What should Rahab have done instead of what she did?

[Roosamaria]

All the christian commentors who talk about Rahab, judge her for lying when she lied about israelite spies to save them (Joshua 6.). But really, what else could she have done? Didn't these spies sin too, because they for sure knew what her plan was, and they were with her in it. Is it really a sin to lie to save an innocent person from murderers? Should all christians have told to nazis the truth durin 2. world war, if they were hiding jews in their houses and nazis came to ask if there are any jews in their houses?... Anyway Rahab is greatly praised in New Testament by Jacob and letter for hebrews.

 

[HTacianas]

All the christian commentors who talk about Rahab, judge her for lying when she lied about israelite spies to save them (Joshua 6.). But really, what else could she have done? Didn't these spies sin too, because they for sure knew what her plan was, and they were with her in it. Is it really a sin to lie to save an innocent person from murderers? Should all christians have told to nazis the truth durin 2. world war, if they were hiding jews in their houses and nazis came to ask if there are any jews in their houses?... Anyway Rahab is greatly praised in New Testament by Jacob and letter for hebrews.

I take it someone thinks Rahab sinned when she lied about the spies. Let's use this as a teaching moment.

What sin was Rahab guilty of?

 

[Reluctant Theologian]

In my view and probably Jewish perspectives too; we always have to choose the lesser of two evils; so Rahab's lie was perfectly justified because it was needed to save her and her father's family from death (and the two spies' lives as well). She chose to side with the God of Israel instead. And because of her faith, not lying would have resulted in those deaths - so this is a clear choice.

Moses' parents and Miriam not reporting his birth to Pharaoh is of the same category: civil disobedience / deceit because doing so results in less evil than being obedient or telling the truth.

We can see people struggling with it sometimes: Abraham lying that Sarah was his sister because he feared for his life - God didn't like that.

The instruction in the Ten Words about not giving false witness is all about not engaging in deceit to benefit yourself at the expense of your neighbour - and primarily relates to a court setting.

 

[public hermit]

This is why deontological approaches to divine commands fail; they leave no room for the nuance needed for real life situations. However, if divine commands are seen as aimed at a particular telos, e.g., life, then scenarios like hiding Jews from Nazi's become clear- sometimes one must lie for the sake of life.

For Xns, the primacy of the law of love is helpful if it is likewise understood that the Human function to love is aimed at life, nay abundant life, as the Lord indicated in his reason for coming to us. Love works in favor of abundant life, and abundant life is the divine intention for humanity. The problem of legalism is not just the abrogation of grace but it also misses the mark of the divine intention behind commands to do or not do x. As God told the ancient Hebrews- they should abide by the commands because that means life for them.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

All the christian commentors who talk about Rahab, judge her for lying when she lied about israelite spies to save them (Joshua 6.). But really, what else could she have done? Didn't these spies sin too, because they for sure knew what her plan was, and they were with her in it. Is it really a sin to lie to save an innocent person from murderers? Should all christians have told to nazis the truth durin 2. world war, if they were hiding jews in their houses and nazis came to ask if there are any jews in their houses?... Anyway Rahab is greatly praised in New Testament by Jacob and letter for hebrews.

Rahab's lie was not only morally acceptable, but also heroic.

Moral theologians have historically understood that at the heart of biblical jusice is the principle of giving people their due. We reward those who have earned reward, and punish those who have earned to be punished, that's what justice is about.

The principle used in understanding in these circumstances is that we are always obliged to tell the truth to someone who has right to it.

In this circumstance, Rahab's duty is to protect these representatives of God from the wickedness of the king of Jericho. As a result, her civil disobedience and her lie are both justified because she is obeying the mandate she has from God. She is not to participate in the destruction of God's people in this circumstance.

The situation is very similar to that of people who hid the Jews in their homes during WW2. They were doing the ethical thing by concealing the truth from the wicked who were seeking to destroy the Jews. The Nazis had no right to take the life of the Jews.
It's the same thing the midwifes did when they lied to Pharoah in Exodus. The Pharoad had no right to murder the Hebrew babies.

Rahab was being courageous and righteous in protecting the godly from the unrighteous king of Jericho.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

All the christian commentors who talk about Rahab, judge her for lying when she lied about israelite spies to save them (Joshua 6.). But really, what else could she have done? Didn't these spies sin too, because they for sure knew what her plan was, and they were with her in it. Is it really a sin to lie to save an innocent person from murderers? Should all christians have told to nazis the truth durin 2. world war, if they were hiding jews in their houses and nazis came to ask if there are any jews in their houses?... Anyway Rahab is greatly praised in New Testament by Jacob and letter for hebrews.

I believe anyone choosing to focus on " lying" is missing the bigger picture. An unlikely heroine demonstrating the power of transformation who repents and embraces a new life as an Israelite. Most importantly she was in the Tribe of Judah and part of the lineage of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It was Rahab's faith in the God of Israel that brought her justification.
Blessings.

