“We’ll build you a house near the road, Rahab,” Jobab offered. “You can have a lucrative business—”
“I’m staying here.” She sat down.
“Stubborn woman! Show some sense!”
“Sense?” She glared up at him. “What sense is there in walking away from a God who protects His people?”
“He didn’t protect our people!” Mizraim pointed out, gesturing toward Jericho. “You can still smell their burning flesh on the wind.”
“Those are my people,” she said and pointed toward Gilgal.
“I want to go home,” her mother said, weeping. “When can we go back to our house in the grove?”
“Will you go back to worshiping your little wooden idols as well?” Rahab asked bitterly.
“The god who destroyed Jericho isn’t for us,” her father said gravely. “We’re alive, and that’s all that matters.”
“No, Father. It isn’t enough to be alive but not serve the God who rescued us.”
“Not for you, perhaps,” Mizraim said. “But enough for us.”
“Then go!”
“Please come with us, Daughter,” her mother pleaded. “What will become of you if you stay behind? The Israelites will never allow you to live among them.”
“I’ll make her come,” Mizraim said angrily, reaching for her.
She slapped his hand away. “I’ve had stronger men than you try to bend me to their will! Don’t try it!”
“Leave her alone,” her father said, hefting a bundle onto his back. “Give her a few days to think things over. She’ll come to her senses.”
“When will you come to yours?” she cried out. “How can you turn away after you’ve seen the truth?”
“What truth?” Jobab said.
“That it was God who saved you!”
“It was you, Rahab,” her father said. “And we’re grateful.”
“But you all know the stories about God just as I do. Haven’t I told you each and every one as I heard it?”
“Yes, this god has great power.”
“All power!”
“All the more reason to go, my dear. Such a god is best avoided.”
“And how do you propose to do that, Father? Where can you hide from Him?”
He looked troubled, but remained firm. “We will dwell quietly among the palms as Joshua has said we can. We will go about our business and not interfere with theirs. And, in this way, we will have peace with the people of Israel and their god.”
Shaking her head, she looked away toward the Israelite encampment of Gilgal and wept.
“Come with us,” Hagri said. “Please, Sister. You’ll be all alone here.”
“I’m staying.”
“And if they break camp and leave?”
“I’ll follow.”
“Why?”
“Because I have to.” How could she explain that she yearned for God, like a deer panting for water?
Crying softly, Hagri kissed Rahab on the head and then walked away.
* * *
Salmon stood with Joshua at the edge of the encampment. “I told you she wouldn’t go with them.”
“Leave her alone for three days. Give her time to consider her choices. If she remains, you may go and bring her in among the tents of Israel.”
“She is a woman alone. Shouldn’t a guard be posted?”
Joshua smiled at him. “She already has one.”
* * *
As the sun rose on the fourth day of her solitude, Rahab saw a man walking toward her. It was Salmon. He was unsmiling as he came near, and she wondered what dour message he had to give her. Perhaps Joshua had sent him to warn her away.
“You’ve remained here for three days,” he said, standing on the opposite side of her fire.
“Joshua said I was free to choose, and I choose to stay here.” She poked the fire. She had enough grain to make bread for today only; tomorrow she’d go hungry.
“How long do you plan to stay here?”
“As long as Israel remains in Gilgal.”
“We will be moving soon.”
“Then I suppose I’ll be moving, too.”
He straightened, and she thought he would walk away. “I will take you into my tent and cover you with my mantle.”
Her face went hot at his proposal of marriage. “You?” She covered her cheeks with her hands.
He frowned slightly. “You refuse?”
“You’re so young!”
He grinned. “I’m old enough.”
She gave a bitter laugh. “Marriage to someone like me? You don’t know what you’re saying. Didn’t you hear Joshua the other day? I am Rahab the prostitute, a prostitute in the eyes of all Israel and anyone else who hears of me.”
“Ah, yes, the woman with a past to whom God has given a future.”
