The Untold Story Of Rahab (The Harlot) Who Will Surely Inherit The Kingdom of God -By Joe Dauda

In the Old Testament, the token of spiritual salvation was physical salvation. Think of Noah whose family was physically saved from a real flood; think of the children of Israel, who were physically delivered from real human slavery as a token of spiritual deliverance from sin; and then think of Rahab the harlot. Like the others, Rahab’s physical salvation from imminent destruction was actually a token of something deeper and more meaningful. But, first, her biography. 

Who was Rahab?

Rahab was an inhabitant of the city of Jericho. This city had inhabitants who did not believe in the only true God — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The fact that Rahab was a real harlot cannot be controverted, no matter how hard you try. And I did try to do some research to see if there was room to entertain any idea that Rahab was probably just the proprietress of a motel or something less heinous than her biblical designation as a harlot. But my research only confirmed that Rahab was a real harlot in the flesh business. She was a whore. The Hebrew word translated as “harlot” in Joshua 2:1 (where the story of Rahab begins in the Bible) is the word zanah (H2181 in the Strong’s Concordance) and there is nothing holy about a person described as zanah, pronounced zawnaw in the Hebrew tongue. Everybody knows that this woman helped the 2 spies that Joshua sent on a reconnaissance mission in Jericho. And her kindness was reciprocated by the Israelites when they conquered Jericho. They did not only spare Rahab but spared her father, her mother, and her siblings. In fact, based on what the two spies instructed her, anybody that was with Rahab in her house during the Israeli invasion of Jericho was going to be safe: no harm would come to them. But why was this woman classed as a hero of faith in the Book of Hebrews? 

In Hebrews chapter 11, certain heroes of faith are mentioned: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. Others are Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jeptha, David, and Samuel. Only one woman (a heroine) was added unto this list by name. That heroine is Rahab. Was it just Rahab’s kindness that led to this humongous honour and blessing?

The Untold Story of Rahab

Spiritually, Rahab had become like Cornelius. For those who are not familiar with the story of Cornelius, he was Roman Centurion who was apparently living according to the light of truth he had received. Remember that the Bible says:

Titus 2:11-12
[11]For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
[12]Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

The above is clear: no matter where you were born, and no matter the type of religious or secular nurturing you had while growing up, there is a grace that comes directly from God to your heart to draw you unto godliness — or “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts”. It is only resistance to this grace that leads to profanity.
This grace that appears to all men had appeared to Cornelius. And what was the result, according to the Bible?

Acts 10:1-2
[1]There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
[2]A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Cornelius had responded to the “light” mentioned by John. That light, is, of course, Jesus Christ.

John 1:9
[9]That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

To respect Cornelius’ positive and obedient response to this light (which was what led him to live the way the Bible stated in Acts 10:2, 4) God went as far as sending an angel to visit Cornelius. You can read this amazing story in Acts chapter 10.

Like Cornelius, the light of the gospel had also shone in the heart of Rahab, previous to the visit of the 2 spies. She already had faith.

Romans 10:17
[17]So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

How do we know that Rahab had heard about the God of Israel and had even developed faith in Him and was probably, like Cornelius, doing her best and praying for more light? The evidence is explicit:

Joshua 2:9-11
[9]And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
[10]For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
[11]And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

