Did God commend or approve of Rahab’s lie?

[Bible Highlighter]

I’m not ignoring your scenario and I agree that when possible your response is a good one.

Now will you please address my scenario question?

As I told you, I am not an Master Word Smith that can do that on command. I am sure if I practiced this art enough, I could probably do so. But you are missing the point here. The point is the possibility of which I have already shown. No other example needs to be cited or given because I have proven that it is possible already by my example involving the Jews (that I came up with). The point of the thread is not bowing to your question or demands. The point of the thread is whether God commended Rahab for lying or not. I don’t believe God commended her for lying because she simply did not lie but she used clever word play. Jesus also used clever word play, as well. He said things like, destroy this temple and I will raise it up three days later. But he was referring to His body and not the actual temple of worship. Clever word play. Yep. Jesus used it, and I believe Rahab did, too.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

@Bible Highlighter Rahab LIED!

Clear and simple!

And your refusal to answer wether or not you would disclose the location of prophets you hid in a cave if asked by an evil government shows your desire in hiding something from me in dishonesty.

Your motivation here seems to be to hide hypocrisy.

Congratulations, you just lost some respect from me.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

And By the way, @Bible Highlighter

Judas’ getting paid to deliver Jesus to the Pharisees involved telling the truth about where he was.

Is Judas a better man than Obadiah?

Better than Rahab?

 

[Michiah-Imla]

hiding is not lying

When you lie you are hiding something.

 

[BARNEY BRIGHT]

Did God commend or approve of Rahab’s lie?

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

Joshua 2:4-6
4 “And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.”

James 2:23-25 and the scripture was fulfilled that says: “Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he came to be called Jehovah’s friend.You see that a man is to be declared righteous by works and not by faith alone. In the same manner, was not Raʹhab the prostitute also declared righteous by works after she received the messengers hospitably and sent them out by another way?
Rehab did what she did because she recognized that YHWH God the God of the Jews was the true God. So Rahab protects the spies at the risk of her life because she has come to have faith in the true God YHWH. Malicious lying is wrong in YHWH God eyes. But a condemn enenmy that's been condemned by the true God doesn't deserve truthful information so Rahab was under no obligation to divulge the spies’ whereabouts to men who are seeking to harm God’s people.
Would YHWH God consider her faithful or righteous if he didn't approve of what Rahab did or said? Rahab had misdirected murderous men who had no right to the truth and she had saved innocent servants of YHWH God.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

@BARNEY BRIGHT

Amen!

 

[L.A.M.B.]

This is truly gagging at gnats and swallowing camels.
The snarky picking is unbecoming also.

She married into the Israelites, was in Jesus bloodline, and mentioned in Hebrews as a remembrance as to what she did on behalf of God's chosen.

Do ppl think that God truly thinks as we do ?
He is NOT constrained by time nor place nor is there anything that happens before He knew it.

Start being consumers of the word instead of bargainers !

 

[Bible Highlighter]

@Bible Highlighter Rahab LIED! Clear and simple!

If that is your cup of tea. Go right ahead and believe that. Do you also believe Abraham lied to Pharaoh about Sarah? Do you believe God told Hosea to marry a prostitute? Do you believe God punishes people for all eternity in the Lake of Fire for a finite amount of crimes?

No offense, but in my experience after talking with Christians online over the past 11 years, Christians just follow the crowd blindly today.
They not willing to act as a defense lawyer on behalf of God and His good ways.
They just believe stupid things that do not make a whole lot of sense (even when it violates their moral compass).

This is not surprising. We are living in the last days according to 2 Timothy 3:1-9.

And your refusal to answer wether or not you would disclose the location of prophets you hid in a cave if asked by an evil government shows your desire in hiding something from me in dishonesty.

My not bowing the knee to you, and kissing your ring to meet your demands does not mean I am dishonest. For example: Jesus did not answer another (Matthew 27:14). That does not make Jesus dishonest because He did not answer someone (Which is what you are implying with me - which is illogical). The disciples spoke of His death and resurrection and they had no clue of what He was talking about. Such knowledge was hid from them at the time (Luke 9:43-45) (Luke 18:31-34). Was Jesus being deceptive by not sitting them down and explaining to them the full truth in more detail using hand puppets? Jesus said to His disciples that He was not going to a particular feast, but He went anyways (but in secret) (John 7:8-10). Was Jesus lying? No. Of course not because Jesus was referring to going openly (or publicly) with them. Was Jesus being dishonest because He hid this from them initially? No, of course not.

Your motivation here is to hide hypocrisy.

So how do you know that exactly? Do you have a super power to read thoughts or a machine that detects hypocrisy? How exactly was I being hypocritical? That does not make a whole lot of sense, but I am all ears if you want to kindly explain it to me.

Congratulations, you just lost some respect from me.

I am here on this Earth to impress God ultimately and not men (Although I am called to love all men).

In any event, may God bless you (even if we disagree strongly on Scripture).

 

[Bible Highlighter]

When you lie you are hiding something.

Right, lying is hiding something but if somebody was hiding out in a secret cavern somewhere, it does not mean they are lying. It just means they are hiding. Again, Jesus hid the truth from the disciples on a number of occasions. I already mentioned a few them already. What do you think of those incidents?

In other words, lying is saying something that is completely untrue.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

I am here on this Earth to impress God ultimately and not men

And that should be your aim.