“Do not jest about such things,” she said angrily, struggling against the tears. If only she could live her life over, she would change so many things.
“I do not jest, Rahab.” He came around the fire. Reaching down, he took her hand, drawing her firmly to her feet. “Why do you suppose Ephraim and I came into Jericho?”
“To spy out the city.”
“So we were told.”
“So you said.” Frowning, she looked up at him.
“So we thought, but I’ve been wondering ever since I met you.”
He had the most beautiful, tender brown eyes. “Wondering what?” When he touched her cheek lightly, her heart quickened.
“If God didn’t send us to find you.”
“Why would God take note of an unworthy woman like me?”
“Because the Lord knows His people wherever they are, even when they’re inside the walls of a pagan city. He knew you, Rahab, and He answered the prayer of your heart. God saved you from death, and God is now offering you a way to be grafted into His people.”
She shook her head and stepped back from him. As much as the idea might appeal to her, this would not do at all. “I know God is my Savior. I also know He is God of all there is and thus master of my life.”
“Then accept the blessing He offers you.” Salmon smiled and placed his hand against his heart. “A young husband.”
She laughed bleakly. “Young and impulsive.” Jerking free, she turned away. “Give yourself a few days, and you’ll be glad I said no.”
“I made up my mind the day I met you.”
She turned back and arched a brow at him. “Oh, really?” How many times had she heard such nonsense? The king of Jericho had said such words to her. “When did you know, Salmon? When I was hanging out the window and brazenly calling out to you?” She touched her hair. “Was it my streaming black tresses that set your heart afire?” She touched her throat. “Or my other ‘character attributes’?” Her fingers teased the neckline of her dress.
His eyes never left hers. “When I first looked up at you in the wall of Jericho, I saw you as a harlot. Bold. Filled with iniquity. But when I came into your house and you spoke to us, I saw you for what you are—a woman of wisdom, a woman worthy of praise.”
“Oh, Salmon . . .” When she started to turn away, he caught hold of her and turned her around to face him.
“Almost from the moment you proclaimed your faith in God, I loved you.”
“Love?”
“Yes, love. In all my life, I haven’t met a woman among all Israel who is more worthy of praise than you. All the young women I know have seen the pillar of fire, the cloud that rises and leads us across the desert wasteland. They have drunk water that streamed from a rock and eaten manna from heaven. And still their faith does not match yours. From you will come prophets . . . perhaps even the Messiah.”
“Messiah?” What did the word mean?
He smiled again. “There is so much to teach you, so many things you don’t know. The history of our people, the Law, the promises of God . . .” He cupped her face tenderly. “Be my wife, and I will teach you.”
“And what will your family say?”
>
“That I am prudent in selecting such a wife. Caleb has already given permission.”
“Who is Caleb?”
“Leader over my tribe, the tribe of Judah. He was with Joshua when Moses sent men to spy out Canaan forty years ago. He and Joshua are the only two survivors from my father’s generation. Caleb is held in high esteem by all.” His mouth tipped wryly as he ran one hand over her hair. “He suggested that he be the one to marry you, but I told him he already had one wife too many.”
She swallowed back her tears, amazed at the mercy of God. First He rescued her, and now it seemed He was providing a man of God to be her husband. Her husband! Never had she dreamed of such a thing.
“You are the woman I’ve waited for,” Salmon said quietly. “Come with me.”
She put her hand up so he would know she needed a moment. She couldn’t speak a word past the lump in her throat. He frowned, dismayed, and she knew she had to show him she had decided. Stepping away from him, she knelt and scooped dirt over her fire. Gathering her possessions into a bundle, she straightened, tears of joy trickling down her cheeks.
Smiling once more, Salmon stepped forward and wiped them away. If she had doubted his words of love before, she did no longer, for his gaze shone with the joy of someone who had just been given exactly what he wanted.
Salmon picked up her bundle, took her by the hand, and led her home.
EPILOGUE
Rahab and Salmon had a son, Boaz.
Boaz was the father of Obed;
Obed, the father of Jesse;
Jesse, the father of King David.