It is safe to assume that, with this type of mindset, Rahab had stopped her harlotry. A peripheral evidence for this is that, if she was still a harlot, perhaps some men of Jericho who patronized harlots like her would have been around and would’ve seen the spies. Remember that she was alone when they showed up. In fact, that was why she was able to hide them and keep their mission secret. Note also that they did not send her an email informing her of their visit. They suddenly entered Jericho. As soldiers, they probably just figured out that a harlot’s house will be the best place to hide. If Rahab was still practicing her trade, some other customers would have showed up; or the spies would have met her with someone else. This is conjecture but it is not baseless. The Bible provides evidence of the state of mind of Rahab, as stated in Joshua 2:9-11. That state of mind evinces that of a repentant sinner/idol worshipper who had come to believe in the God of Israel and was desirous of His salvation, yet not knowing how to proceed — just like Cornelius. 
Another interesting part of this story is that Rahab had carried her cross and was mentally prepared to die for believing in the only true God. Rahab no longer believed in the gods of Jericho. And that was why she did not act like a typical citizen of Jericho would have acted. She hid the spies because, in her heart, she had defected. These were days when nationality and religion were one and the same. To be an Israelite meant to believe in the God of Israel; to be a Gentile, on the other hand, meant to believe in other gods. By allying with the Israelites against Jericho, Rahab had taken sides — physically and spiritually. If she had been caught, she would have been treated as a traitor. Her and her family members would probably have been killed in a gruesome manner. But this possibility did not deter her. Thus, in hiding the spies, Rahab was announcing that she was ready to die as a result of her new found faith in the God of Israel, rather than live under the protection of Jericho and their gods.

Another dimension of Rahab’s story is that it provides proof that, if God has to, He will send an angel or send people to provide more information to anybody who loves the truth and seeks for the truth wholeheartedly. Using His omniscience, notice how, years before, God orchestrated Rahab to live by the wall of the city of Jericho. Those days, cities were protected like private residences of today — with fences. But those fences could be so thick they were more correctly referred to as walls. They were thick enough to contain rooms people could live in. And Rahab was living within one of those rooms carved within the city walls of Jericho. If not for this advantage, how would Rahab have found a convenient way to indicate her location to the invading armies of Israel? Joshua 2:21. If not for this advantage, how would Rahab have safely let the spies down the wall of the city to safety — outside the walls of the city? So, what we are confronted with is the fact that God knew Rahab’s heart, even while she was living as a harlot. God knew that, one day, the children of Israel will be delivered from Egypt and would become a rampaging force whose fame will be published to the surrounding cities as they marched triumphantly towards the Promised Land. Moreover, God knew that Jericho was earmarked for total destruction. But, of all the people in Jericho, He saw the heart of one woman qualified to respond to His love. This woman’s current state was that of harlotry. But God knew her heart: He knew that, unlike the people of Jericho who would hear about the power of God and respond with fear and an attempt to hide from God, Rahab was going to rather fall in love with this God, become convicted of her sinful life, and pray (without a clue as to how He would answer) for God to save her and also save her family. Acts 16:31.

Who led the 2 spies to Rahab’s house?

It was the One Who knew her heart and to Whom she had been praying. God made Joshua send spies to Jericho because He had a daughter there and, as part of His deliverance plans for her, He needed Joshua and the Israelites to adopt Rahab as one of their own before the sacking of Jericho, during which there was going to be total destruction. 

Are you worried about God saving people who live in heathen nations where the gospel is banned? Are you worried about how God will save you from both physical and spiritual damnation?

Think about Rahab. How could she have dreamt that these same Israelites all the people of Jericho were expecting and dreading will come to her house and be placed in her hands to betray or to save? God gave Rahab an opportunity to choose the narrow way or the broad way. If she had handed over the spies to the people of Jericho, her customer base may have grown to include the king of Jericho and the other great men of the city; she would have been rewarded; she would have been honoured. But she so believed in the God of Israel that she turned away from these transient advantages and placed her eyes on what matters most — a relationship with the King of Heaven. She did not know what this relationship will entail but she was willing to believe. And Rahab decided to take the greatest risk of her life for the sake of a God she had not seen but had come to believe. And what is the definition of faith? Rahab had faith beyond what the pages of the Bible stated. And that is why she is, today, in the genealogy of Jesus Christ; and that is why she is classed along with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the first set of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

God sent angels to rescue Lot and his family; God sent an angel to Cornelius just to set up a meeting between him and Peter. 

What makes you think that God is unwilling to do anything — I repeat, anything — for His children?

Like Rahab, don’t be bothered about other things like your safety — or how God will answer your prayer. Focus on your relationship with Him. 

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight

May God have mercy on all of us.