I’d like us to think about Rahab this evening, under the title “Rahab’s Passover.” The events of this chapter took place sometime early in the month of Abib, elsewhere called Nissan. I don’t know whether Joshua or Eleazar has mentioned this to Israel or not, but in a few days, once across the river and set up in Gilgal, Israel is going to keep an overdue Passover on the 14th of Nissan. It could be that the Passover is in the back of the minds of these spies as they cross the Jordan. But then again it might be a simple coincidence, at least in the course of human events. Clearly, Rahab knows nothing about the Passover. But then we are quite surprised at what Rahab does know and what her knowledge produces under the grace of God.
Consider Rahab’s KNOWLEDGE about the Lord.
Notice that in verse 9 she says, “I KNOW that the Lord hath given you the land.” Do you remember when Christ was questioning the disciples about their faith, and He asked: “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Then “Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for FLESH AND BLOOD hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” I find it curious that Jesus referred to “flesh and blood,” because when Paul was testifying about his knowledge of the Lord, he used the same words – Galatians 1:15-17 – “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with FLESH AND BLOOD: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia.” So where did Paul get his theological training? It came directly from God Himself.
Rahab said, “I KNOW that the LORD hath given you the land.” Notice that she used the relatively rare name for God – “Jehovah”. Certainly this was a name known to Abraham. But Israel had basically forgotten it during the last 400 years, and the Lord had to reveal it once again. There is a lengthy passage in early Exodus reintroducing Moses to “Jehovah, the I am that I am.” So where did Rahab come up with this name? Did flesh and blood reveal it unto her? Perhaps. But the details of what she knew about this Jehovah were not taught by human instructors.
Rahab makes some references to obvious conclusions: “I know that the Lord hath given you this land. We have learned about what God did at the Red sea, and to the Amorite Kings, Sihon and Og. Then you didn’t take possession of those lands, although they lay defenseless and helpless at your feet. It was obvious that you were headed in our direction. And we also know that your forefathers claimed this land by the promise of God centuries ago. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that you mean to conquer OUR home and native land.” These are NOT things which the Lord had revealed to Rahab. These were natural conclusions to things that she and her countrymen had seen and heard. This was simple mathematics.
“And our people are afraid:” Did she know that the Lord had sent this fear? Deuteronomy 11:25 – “There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.” If all the people of Jericho were in the same fearful state, why is there only one rushing to Christ? There is encouragement here in this – for the missionary and every other servant of God. There are Rahab’s hidden in Jerichos all over the world – God’s elect. All we need to do is to faithfully cross Jordan, and the Lord will lead us to them.
What she knew about the Lord is declared in verse 11 – “Jehovah, your God, is God in Heaven above.” Rahab acknowledged the superiority and spirituality of Jehovah. He is not a tribal God, or a god of the hills versus a god of the valleys. Jehovah is God in Heaven, He is over and above the things of earth. For those of us who know this is true, we have a perception of safety and security that others cannot have.
“And furthermore, Jehovah, your God, is God in the earth beneath.” This is the statement of a monotheist. Rahab doesn’t leave any room for Baal or Ashtoreth, Moloch or the Great Goddess Diana. No god is god who is not sovereign over creation. She recognized that Jehovah can call the volcanos Etna, Rainier or Vesuvius to life. This Jehovah can order the rains to drown the Carolinas and the locusts to plague Egypt. And then He can order a flock of quail to drop into the camp of Israel. Perhaps there were Jerichoan traditions about the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. No god is god who is not sovereign over the affairs of men. Jehovah has authority and power to remove or set up kings – even presidents. Logically speaking, Israel shouldn’t have had the military strength or expertise to beat the Amorite kings, but look at what the Lord hath done. Jehovah gives one man leprosy, another polio, and another lives to be 110 years old.
“The Lord is God in Heaven above and God in earth beneath.” This information was gathered and assessed by this human mind. But the conclusions came by way of the grace of God.
With that in mind consider Rahab’s PRUDENCE.
A couple hundred years ago “Prudence” was a fairly common girl’s name. By definition it means: “Wise in handling practical matters; exercising good judgment or common sense.” Based upon the knowledge she had assimilated, and with the conclusions that the Holy Spirit produced in her heart, Rahab made some wise decisions in handling the practical matters of her life.
The chapter isn’t clear on some of the details and timing of all the events. But I think that Rahab knew who these men were the moment that she saw them. She hid the spies before the messengers from the king arrived. I think that she had already had some discussion with them about their mutual futures. I think that this chapter condenses and summarizes the things that they discussed. If this conversation took place by shouting over the wall, it would have put everyone in unnecessary danger.
