Is It Right Or Is It Wrong?

"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.

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.'

Joshua 2:4-5 (NIV)

In the Bible story of Rahab and the two Israelite spies, Rahab chose to lie to the King's men to protect the lives of two God-fearing men. Although lying is strongly condemned by God in the Bible, Rahab is commended and blessed by God for her action. Is this a contradiction to God's character? No. There are occasions, although rare, where a child of God must lie to wicked men with evil intentions to prevent them from hurting or killing the innocent or God's people.

A historic example of this is during Hitler's reign when many brave people risked their lives to hide Jews in their own homes to prevent those Jews from being slaughtered by the Nazis. Rahab also risked her own life to hide two Jews under stalks of flax she had laid out on her roof. She then lied and told the King's men the Jewish men had left. If the King's men decided to search her house to make certain she was telling the truth, Rahab would have been killed along with the two Jews.

Rahab's righteous actions were rewarded by God. She and her family were saved from being destroyed.

"It was by faith

that Rahab the prostitute

was not destroyed

with the people of her city

who refused to obey God.

For she had given a friendly welcome

to the spies."

Hebrews 11:31 (NIV)

Not only that, Rahab was honoured by God to become part of Christ's genealogy.

"Salmon was the father of Boaz

(whose mother was Rahab).

Boaz was the father of Obed

(whose mother was Ruth).

Obed was the father of Jesse."

Matthew 1:5 (NIV)

We obey God's commandments because we love God's righteousness. But if we obey God's commandments because we love our own righteousness, then we will do evil in His eyes, justifying our sinful actions as righteousness, when it is not. Rahab put her faith and love in God. She did wrong according to the letter of the Law, but she did right according to the heart of God.