The Heart of a Harlot, Joshua 2

 

The Heart of a Harlot, Joshua 2

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim (Acacia Grove) as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” Joshua 2:1a

Two men?

Last time, about forty years earlier, they sent twelve men to spy out the land. Joshua was one of the men. Caleb, the other.

The twelve had scouted the land for forty days, and then returned with their report.

Joshua and Caleb, brought a good report. It’s awesome. Grab your gear, let’s go get what God has given!

The rest admitted, it’s a beautiful land, flowing with milk and honey, and the fruit is so bountiful it takes two men to carry one cluster of grapes…but we can’t take it. Let’s face the facts. There’re giants. We’re grasshoppers. They’ll kill us, and devour our wives, and children.

The rest were cowards. The rest, discouraged the people. The rest…are dead. Just as God had said.

Thus, they wandered in the wilderness, forty years; one year, for every day, they spied out the land. Numbers 13-14.

Now here we are, forty years later, with Joshua, and Caleb; the only ones left standing, from that entire generation.  

Joshua must’ve looked around trying to choose who to use, to go in once again, and spy out the land. Perhaps, like before, they chose one man from each tribe, twelve in all. But, in the end, only two were sent. Maybe Joshua looked at the sons of the ones who brought back the bad report, and said, we’re not doing that again.

We don’t know which two went in. Perhaps Caleb, or his son? Or Caleb and his son.

Joshua’s son would be a natural choice, but, as far as the Bible tells us...

Joshua was the son of Nun, and, also, perhaps the father of none.

Another choice is a man not even mentioned in this story, not even mentioned in the entire book of Joshua. Only mentioned in the genealogies.

His name is Salmon. I know, it sounds kinda fishy—especially, since he marries the heroin of our story. But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves.

So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. Joshua 2:1b

So, the two anonymous spies (anonymous is good, if you’re a spy), headed out from Shittim, or Acacia Grove; which was about twelve miles east of the Jordan River, and then, another two miles to the walls of Jericho. About a half days journey.

And there they came to the house of a har—

Wait. What?

The spies, made their way to Jericho, known as the oldest city in the world, and found their way to a woman, working at the oldest profession in the world.

Rahab, the harlot.

No way.

Yes. That’s what it says.

Can’t be. Wait, she wasn’t really a prostitute. She was actually, an Inn Keeper. I mean, after all, surely, thou knowest, thine Inn Keeper, is exceedingly more suitable, more appropriate, shall we say, more respectable, more fitting, for two men, with undoubtedly, impeccable, character, such as these two, on a mission from God, nonetheless. How ghastly to even entertain the thought that these two men wouldst stay with a, a, a—I canst not bare to even utter the word—with a woman, like that.  

Like what? A harlot? Prostitute? You can’t say they stayed in the house of a hooker? It’s not that hard to say.

It’s actually easier to say than hypocrite. Try it. Hip-o-crit.

Well, I never…

No seriously, you can do it. Maybe it’ll help if you look in the mirror and say it – hip-o-crit.

Where were we? Oh, yeah. Inn Keeper?

So, you say she was an Inn Keeper, not a harlot?

Correct. Absolutely.

Inn Keeper? Inn Keeper? Well, that does ring a bell. Oh yeah, Inn Keepers are the ones that wouldn’t answer the bell, for that road weary couple. You remember, Inn Keepers said, “No room in the Inn,” to that girl, already wincing in pain, about to deliver.

The Inn Keeper is respectable, too respectable for a girl like that—pregnant out of wedlock. Besides, they were full, too full, even for a Baby. The Baby, that would grow to be a Man, and stretch out His hands, so He could not only make room, but go to prepare a place, just for Inn Keepers, and for you, and for me…and especially, for harlots, like Rahab.

Are you sure it should read, Inn Keeper?

Or, perhaps, God meant what He said when He had the writer pen the word, harlot; zanah: (zaw-naw'):  to commit fornication, be a harlot.

Religious folks try to scrub HIStory, to fit their sanitized, sanctimonious, sanctuary.

God doesn’t need, or want, their help. He is perfectly comfortable, and capable, with handling, the raw, honest, Truth.   

Perhaps God looks past the hard and broken life of a harlot, to see a soft and searching heart.

Could it be, that He searched all of Jericho and saw the hungry eyes of someone searching; heard, the faintest cry of a hurting heart, from a harlot.

That’s all it took.

After that, no raging Jordan river was too wide. No walls of Jericho were too high. He was going to reach her, come hell or high water…or rejection, or slander, beatings, or a cat o’ nine tails, or an old rugged cross, on a hill called calvary.

He sent His spies on a mission, to seek and to save, a lost soul, the one the world calls, a harlot, but He calls, His daughter.

You think that’s true, for me and you?

I pray you do.

Somehow, the king of Jericho heard about the spies and sent for Rahab to send them out.

But she helped the spies escape. Before they left, she said, “I know the LORD has given all the land into your hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of you.”

She, a harlot, used the proper name for God, Yhvh. She knew. She believed. She chose to defy the king, and put her life into the hands of The King of kings. Lord of lords.

When the spies reported to Joshua, they said:

“Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.” Joshua 2:24b.

Their report wasn’t like the ten spies from forty years ago, it was a good report, it was a quote…straight from the heart, of a harlot.

Let's just stop right here and now, thank the LORD for HIS awesomeness and say right out loud. I know my Redeemer lives!

Okay, let’s wrap this all up, like fresh salmon in the market.

Our loving Heavenly Father, heard the heart of a harlot, reached across the raging Jordan River, over the impenetrable walls of Jericho, and didn’t just make room for her, He prepared a place for her, and made her part of His family.

His dear daughter, Rahab the harlot, is the great, great grandmother, of king David.

Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, ⁶and Jesse the father of David the king. Ruth 4:21; 1 Chronicles 2:11; Matthew 1:5-6a; Luke 3:32.

 

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11:31

Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? James 2:25.