an innkeeper, she’d heard stories from travelers about the Israelites and their powerful God. The stories weren’t the only influence to inspire her belief. The very Spirit of God was at work.
Her belief didn’t mean she became completely victorious over every sin. We might try to reason, “Well, lying was the only option available to save the spies.”
Here’s the subtle messages about who God is from the story about Rahab.
- LIE: Rahab believed she had initiated the only solution available. TRUTH: As a creative God, he could have fashioned any number of solutions.
- God saves a sinner and gives her courage to protect His people even if imperfectly. God drew her to Himself through the stories of His favor for His chosen people. He gave her faith, but it didn’t mean she would never sin.
- God emphasizes His faithful commitment to a sinner saved by grace through using her to encourage her faith.
- God highlights His ability to work in a saved sinner for her sanctification–growth in faith–no matter how little she knows in the beginning.
What a marvelous assurance for us because we come to Christ for salvation, and God knows the process of spiritual dependence upon him has only begun. Rahab is included in the “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11:35) because of her faith, not her perfect behavior. We are saved based upon our faith in Jesus as our Savior, not because we earned our way through perfect living. God saves and works in all of us because His faithfulness spotlights His perfect characteristics.
After the Israelites protected Rahab and her family as they destroyed Jericho, Rahab married Salmon, who most commentators believe was one of the spies. This couple are a part of the lineage of Jesus. Matthew 1:5-6 tells us, “… and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.” What a fascinating love story giving God glory.
Rahab is an example of God’s grace in using a forgiven sinful woman in the ancestral line of Jesus. May we never forget no one is beyond God’s gracious touch or unable to receive His courage.
How can you become more courageous as you think of God’s creative faithfulness demonstrated in the life of Rahab?
(This is an excerpt from my women’s Bible study Heart of Courage: Daughters of the King Bible Study Series which contains 10 lessons examining the courage 
God gives biblical characters in different areas of their lives. This study is perfect for group and individual study with questions to answer, commentary, and inspirational application).
