Joel M Bradshaw

22But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.–Joshua 6

Mulan pretended to be a man named Ping in order to serve in the army in her father’s place, even though it was illegal to do so. During a battle, she saved Captain Sheng’s life. He immediately told her, “I owe you my life.” But Mulan was injured in the battle and when Sheng went to check on his soldier he found out that the man he thought was Ping was really a woman named Mulan. The law said that she had to die. Sheng chose to spare her life. In doing so he reasoned that she saved his and now in saving hers, the debt was repaid. It’s a very manly moment. We men want to pay our debts. Honor really means something to us. It’s one of my favorite moments in any Disney movie.

It of course was also the tension with the Jericho story. None of us is surprised that Jericho was defeated. Even though we make much of it in our Sunday school classes, nobody should be shocked that the walls came a’tumblin down just by marching and shouting. Just a few verses prior, Joshua met the supernatural army commander that was essentially God in the flesh. He was on their side. Jericho was toast.

No the tension is with Rahab. Will she and her family trust the word of the two spies that she hid and do as they said or will they panic and flee?

I like how Joshua sent the spies to go collect them. Rahab would have immediately recognized them and left her apartment with them. Ironically, it is probably the only time in history where the phrase “Go into the house of the prostitute” was used in a God-honoring way.

Joshua made sure that the spies kept their word. Yahweh was and is a God of both promise and fulfillment. God keeps his word. Rahab showed faith and trust in Yahweh and that very faith resulted in salvation. It’s the Gospel according to Rahab.–JMB