I desire peace and unity with the brethren and it pains me when disagreements like these arise.

Be blessed!

 

[Bible Highlighter]

And By the way, @Bible Highlighter

Judas’ getting paid to deliver Jesus to the Pharisees involved telling the truth about where he was.

Is Judas a better man than Obadiah?

Better than Rahab?

These are questions that are totally unrelated to anything I said.
What bone do you have to pick here?
I believe differently than you and I never said that Rahab lying was not a possibility, either. I just see it as a slim chance of that happening (But not impossible). In other words, I like to look at the more difficult Scriptures as falling into certain possibilities. Could I be wrong? Sure I could. But I am only going based on what I know about the LORD and my walk in His good ways.

God is good.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

James 2:23-25 and the scripture was fulfilled that says: “Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he came to be called Jehovah’s friend.You see that a man is to be declared righteous by works and not by faith alone. In the same manner, was not Raʹhab the prostitute also declared righteous by works after she received the messengers hospitably and sent them out by another way?
Rehab did what she did because she recognized that YHWH God the God of the Jews was the true God. So Rahab protects the spies at the risk of her life because she has come to have faith in the true God YHWH. Malicious lying is wrong in YHWH God eyes. But a condemn enenmy that's been condemned by the true God doesn't deserve truthful information so Rahab was under no obligation to divulge the spies’ whereabouts to men who are seeking to harm God’s people.
Would YHWH God consider her faithful or righteous if he didn't approve of what Rahab did or said? Rahab had misdirected murderous men who had no right to the truth and she had saved innocent servants of YHWH God.

Sorry, I respectfully disagree.

The devil is the father of lies.

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).

 

[Bible Highlighter]

This is truly gagging at gnats and swallowing camels.

If this was meant towards my apologetics, then I take that as a compliment.
Defending certain good things in the Bible does not make one popular these days.

The snarky picking is unbecoming also.

Grace, and peace, and love be unto them. We can agree to disagree in love and respect I hope (even if it may be a hot button issue for some).

She married into the Israelites, was in Jesus bloodline, and mentioned in Hebrews as a remembrance as to what she did on behalf of God's chosen.

Yep. I am not against these things. She was harlot and in the line of Christ. But she did not remain as a harlot (as far as we know) because she joined the Israelites.

Do ppl think that God truly thinks as we do ?

When it comes to basic morality? Yes. Read Romans 2:14. The Gentiles were able to keep the Law without having it. This would obviously be the moral law that is instinctual to mankind. Granted, many men can bury their moral compass (of course).

He is NOT constrained by time nor place nor is there anything that happens before He knew it.

I believe God is sovereign; But I am not a Calvinist, though.

Start being consumers of the word instead of bargainers !

Been consuming the Word for many years with God’s help. I am not perfect, and I have changed on 19 things theologically over the years.

What theological things were you mistaken about in your growing knowledge of God's Word?

Well, this would be 20 if you include this topic.

 

[Cassandra]

I am here on this Earth to impress God ultimately

Oh, this is interesting. Instead of worshiping the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, and thanking HIM for His love, you are out to impress Him. How in the world would you impress God?

 

[Bible Highlighter]

And that should be your aim.

I desire peace and unity with the brethren and it pains me when disagreements like these arise.

Be blessed!

May God bless you, Michiah-Imla.

 

[DuckieLady]

Did God commend or approve of Rahab’s lie?

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

Joshua 2:4-6
4 “And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.”

Seems mighty small compared to 200 Philistine foreskins. Was there sin in the bloodshed?

I'm not trying to be crude but just makes sense, you have to pay attention to the big picture and God's purpose.

Try a different perspective

 

[BARNEY BRIGHT]

Sorry, I respectfully disagree.

The devil is the father of lies.

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).

You certainly have the right to disagree. I think however you're disagreeing with God, not me. God inspired James to write that Raʹhab the prostitute was declared righteous by works after she received the messengers hospitably and sent them out by another way at James 2:25. That means that although Rahab told the king of Jerʹi·cho solders a lie when they asked where the spies were God considered everything Rahab did righteous because of her faith.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Oh, this is interesting. Instead of worshiping the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, and thanking HIM for His love, you are out to impress Him. How in the world would you impress God?

Impress:

Defined as:

to cause (someone) to feel admiration or interest
​

So you are saying that we as Christians are not to win God’s admiration?

2 Thessalonians 1:8-10 says:
8 “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord JesusChrist:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

What about David?

He was a man after God’s own heart.

God even boasted in Job. So Job obviously did things that caught God’s admiration (that he no doubt sought for).

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Try a different perspective

And what perspective would that be?

 

[Cassandra]

Impress:

Defined as:

to cause (someone) to feel admiration or interest
​

So you are saying that we as Christians are not to win God’s admiration?

2 Thessalonians 1:8-10 says:
8 “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord JesusChrist:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

What about David?

He was a man after God’s own heart.

God even boasted in Job. So Job obviously did things that caught God’s admiration (that he no doubt sought for).

Oh, i see--like flexing muscles at the beach?
No, none of your Bible verses addressed this. It is Jesus that is to be admired.
God loves humility, and Job and David loved him very ,very much. David wrote bookoo songs about him, and the lord spoke about Job as one who loved Him. Impress smacks a bit of pride, a show off-y kind of thing.