Joshua 2:1-8
Jos 2:1
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to
spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came
into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
Shittim was approximately 10 miles (16 KM) northeast of
the northern coast of the Dead Sea.
The name “Nun” means “durable, son, or posterity.”
Jericho was about 7 miles (11 KM) due west of Shittim.
Shittim was located in the plains of Moab.
And they pitched by Jordan, from
Beth-jesimoth even unto
Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab. (Numbers 33:49)
If they would have gone to another residence, they would have surely
seemed out of place and would have been questioned.
I doubt seriously that two men going into a house of ill repute would
hardly be questioned, especially in a pagan society.
Rahab would eventually become saved as she is also included in Faith’s
Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not
with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
(Hebrews 11:31) God already
knew she was one of the Elect and would have no problem in helping the spies in
their task. She housed them for the
time they were in Jericho. The name
“Rahab” means “quarrelsome, strong, or proud.”
Jos 2:2
And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold,
there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the
country.
Much of Canaan was comprised of city-states in which each
one had a reigning king. The king
no doubt had intelligence that the nation of Israel was camped on the east side
of Jordan and possibly he expected there to be some kind of reconnaissance by
Israel. He may have had encampments
on the Jordan and by the Dead Sea to protect their eastern flank.
It is not known exactly how the king of Jericho knew about the mission
but nevertheless he knew about it.
Jos 2:3
And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring
forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for
they be come to search out all the country.
Then the king of Jericho had sent a message to Rahab, no
doubt soldiers had visited her house and demanded that she present the two men
that came to her house. They were
to be treated as spies which means they would have suffered the death penalty.
The king knew that Israel was about ready to move on them because their
assignment was to search out the city and especially to detail where the
strongest and weakest parts of the walls are.
The king of Jericho knew his time was severely limited.
Jos 2:4
And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said
thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
Rahab probably also had people who knew what was going
on. Before these men came to find
the spies, she had hidden them. She
could not have hidden them when they showed up at her door because no doubt they
would have checked all the exits.
Rahab told the messengers that she did not know from where these men came from
whether they were Israelites or from some other place.
Jos 2:5
And it came to pass about the time of shutting of
the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot
not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
Then she fabricates a story that the men had already left
when the night started to fall and the gates of the city were closed for
security. She then continues her
story that she did not know where the men had gone after they left her house.
To rid her house of these couriers, she tells them that if they leave
right now that they will be able to catch up with them very quickly and overtake
them. What she did could have
gotten her the death penalty as one who would have been in league with the
spies. She no doubt heard of the
wonders in Egypt which God did and out of fear she helped these spies.
Jos 2:6
But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and
hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
As with most houses in the Mid-East, the roofs are flat
and that is where many go to sleep when it is too hot within the house.
Rahab now made another bold move.
She took the spies and moved them to the roof and hid them under stalks
of flax. The flax may have been
some type of linen which she had for her “business” and then had placed the
spies among them. This would have
been a good move in case the couriers came back and searched the house.
The flax was laid out in such a way that it would have made good cover
for the spies. The words “in order”
meant the flax was laid in a “row or array.”
Jos 2:7
And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the
fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the
gate.
So the men took her advice and gave chase all the way to
the fords of the Jordan river which was about 5 miles (8 KM) east of Jericho.
They did not pursue any further because they would have found themselves
too close to the Israelite camp and could be taken as prisoners.
They may have also realized that Rahab gave them a false narrative.
The moment these men pursued after their prey, the gates of Jericho were
shut for the purpose of security from any marauding enemies.
Jos 2:8
And before they were laid down, she came up unto them
upon the roof;