Rahab the bargaining woman. Joshua 2 and 6

Rahab literally lived in a hole in the wall of a city called Jericho. She was a known harlot, a profession dictated by her family's dependence on her for survival. She dreamed of a time when she could live outside the walls of the city. When the spies from the Isrealites came to her door she viewed their arrival as an opportunity for the change that she so desperately desired. She did what she had to do, and willingly welcomed the spies into her home. She conspired with them, exchanging information about the city and its people. She described the inhabitants as overcome by terror. Rahab confessed that she had been questioning the validity of the city's gods and had been seeking a higher power, a God above the gods. Stories she had heard about Yehweh described Him as a God who saw the the peoples' struggle for freedom and supported them in it. The spies were amazed at her faith.
She created a plan of escape with them. Risking her life, she told the king's men, who had been spying on her, that the strangers had already left the city. Meanwhile she hid them in her rooftop until she could safely assist them to leave without notice. Skilled in the art of bargaining with men, she charged them a pledge of "life for life". Since their lives had been spared through her actions she demanded that she and her family would not be harmed when the city was attacked. The men gave her a crimson cord to display in her window to signal the Isrealites to "pass over her house". She and her family were to remain inside until the city had been overtaken. The spies promised to defend her and her family with their own lives, just as she had done for them. When it was determined that the way was all clear, the strangers left the city and returned safely to the camp of the Isrealites. Everything went as planned. Rahab and her family were spared as promised. Her story got written into the context of the bigger story of God's people on their journey into the promised land.

Her heart's desire: Rahab had been experiencing a holy discontent. It is the deep feeling that God is more than you've been taught about. It brings with it a strong desire to make change happen. One enters into a mode of watching and listening. I makes one ready to risk when God's messengers come into one's life. Rahab wanted to live in a community without walls and fear. She knew instinctively that a true God would support the human struggle for freedom and dignity.

Points to ponder:
1. Do you experience a holy discontent in your spiritual life? Are there ideas and images about God that no longer fit your experiences or desires? What changes are you hoping for in the future?

2. Like Rahab,what personal risks are you will to take even now for your spiritual integrity?

3. Myths are stories that are still happening. Are there parallels in Rahab's story with life as we know it today?

4. When you imagine the people of Jericho paralyzed in fear, and intent on defending and securing their city does it resemble the reactions of the institutions of our time when they are threatened?

5. Repeatedly God uses marginalized women as well as men to bring about profound change. How can we get this concept into the psyche of men and women today so that women's roles are also honored and recognized instead of minimized and suppressed?

6. In this story of shock and awe with numerous civilian casualties, the authors did not include Rahab's reaction to the total annililation of the city and its people. How do you think she might have responded? What new questions of faith would the experiences have given her?

7. Rahab and her family, as refugees of terror and war, were assimilated into the chosen people. What can we learn about our responsibility for the victims of war torn countries.

8. The story has much to say to us today about fighting for promised land. Rahab had values that she placed above defending her homeland. Where is God in patriotism? In God's eyes what is the land of promise that we should be seeking?