And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
The verse belongs to the account of Joshua leading Israel through the Jordan to conquer foes and find the promised rest, just before the fall of Jericho as the first-fruit of that evil land by the invisible army of God. In the immediate narrative the two spies sent to spy out Jericho lodged at Rahab's house, were demanded by the king of Jericho, were saved by God, viewed the country, and reported their work to Joshua when finished. She sheltered them and helped them escape down the wall by a crimson cord, and she and her household were saved. Rahab was a Gentile woman who was gathered into Israel and became one of Christ's ancestors, and her search for light led God to send messengers to her.
The oath was conditional: Rahab must keep the spies' mission secret for their oath to protect her to remain binding, and if she revealed or disclosed it they would be released and quit of the oath they had sworn to her. In one telling the oath's condition in this verse is left unexplained.
Rahab believed in God and in the message of Israel's coming, believed the spies would succeed, and so in faith sheltered them, sought to protect them, and sought safety for herself. The spies assured her that those who trusted in Jehovah would be saved, promised her that she would not perish, and they kept their promise. She was saved by her faith in Israel's God, not by her falsehood, and God blessed her not because she lied but in spite of it.
Her lie was not justified, for lying is never justifiable, though she did not know its evil, and the account does not say that God approved or commanded her lie. Her deliverance from Jericho is the justification by works associated with her actions, not her final salvation. Her faith saved her from Jericho's destruction and gave her a place among God's faithful. Her story shows that God will provide a way of rescue even for one person in a wicked city.
Her case is an example of mercy for a repentant person amid Jericho's destruction, showing that its inhabitants could have repented and been spared, as she was. Her story is a picture of people in a hostile place who, with the Lord's help, will be saved and enter the kingdom. The experience proves that going in the name of the Lord to do His work gives a blessing to the worker and brings a great blessing to others.
The verse belongs to the account of Joshua leading Israel through the Jordan to conquer foes and find the promised rest, just before the fall of Jericho as the first-fruit of that evil land by the invisible army of God. In the immediate narrative the two spies sent to spy out Jericho lodged at Rahab's house, were demanded by the king of Jericho, were saved by God, viewed the country, and reported their work to Joshua when finished. She sheltered them and helped them escape down the wall by a crimson cord, and she and her household were saved. Rahab was a Gentile woman who was gathered into Israel and became one of Christ's ancestors, and her search for light led God to send messengers to her.
The oath was conditional: Rahab must keep the spies' mission secret for their oath to protect her to remain binding, and if she revealed or disclosed it they would be released and quit of the oath they had sworn to her. In one telling the oath's condition in this verse is left unexplained.
Rahab believed in God and in the message of Israel's coming, believed the spies would succeed, and so in faith sheltered them, sought to protect them, and sought safety for herself. The spies assured her that those who trusted in Jehovah would be saved, promised her that she would not perish, and they kept their promise. She was saved by her faith in Israel's God, not by her falsehood, and God blessed her not because she lied but in spite of it.
Her lie was not justified, for lying is never justifiable, though she did not know its evil, and the account does not say that God approved or commanded her lie. Her deliverance from Jericho is the justification by works associated with her actions, not her final salvation. Her faith saved her from Jericho's destruction and gave her a place among God's faithful. Her story shows that God will provide a way of rescue even for one person in a wicked city.
Her case is an example of mercy for a repentant person amid Jericho's destruction, showing that its inhabitants could have repented and been spared, as she was. Her story is a picture of people in a hostile place who, with the Lord's help, will be saved and enter the kingdom. The experience proves that going in the name of the Lord to do His work gives a blessing to the worker and brings a great blessing to others.