 

[ViaCrucis]

All the christian commentors who talk about Rahab, judge her for lying when she lied about israelite spies to save them (Joshua 6.). But really, what else could she have done? Didn't these spies sin too, because they for sure knew what her plan was, and they were with her in it. Is it really a sin to lie to save an innocent person from murderers? Should all christians have told to nazis the truth durin 2. world war, if they were hiding jews in their houses and nazis came to ask if there are any jews in their houses?... Anyway Rahab is greatly praised in New Testament by Jacob and letter for hebrews.

Virtually every Christian commentator and commentary of any sort on Rahab lying has been one that points out that Rahab's lie was not only morally acceptable, but was in fact good. I've never seen any serious commentary judge Rahab for lying, instead she is praised for her heroics.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Hammster]

All the christian commentors who talk about Rahab, judge her for lying when she lied about israelite spies to save them (Joshua 6.). But really, what else could she have done? Didn't these spies sin too, because they for sure knew what her plan was, and they were with her in it. Is it really a sin to lie to save an innocent person from murderers? Should all christians have told to nazis the truth durin 2. world war, if they were hiding jews in their houses and nazis came to ask if there are any jews in their houses?... Anyway Rahab is greatly praised in New Testament by Jacob and letter for hebrews.

She didn’t sin. Any commentary that says she sinned is wrong.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

All the christian commentors who talk about Rahab, judge her for lying when she lied about israelite spies to save them (Joshua 6.). But really, what else could she have done? Didn't these spies sin too, because they for sure knew what her plan was, and they were with her in it. Is it really a sin to lie to save an innocent person from murderers? Should all christians have told to nazis the truth durin 2. world war, if they were hiding jews in their houses and nazis came to ask if there are any jews in their houses?... Anyway Rahab is greatly praised in New Testament by Jacob and letter for hebrews.

... Gee. I must be listening to a whole other set of Christian commentators who've addressed the passage regarding Rahab, because I've never heard a pastor or biblical commentator judge Rahab for protecting the Israelite spies. Rahab did essentially the same thing that the Hebrew mid-wives did to save the lives of Hebrew infants in the Exodus account by covering up their true actions from the Pharaoh.

So, I'd say to those commentators who blamed Rahab: shame on them for not applying better biblical exegesis and hermeneutical study.

 

[Roosamaria]

Just google this subject... That's what I did and didn't find any answer that would have said that lying in that situation was not a sin.
Thank you for your answer anyway (where do i find smilies? ...)

 

[HARK!]

MOD HAT ON

MOD HAT OFF​

 

[FreeinChrist]

ADVISOR HAT


This thread has been moved to Christian Philosophy & Ethics which is more appropriate for this topic.


Reopening​

 

[Sketcher]

All the christian commentors who talk about Rahab, judge her for lying when she lied about israelite spies to save them (Joshua 6.). But really, what else could she have done? Didn't these spies sin too, because they for sure knew what her plan was, and they were with her in it. Is it really a sin to lie to save an innocent person from murderers? Should all christians have told to nazis the truth durin 2. world war, if they were hiding jews in their houses and nazis came to ask if there are any jews in their houses?... Anyway Rahab is greatly praised in New Testament by Jacob and letter for hebrews.

Correction, the Christian commenters who talk about Rahab that you have heard or read.

The Jews have a hermeneutic that will exempt someone from breaking many commands if it is necessary to preserve life. Rahab and the Hebrew midwives at the beginning of Exodus fit that hermeneutic when it comes to lying. In their cases, there was no more honest way that they could have preserved life.

 

[anetazo]

Rehab was business women. God ordered Israel, under Joshua, to obliterate the heathen.
God didn't want Israel to learn heathen traditions and idol's.

God wanted Israel spirtualty and morally pure. Get the picture.
Documentation, deuteronomy chapter 7
Judges chapter 2

Detestable acts by the heathen in land of Canaan. Land filled with blood, violence, moloch, idolatry. God gave Israel Palestine.

Rehab made right decision. The wicked had to go. These 7 nations Israel fought, were of satan.

Rehab knew it was lost cause to go along with the heathen or wicked..

Children of light are of God.
Children of darkness of the devil, 1 John chapter 3.

Rehab made the right decision. Those who follow satan are going to hell. Documentation, psalm chapter 9 . It's holding place for the spirtualty dead or wicked until judgement day.

 

[linux.poet]

I think it's important to distinguish lying to your enemies in a wartime situation or killing someone on the battlefield from a willful deception or a murder. In Rahab's case, hers was war: the Israelites were fighting against the inhabitants of Jericho, and Rahab had chosen the side of Israel.

Note that David made many deceptions as part of his conquests, such as feigning madness before the Philistine King Achish and lying to him about killing his own people in the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. David was never rebuked for these lies either, but he was rebuked for his sin with Bathsheba in the same book, which shows that God is not slack in imposing consequences for sin on David. David got no special treatment.

Similarly, while God doesn't lie to people, he does harden hearts and allow Satan to deceive His enemies. Jesus Christ himself will come back and slay the armies of the Antichrist with the truth of the Gospel. From this information, there is no need for a self-defeating dedication to the truth in the midst of a warzone. Fight your enemies, lie to them, and do whatever it takes to defeat them.

 

[Stephen3141]

How does this topic, intersect core Christian doctrines?

I don't think that any core Christian doctrine can be dredged out of this event,
unless you argue that God is merciful toward pagans.