I. The service she rendered —
In speaking upon this part of our subject, we shall notice separately,
1. What she did —
[From the first interview which she had with the spies, she knew the true object of their mission; and determined to advance it to the utmost of her power. Her first object there- fore was to prevent any discovery: and for this purpose she conducted them to the roof of her house, and there covered them with stalks of flax. As she had foreseen, they were traced to her house, and messengers from the king were sent to apprehend them. She acknowledged that they had been there, but said that they were gone away but a little before, and, if pursued immediately, would certainly be taken. Thus she avoided all suspicion of favouring them, and prevented all further inquiries about them at her house. Having succeeded thus far, she went up to them, and asked of them an assurance, that they, in return for this kindness, would sjmre her and all her family, when they should take the city. To this they bound themselves and all Israel by a solemn oath ; stipulating, how- ever, that the matter should be kept a profound secret ; that her family should all be collected under her roof; and that a scarlet line, by which she let them down from her window, should be bound in the window, to prevent any mistake. The instructions which she gave them for the avoiding of their pursuers, were such as prudence directed : these they followed implicitly ; and after hiding themselves three days in a neigh- bouring mountain, they returned across the fords to their own camp in safety. Thus did she effectually preserve the spies that Joshua had sent.]
2. From what principle she acted —
[It certainly appears strange, that she should so betray her king and country; and stranger still, that she should be commended by God himself for this conduct ; more especially when we find, that she uttered various falsehoods for the attainment of her end. Let us then investigate this point.
The principle from which she acted, was faith. Of this we are assured on the authority of an inspired Apostle ; " By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace a." The same is manifest in the account before us. She believed that the God of Israel was the only true God. She believed that God was the great Disposer of all events: that he had given the land of Canaan to his people Israel: that he had miraculously opened a way for them through the Red Sea, at their first coming out
a Heb. xi. 31.