Something that a lot of people refuse to admit is that: There are no more practical matters in our lives than spiritual matters. In fact spiritual matters should supercede earthly matters. Rahab was a traitor to her city, because her eternal soul was worth far more than her earthly citizenship. She didn’t take direct steps to betray her neighbors to the enemy. But at the same time she didn’t take steps to betray the spies either. On the other hand she could see that her city and nation were soon going to be history. Her sister Prudence called her and told her that she needed to plead with Jehovah for deliverance. There is nothing more practical or important than personal salvation.
Rahab was also concerned about the rest of her family. She prudently made arrangements for the deliverance of everyone she could get into her house. Have you ever wondered how many joined her? How many wanted to join Noah and his family in the Ark – before the rains started? How many of the in-laws joined Lot when he made his escape from Sodom? Rahab bargained for the rescue of the rest of her family. But if she was the only one delivered, did this make any difference to her decision?
In praising Rahab’s prudence, I am not condoning her deceit. I understand her reasons, and even the background from which it came. But I an not telling anyone to copy her sin.
But there is much to copy in Rahab’s FAITH.
It was built upon what she had heard about the Lord. In a sense it was structured upon the Word. It’s not unlike Paul’s arguments about the Heathen world in general found in Romans 1. It is impossible to find the gospel in studying the butterflies of the Amazon. We cannot learn about the cross of Christ by studying the cedars of Lebanon. But we can learn a great many important things about God, when our hearts are as open as our eyes. We can see order and intelligence in the universe. We can see the necessity for a Creator. We can see the eventual hand of justice. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Rahab’s faith was built upon both natural and spiritual revelation.
And it produced practical changes in her life. She ceased to be a polytheistic idolater and became a worshiper of the One True and Living God. She ceased to defend her heathen and rebellion nation. She chose to emigrate to Israel; did that make her a Zionist?
Rahab’s faith gave her reason to support the ministry of God’s people. These spies escaped Jericho in the same manner that Paul escaped Damascus. The Book of Acts tells us that after Paul’s conversion to Christ, he became a wanted man. It was necessary that he escape the city at night by going over its side. We are told that he was let down over the city wall in a basket. There is no reason to say that there was a basket in this case. There is no reason to think that Rahab was strong enough to handle the weight of a man like this. There is no reason to think that there were other people helping her at this point. It appears that there was a cord of some sort long enough to reach ground from the top of the wall. And the two men climbed or rappeled down.
We have an illustration here of Rahab’s support of the gospel ministry – literally. When people become children of God, they quickly learn to love the people of God, the church of God and the servants of God. They begin to give of themselves so that others might have the same blessings that they have. Notice verse 17 – “Behold, WHEN we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the widow.” Now compare that with verse 21 – “And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.” The spies were not concerned about the rope until such time as Israel began its “attack.” But Rahab chose to identify with Israel from the very outset, with this rope hanging from the window from the very hour that she let the men use it. Was there no suspicion against her when she lied to her king? Was her house in such location that no one ever saw or wondered about this new window decoration? Were there other houses with other color ribbons hanging from their balconies? Again, I think that there was some risk in this, but Rahab refused to compromise her testimony.
Now think about Rahab’s PASSOVER.
There was a death angel approaching, and Rahab logically wanted no part of Him. This was a revelation that was obvious to both Israel and Egypt, and Israel and Canaan. The sacrifice of the Passover was a matter of faith, it certainly was against the usual logic. Rahab didn’t have a lamb or goat to sacrifice, and she probably didn’t know the significance. But she certainly had the same kind of faith that the believing Israelite possessed. The Passover involved a house and the portal of a house. In Egypt the Israelite painted the blood of the lamb across and down the sides of the door. And of course it was scarlet red. Rahab didn’t have the blood, a door, or the hyssop, but she did have a scarlet cord and a window. When the Death Angel had finished his awful work forty years earlier, the children of Israel escaped Egypt through the blood spattered door. I don’t know exactly how Rahab escaped, but since there wasn’t a door facing outward, and since there was this red corded window, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was not her portal of egress.
Beyond God’s saving grave, Israel’s salvation from Egypt came through that Passover sacrifice and blood. And Rahab’s salvation came through the application of this scarlet thread. The spies might have meant it only as her physical salvation, her escape from capital punishment. But I believe this woman was “saved by grace through faith and that not of herself.”
Rahab had a Passover just as surely as Joshua or Caleb.