4 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. 5 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.”
Was Rahab justified in lying to save the lives of the spies? The Bible does not speak negatively about her lying, and it is clear lying is a sin, however, Rahab is commended for her faith in God. Rahab’s lie is not mentioned and could be because God forgave her lie because of her faith, or she was simply deceiving the enemy which was a normal and practical thing to do in war time. Or, Rahab broke a lesser principle to uphold a higher principle by protecting God’s people. We may not know the reason but under the pressure at that moment, Rahab made a choice to protect the Israeli spies. How does that apply to our lives? Most of us will face dilemmas, and there may be no perfect solution to the problem. God does not demand our judgement be perfect in all situations. God asks us to put our trust in him and to do the best we know how to do. Rahab did her best in the life or death situation she was in, and she was commended for her faith.
