Rahab and the two spies in Jericho |Bible Story

What was the agreement between Rahab and the two spies when she offered to hide them? Why did she have to hide them?

Who were the two spies sent by Joshua to spy on the walls of Jericho city? What does the story of Rahab and the two spies teach us?

Click here to read the last episode: Rahab: A most unlikely helper

1. Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.”

3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.

”4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from.

5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.”

6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)

7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof

9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.

10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea[a] for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.

11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign.

13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.

16 She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”

17 Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us

18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.

19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them.

20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22 When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them.

23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them.

24 They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”
Joshua 2:1-24

Rahab finds the two Spies

Do you not consider it naivety and sheer foolhardiness for Rahab (A most unlikely helper) to have endangered her life and that of her loved ones by hiding strangers who may never keep to their own end of a mutual agreement?

Is it a risk worth taking?

Our story continues…

One fateful evening, frenzied commercial traders were in a hurry to exit the city gates before they were shut for the night. Rahab was not the least perturbed. She would gladly play hostess to as many who could not make it past the gates before the time. This would mean more money to her coffers!

However, she noticed there were 2 scarcely-masked strangers nosing around her tavern like stray men, as though they sought for someone with an unsure description.

Rahab watched them closely and observed that they were foreigners, suspecting they must be Jews. She gave them a signal: an invitation.

They soon found themselves in her tavern, unsure of their fate, while she slowly ruminated over the import of her actions, unsure of her next line of action.

At this time, the town soldiers had gotten wind of the news of two Israelite foreigners in town and were already combing every available closet, whilst breathing threats!

Rahab acted quickly, she took the two spies to her house… up on the case-mate wall of the city.

The King got the word, it was clear that there were Jewish spies amongst them. He dispatched the most gallant of his warriors who combed the city in a frantic frenzy. The chief warrior and assistants made their way to Rahab’s house on the wall.

Dinner at Rahab’s house was interrupted by stomps of angry feet advancing towards her domain. Her house was well spaced and virtually had no defined hideout for the spies.

Almost immediately, she took them to the rooftops, directly under the stalks of flax drying out in the open air. The stocks of flax were quite soggy, with a suffocating stench, but they had to remain there…

In split seconds, many hearts were panting! The sound of a pin could be heard as a deafening silence enveloped the room. However, it was not enough to neutralize the sounds of several hearts pounding at alternating frequencies. She had a message from the King!

Rahab feigned boldness, her quivering lips almost gave her away. The wariors looked intently at her eyes as though the answers were located therein!

Quite honestly, Rahab was one devious woman, but they had to take her for her words. Why would she want to help the spies at the expense of her life, and everyone else’s in Jericho? Indeed, she was a most unlikely helper! They left almost immediately for the city gates.
Rahab let down a volume of saliva. Heaving a sigh of deep relief, and being carefully convinced that the soldiers were out of sight. She tiptoed to the rooftops to release the men whose clothes were now damp from the huge stalks of smelly flax heap over them. Then she made a passionate appeal!

The Agreement

The trio struck a deal, and Rahab let the two spies go, for she suspected the soldiers might be back. More still, her house was no safe haven due to the nature of her business!
Rahab planned on a more tactful mode of escape back to the Israeli campsite!
They reached a mutual agreement: She took heed to certain instructions in order for she and her loved ones to stay alive.

The harlot let them down the wall using the ropes and bade them a hushed farewell. In a matter of minutes, they fled through the mountains, till totally out of sight!

Lessons from Rahab and the Spies

Any sane person would have thought Rahab was insensible, as she was loose. Having hid the very men of whose mission would spell utter doom on her town. Yet she went ahead to play hostess to them.

We must always realize that God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. The two spies would never have thought of ending up in the house of a woman…at least, not this particular woman.

The Christian walk is a walk of faith. Our hearts must be open to receive God’s help, in terms of safety and deliverance from the vilest of men. Refusing Rahab’s help would have greatly endangered their lives, as death may be their sad lot.

Rahab was smart enough to have reached a consensus with them before their departure. Unfortunately, some of us have allowed our helpers slip through our fingers, even whilst we had very close contact with them.