Rahab

Message / Question

What would you say to people who say the Bible upholds Rahab who was a liar as a woman of faith?

Response

First up, it is important to remember that Rahab is noted in Hebrews 11 for her faith, not for her lying— but nonetheless, there’s no getting away from the reality that she did lie. We don’t know a lot about Rahab, except for her two forms of employment (harlot and seller of purple), however my guess is that, as a resident of a city as corrupt and evil as ancient Jericho, sin in its many forms, were quite likely to have been a normal part of Rahab’s life. We must also understand the culture of the Middle Eastern people, when someone entered your house, you entered into a form of covenant with them you were bound to protect their life at any cost. Complying with this form of covenant was the highest moral law (Lot showed us another example of this process when the two “strangers” entered his house and he refused to allow the crowd to come in to get them). Should we be surprised that a prostitute, living in pagan surroundings, would lie to the soldiers? Hardly – there were probably others whose reputations had been saved by similar lies in the past. But she was not saved because she lied, she was saved DESPITE of her lies!

I am glad that we serve a God who is filled with grace and mercy, otherwise we would all be in significant bother; and although Rahab sinned, God was able to show her grace and mercy. Was it necessary for her to lie in order to save the Hebrew spies? Probably not, God would have saved them and effectively prevented us from finding out what miracle God may have performed in order to save them.

So no, God did not and does not condone sin. However He does and did forgive sin. Rahab acted in great faith in helping the spies and even entered into the ancestry of the Saviour who was to come. Was Paul a man of faith? Yes, but he was also a murderer of Christians, an enemy of the Church. God is far greater in grace that we can ever imagine, it applied to Paul and to Rahab and to all who come to Him by faith, regardless of the lies that they have told or the litany of sins that could be recited against them. God IS good!