May 7-13, 2023

Dr. "Joey" Alan Le

Joshua 2:1–24 – Rahab

Without male support, prostitution was about the only way a single woman could make a living. Thus, Rahab is a representative of the urban lower class, one of the most debased and expendable elements of the city (Claassens 317). What other obstacles do poor and unsupported women face today?

1 SPIES. The word “spies” appears in 2 Sam 5:10 to describe agents who spread information, rather than those who gather it. The spies of Joshua 2 do both, examining the land around Jericho and seeking supporters (Gaventa and Petersen 146-147). What are the similarities (and differences) between this and modern-day evangelists, missionaries, and non-profit workers?

1 A PROSTITUTE WHOSE NAME WAS RAHAB. In ancient Near Eastern religions, the demoness Rahab is associated with the demoness Tiamat. She is partly a woman, and partly a fish. Other parts of the Old Testament also describe Rahab as an ogress or demoness. Women like Rahab were used to serve goddesses like Rahab and Tannin, the goddess of the sea. These women are religious sexual slaves. Divine kings and priests would worship the images of goddesses like Rahab and Tannin. They would get possessed by the spirits of these goddesses, and in this state of trance they would have religious sex with women, usually called Rahab. These injustices are religiously sanctioned, making this a systemic evil of a very deep kind (Johnson 23). How does this extra socio-religious background help you understand the heroine of this story?

4 THE WOMAN…HID THEM. Why do you think Rahab decided to risk her life to hide these two Israelite spies?

6 SHE HAD, HOWEVER, BROUGHT THEM UP TO THE ROOF AND HIDDEN THEM WITH THE STALKS OF FLAX THAT SHE HAD LAID OUT ON THE ROOF. Day after day, night after night, she stayed on the periphery of the city, where the royalty and soldiers would come and abuse her, all in the name of religiously sanctioned propriety. She knew that this was the lot of her whole family, especially the girls. She knew that the only way for her to gain freedom from her awful situation of being abused by Canaanite men was to trust in a God who cares for and saves slaves, including sexual slaves. Therefore, she gave refuge to two representatives of the enslaved community. When oppressed and marginalized people look at Christians, do you think they would feel about us the same way Rahab feels about the Hebrews?

7 SO THE MEN PURSUED THEM ON THE WAY TO THE JORDAN AS FAR AS THE FORDS. AS SOON AS THE PURSUERS HAD GONE OUT, THE GATE WAS SHUT. Rahab’s story celebrates the small victory of the poor and disenfranchised as they made the king of Jericho look foolish (Claassens 317). Do you know of other small victories concerning how the poor and oppressed find joy amidst their suffering?

9 I KNOW THAT THE LORD. This may be the longest prose speech by a woman in a biblical text (Gaventa and Petersen 147). Rahab subverts people’s expectations. She is a non-Israelite, enemy, outsider, and woman who truly speaks of God rightly. She knows Yahweh’s name, the God of Exodus, the Savior God. Her story gives hope to those who are currently disenfranchised (Claassens 317). Have you ever been surprised by the wisdom of someone you didn’t expect to be wise?

10 HOW THE LORD DRIED UP THE WATER …AND WHAT YOU DID TO THE TWO KINGs. Rahab acknowledged that two supernatural powers were pitted against each other. One was the supernatural power of YHWH, and on the other side were the supernatural powers of the gods and goddesses of the Egyptians, Canaanites, and other people groups (Johnson 24). What kinds of things has God done that convinced you that God is real and powerful?

11 THE LORD YOUR GOD IS INDEED GOD IN HEAVEN ABOVE AND ON EARTH BELOW. In the context of ancient Near Eastern religious thought, Rahab places Yahweh in the category of cosmic deity and recognizes him as a powerful national patron god. The report the Canaanites have heard suggests that he can influence the weather as well as bodies of water, disease and the animal world. Though her confession expresses how impressed they all are with the range of Yahweh’s authority and power, it is far from an expression of monotheism. She has neither renounced her gods nor offered to dispose of them. She has not affirmed any loyalty to Yahweh but has requested his help. She shows no knowledge of the obligations of the law, and we have no reason to think she is aware of the revolutionary religious system that was developing in Israel. In short, her speech does not suggest that she has risen much above her polytheistic perspective—but she knows power when she sees it (Matthews et al. Jos. 2:11). What does this say about Rahab’s personality and character? How might this shed light on how we can interact with people who likewise suffer enslavement?

