Was Rahab just looking out for herself or was she truly expressing her faith in Israel’s God?

Despite Rahab’s occupation as a prostitute, she appeared to have a significant understanding of Israel’s God when she said I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us…. for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. (Jsh 2:9–11). She “knew” her city had been given by God to the Israelites and that the spies were men of God, so to take sides with them and the Israelites as a whole, was to take sides with God Himself¹.

From her story, it also seems that Rahab had a call from God, to be the one singled out from her people to be a part of God’s plan for Israel and for His son Jesus’ lineage. This call made her willing to sacrifice and betray her own nation. Her interaction with the spies showed that she knew that her people had been condemned by God for their crimes¹ so, it was certainly better to be identified with them. Others in a similar position might probably have acted in the same way to avoid God’s wrath, and Rahab made the most of that opportunity by extending it to her family and friends.

Rahab’s actions highlight three characteristics of faith², further supporting the notion that this was an act of faith and not self-preservation.

• Rahab recognized God as God: She said “…for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”(2:11b). She probably didn’t know Him very well, but the little she knew, she believed.
• Rahab took risks: She risked her city and her life on Israel’s God when she said “I did not know where they had come from…I don’t know which way they went” (2:4–5). This controversial act of lying for a God who generally considers lying to be sin, has been explained by some scholars as an act of faith. In this explanation, the heart condition or a person’s intent for acting is what God actually considers. This would seem true about Rahab as she is admired in the New Testament for her faith (Heb 11:31).
• Rahab acted: She did not just believe-she acted on her belief (Jas 2:24–25). Rahab was bold and clever in hiding the spies and in asking for salvation in return. “But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho — and she lives among the Israelites to this day.” — Jsh 6:25.

As the first recorded Gentile convert in the Bible, Rahab’s story is also a symbolic foreshadowing of the Church and of Gentile believers³.

1. She was part of a pagan world system, and a prostitute, who by her conversion later became a legitimate bride. Similarly, Israel, as the first chosen people of God, were set aside temporarily so that Gentiles could be brought into the kingdom of God-the Church and the bride of Christ (Rom 11; Eph 5:25–27).
2. Just as Rahab was saved because of her faith in God, Christians are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).
3. Although Rahab and Christians are saved by an act of grace through faith, true faith requires and is exemplified by action (Jas 2:14–25). Rahab put the red marker out of the window to show her faith, and Christian lives display Christlikeness, showing that our faith is real.
4. The only way Rahab was spared was to follow the exact directions given to her by the Israelite spies. Although the world tells us that there are many valid ways to God and salvation, the Bible tells us, concerning Jesus Christ, that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
5. Rahab’s faith enabled her to turn away from her culture, her people, and her religion. Similarly, our commitment to God means setting priorities that may be contrary to those of the world. (Rom 12:2)
6. Like Rahab, the slate is wiped clean for all who believe and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Rahab is no longer viewed as unclean/a prostitute, but as one worthy (through grace) to be part of Jesus’s lineage. Just as she was grafted into Christ’s lineage, so are we children of God and partakers in His inheritance (Rom 11).

If Rahab’s action was just for self-preservation, and not out of faith, could she really have tricked God and gotten away with it? God’s revealed nature in the scriptures show that she couldn’t have. All His dealings with people clearly showed His justice and mercy towards their flaws and shortcomings. For example, while Moses is noted for his humility (Num 12:3), God did not let him enter the promised land because he did not honor God at a certain point (Num 20:8–12). Again, while David is described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22), his sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah led to a plague (2 Sam 24:15–17) and his denial of justice for his daughter Tamar led to his son Absalom’s revenge (2 Sam 16:20–22).

As Galatians 6:7 (NLT) puts it,

Don’t be misled — you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

I am therefore beyond convinced that Rahab acted in faith, and not self-preservation. Through her act of faith, she gained salvation for herself and her entire household, and will forever be mentioned in the lineage of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

References

1. Zondervan. (1988). Rahab-All the Women of the Bible. Bible Gateway. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Rahab
2. Patterson, A. (2018, April 26). How a hooker and her lies pleased God. Crossroads Church. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from https://www.crossroads.net/media/articles/how-a-hooker-and-her-lies-pleased-god
3. GotQuestions. (n.d.). Who was Rahab in the Bible? GotQuestions.org. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Rahab.html