And from the line of King David of the tribe of Judah
came the promised Messiah,
Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
SEEK AND FIND
Dear reader,
You have just read the story of Rahab as perceived by one author. Is this the whole truth about the story of Rahab and the fall of Jericho? Jesus said to seek and you will find the answers you need for life. The best way to find the truth is to look for yourself!
This “Seek and Find” section is designed to help you discover the story of Rahab as recorded in the Bible. It consists of six short studies that you can do on your own or with a small discussion group.
You may be surprised to learn that this ancient story will have applications for your life today. No matter where we live or in what century, God’s Word is truth. It is as relevant today as it was yesterday. In it we find a future and a hope.
Peggy Lynch
THE VISIT
SEEK GOD’S WORD FOR TRUTH
Read the following passage:
Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia. He instructed them, “Spy out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house. They are spies sent here to discover the best way to attack us.”
Rahab, who had hidden the two men, replied, “The men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. They left the city at dusk, as the city gates were about to close, and I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath piles of flax.) So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossing places of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the city gate was shut.
JOSHUA 2:1-7
• Joshua secretly sent two men to spy out Jericho. What things in this passage indicate that this mission was not a secret to the citizens of Jericho?
• Where did the spies go?
• Who is Rahab? How does she make her living?
• According to this passage, how did the king of Jericho view these two “visitors”?
• How did Rahab perceive these visitors?
• Contrast the king’s and Rahab’s responses to the visitors.
FIND GOD’S WAYS FOR YOU
• Most of us will never face an invading army as Rahab did, but we do face overwhelming situations of other kinds. What kinds of problems are you facing right now? What kinds of choices do you have?
Read the following passage:
If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.
JAMES 1:5-8
• What does this passage tell you to do?
• What warning do you find?
STOP AND PONDER
• How are you wavering in your decisions?
THE STAND
SEEK GOD’S WORD FOR TRUTH
Read the following passage:
Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below. Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”
“We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise when the Lord gives us the land.”
JOSHUA 2:8-14
• List the reasons that the people’s hearts had melted in fear and no courage remained.
• What declaration does Rahab make about God?
• What does Rahab ask of the spies?
• Rahab asks the men for a promise. Upon whom is that promise based?
• How do the spies respond?
FIND GOD’S WAYS FOR YOU
• What fears grip you? Why?
• What do you do when you are fearful?
• What kind of advice have you given to others who are fearful?
King David, one of Rahab’s most famous descendants, wrote of God: “Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
• What does God offer you?
STOP AND PONDER
• Where is God in relation to you right now?
THE ESCAPE
SEEK GOD’S WORD FOR TRUTH
Read the following passage:
Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the city wall, she let them down by a rope through the window. “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days until the men who are searching for you have returned; then go on your way.”
Before they left, the men told her, “We can guarantee your safety only if you leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house. If they go out into the street, they will be killed, and we cannot be held to our oath. But we swear that no one inside this house will be killed—not a hand will be laid on any of them. If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”
“I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarl
et rope hanging from the window.
The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them had searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned to the city without success. Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan River, and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them. “The Lord will certainly give us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.”
JOSHUA 2:15-24
• Where was Rahab’s house located?
• How did she help the spies escape?
• What instructions did she give the spies? Why?
• What warning and conditions of rescue did the spies give Rahab?
• What was Rahab’s response?
• What signal was Rahab to use?
FIND GOD’S WAYS FOR YOU
• Like Rahab, we have opportunities to help others. List some ways you have helped others.
• What advice have you given?
Jesus said, “Don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs” (Matthew 6:31-32).
• What instruction and what promise does Jesus offer here? What is the condition?
STOP AND PONDER
• Who has first place in your life?
THE WAIT
SEEK GOD’S WORD FOR TRUTH
Read the following passage:
Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go in or out. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its mighty warriors. Your entire army is to march around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the horns, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the walls of the city will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the city.”
So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.” Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the city, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.”