12 SINCE I HAVE DEALT KINDLY WITH YOU…DEAL KINDLY WITH MY FAMILY. What, in principle, does dealing kindly with a person look like?

13 THAT YOU WILL SPARE MY FATHER AND MOTHER, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND ALL WHO BELONG TO THEM, AND DELIVER OUR LIVES FROM DEATH.” Rahab explicitly mentions the members of her immediate family but not herself in the list of those to be saved. Her concern for her family outweighs her own self-preservation (Gaventa and Petersen 147). Why is this quality so admirable? Do we find the same sentiment reflected in Christ?

14 THE MEN SAID TO HER, “OUR LIFE FOR YOURS! IF YOU DO NOT TELL THIS BUSINESS OF OURS, THEN WE WILL DEAL KINDLY AND FAITHFULLY WITH YOU WHEN THE LORD GIVES US THE LAND.” According to Jewish tradition, Rahab was the great-great-grandmother of the prophet Jeremiah (Num Rabbah 8:9). He was a prophet who constantly fought against wrongs being done to women (Johnson 25). What hardships and injustices have your ancestors experienced, and how can you leverage your heritage to confront those past wrongs today?

15 THEN SHE LET THEM DOWN BY A ROPE THROUGH THE WINDOW, FOR HER HOUSE WAS ON THE OUTER SIDE OF THE CITY WALL AND SHE RESIDED WITHIN THE WALL ITSELF. Rahab is a liminal figure, literally dwelling in the city wall – in the space between the double walls that fortified the city where social outcasts typically found a home. During enemy attacks, though, these walls could crumble, making this liminal space a very dangerous place to inhabit. Indeed things have not changed much since ancient times. The poor and the marginalized still live in the worst and most dangerous parts of town (Claassens 317). Which parts of your city are most dangerous? What can be done about revitalizing those neighborhoods, and serving those neighbors?

16 GO TOWARD THE HILL COUNTRY. What’s your impression of Rahab in these verses? Is she a traitor or a heroine? How might Rahab have learned these things about God? What do these verses reveal about the ancient world?

How can you take active steps to fight for the salvation of your closest friends, family members, or even someone you see is in danger?

21 SHE SENT THEM AWAY. There are three important Scripture passages in the New Testament that refer to Rahab. How does each one contribute to your understanding of this story?

·  Matthew 1:1–5

·  Hebrews 11:30–31

·  James 2:24–26

23 THE TWO MEN…TOLD [JOSHUA] ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED TO THEM. The spies were commissioned to go and see the land and its people. In Genesis 1, seeing is an act of discerning and judging. In a sense, the two scouts see, in truth, religiously oriented evil and prostitution of the lower classes like Rahab. Rahab is not a prostitute because she chooses to be a prostitute. She is a prostitute because she is enslaved to the goddess Rahab (Johnson 23). What can you do to develop this biblical sense of discernment, to see the reality of the situation?

Conclusion

Like so many slaves in the ancient world, Jesus endured brutal beating. Crucifixion was a common means of executing slaves. As a result Jesus was said to “take the form of a slave.” Through the ages Christians in hopeless circumstances have been comforted by this likeness; surely Jesus understands their suffering. All Christians are mandated to recognize Christ in the faces of the enslaved and the oppressed—and to work to end that oppression. Believing that the gospel promises freedom from all forms of bondage, some Christians are particularly inspired to participate in global campaigns against human trafficking and other contemporary modes of slavery (Glancy 102-103).

Act

• Learn the signs of trafficking and how to prevent it | FREE Initiative.

• Become a foster family or support friend | Foster the City.

• Foster the City

• Build a community of mentors at FCC who are actively supporting survivors of trafficking.

• Support businesses that help survivors | Thistle Farms.