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Did Rahab lie? ..

mikeforjesusmikeforjesus
edited April 2006 in Faith Issues
If so.. what do you think about that?
was she considered righteous?

Rahab who was a harlot was also one of Christs ancestress's I think

Comments

  • Unknown
    mikeforjesus:
    can you give more detail about your question?
  • markmchlmarkmchl
    Just because she was an ancestor of Christ does not make her perferct, remember too that she was a harlot and not even Jewish. so it is very possible that she lied but what is the significance of that she still gained salvation?
  • mikeforjesusmikeforjesus
    it seems God accepted her good deed but she lied when she did this good (?) deed..

    Would God accept a lie?

    Is it really a good deed afterall or something?
  • Unknown
    Rahab understood God's power and chose to lie to the earthly king, anticipating his inevitable fate. She and her family were brought to safety in a tent outside the camp because of helping God's people who were grateful and by making sure the red ribbon was attached to her window, as they agreed. God is kind, He forgives sinners when they repent and He remembers the smallest of good deeds.

    "5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
    6and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife" (Matthew 1:5-6)

    There is a very nice answer by HH Pope Shenouda, HH explains why Rahab and other sinner or foreign women were among Christ's ancestors. I have quickly translated and summarized some of the explanation text. From the book called "So Many Years with the Problems of People: Biblical Questions" (the new edition).

    "The Lord allowed that because He wanted the jews to be humble by showing them their ancestors have sinned so they must not be proud. Even if some of their ancestors were too righteous this would not help save them: a person is only responsible for his own deeds. For no one is righteous because his ancestors were so and no one is evil because his ancestors were so, instead if someone ancestors were evil and yet he becomes righteous this is more honorable.

    No one should thus fall into pride but must humbly consider his own deeds, because this is why God disliked the pharisee's prayer. If you flatter yourself then God will not be impressed but if you consider yourself a sinner then God will act to help you. Forget your good deeds so God remembers them and remember you are a sinner so God forgets your sins."
  • pp
    John_S2000 has to be correct. Rahab understood the men and understood that they were messengers of God, so taking witness to the glory of God, she hid the men so that they may be saved and simply retreat and spread information of what was in the city. Seeing that God was in their midst and seeing that it is okay to lie for the men's sake, she lied. And also, God is a merciful God. He forgives those who sin against Him. He loves everyone.
  • mikeforjesusmikeforjesus
    Me not satisfied..
  • pp
    Why not? Rahab did this to save the two men's lives and for God's sake. There was once a sermon by this priest named Joel Osteen, Catholic and preaches in Texas and will become the next Billy Graham. He was talking about faith and brought Rahab as an example.
  • Unknown
    I may not have translated and summarized HH text correctly then I pray the Lord to forgive my weakness.

    You are right mikeforjesus: sorry I didn't fully answer your question, so this is to complement my reply above.

    The king and men Rahab lied to represented Satan and his followers as a matter of fact (in the OT), and her city people were known by God to have reached an irreversible path: they used to give their sons and daughters to be burnt alive as sacrifices to their satanic gods and covered the sound of their cries by drums noise, while fearing these idols.

    Rahab was a lost person, yes she did lie and was a known sinner (it is written in the OT), but she helped God's men so it is like she honored God by receiving and helping those He sent. She had thus a seed of faith starting to germinate. She was saved but stayed OUTSIDE the camps then, she was nevertheless given a SECOND CHANCE. If she married Salmon then she must have repented, and so she was accepted and later integrated as one of God's people of the OT.

    I hope you are more satisfied by this reply ;)
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