Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there. Joshua 2:1 (NRSV)

Context is important. Out of context, this verse might convey something completely different from the story that follows. In the same way, when we hear an unsavory detail about an individual, it could easily prejudice our opinion of them. Everyone has messy parts of their lives, but those messy parts don’t tell the whole story.

Descriptors carry weight. Rahab the prostitute… If, in casual conversation, you hear that about someone, what do you think? The modern vernacular is “sex worker” trying to clean up a description about someone who works in a profession that is not lacking in crude descriptors. We won’t go there. You probably don’t think the best of that individual. You ask what happened that they went down that path in their life? So many questions… or maybe none. We write them off as someone who is living outside of God’s will and God’s grace.

The spies are commissioned to go and get a close-up of what Jericho is about. Boots on the ground in an espionage mission to help determine what will need to happen to eliminate a fortress city that is currently situated in the land that has been promised to God’s people.

The spies get there, they meet a prostitute, and they go lay low in her house. Probably not who they expected to find as a sympathizer. Rahab is knowledgeable about the God of Israel. She offers and provides help to these spies and ensures they remain hidden from the Canaanites, who are wary and fearful of the impending insurgence of Israelites into “their land”.

But a prostitute…

Everyone does not get to choose their lot in life. Millions of people are trafficked or remain in a human sex trafficking situation at any given time. These people do not enter this willingly, it is essentially slavery.

Rahab. A prostitute. By choice? We don’t get much clarity here, but Rahab was likely forced into this situation where she engaged in prostitution. Slavery of this kind would not have been uncommon. Perhaps she was widowed or divorced and had no other recourse? Again, we don’t know. What we do know is that this unlikely ally to the people of Israel changed the course of history. While her profession was unsavory, her heart was made of gold. She had respect for Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, and she was willing to help Israel for a guarantee of safety and liberation. Seems legit. It's a bad situation Rahab has found herself in, but she has heard of the power of God and wants to be a part of the community that is protected by the almighty God.

The spies promise her safety if she protects them, and they uphold their end of the bargain after she keeps them safe (Josh 6:22). When Jericho is destroyed, Rahab and her household are spared.

James 2:23-26 says, “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (NIV).

Describing Rahab as a prostitute, something that she did in Jericho, does not do her justice. We are, after all, talking about King David’s great-great-great grandmother. She is not just a footnote in history; she is in the genealogy of the savior of the world (Matthew 1:5)! Rahab is, in her actions, a savior for the Israelites, especially the two spies who trusted her, and is an ancestor to Jesus, the most consequential figure in human history. The Son of Man, the Son of God, the anointed king of the coming Kingdom of God.

When I think about Rahab, I think about a talk that Tony Campolo gave about throwing a birthday party for a prostitute at 3 AM. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWlMV-UmueM&ab_channel=EvanCourtney

Don’t write people off. They may be far from God or living in situations that, for lack of a better descriptor, we would call complex. No one is beyond redemption, and we should strive to extend grace and try to bring the joy that we find in Christ into the lives of everyone we meet, whether they be a pastor, an executive, that elderly woman who sits three rows in front of you every week at church, or the prostitute you bump into at a diner at 3 AM when you are adjusting to being many time zones away from home.