Explication of the Judicial Laws of Moses, Part 1 · Chapter 9
CHAPTER IX. Whether Rahab was a betrayer of the Citie of Iericho or not?
IOSH 21. And the Spyes came into an Harlots houſe, named Rahab, and lodged there, &c.
IT may be ſaid againſt Rahab, firſt that ſhee was anThings objected againſt Rahab for receiving the Spyes. Harlot, and therefore no marvell that ſhe was ſo readie to betray the Citie in which ſhe was borne, receiving the Spyes into her houſe.
Secondly, when the King ſent unto her, ſhe anſwered him not as a dutifull Subject ought to hauehave done, but hid the Spyes in her houſe, and let them downe by a Cord through the window, and taught them how to eſcape, and when the Searchers came to ſeeke them, ſhe ſaid, ſhe knew not what men they were, or whither they were gone; whereas in the meane time, ſhe had brought them up to the roofe of the houſe, and hid them with the ſtalkes of Flaxe, which ſhe had laid upon the roofe in order, Ioſh. 2. 6.
But it may be ſaid in defence of Rahab, that the knowledge Object. which ſhe had from the Lord exempted her from treaſon, as not being bound any more by the common Law, ſhe becomming now a member of the Church, and ſo had no more to doe with that Societie wherein ſhe lived before.
Grace taketh not away the bonds of nature, neither Anſw. doth the Law of God take away the Law of nature, butGrace takes not away the bonds of nature. rather eſtabliſheth it, 1 Pet. 2. 5. Feare God and obey the King: a King and his Subjects are Infidels, ſome of his Subjects are converted to the faith, as it fell out in the Apoſtles dayes, that the Emperors remaining Infidels, yet ſundry of their Subjects were converted to the Chriſtian faith. Did their Chriſtianitie looſe the bond of obedience which they ought to their Emperour? God forbid; but confirmed it rather, therefore the Apoſtle willeth to make all ſort of ſupplication for them, 1 Tim. 2. 1.
But Rahab was free from the crime of treaſon, forRahab was free of treaſon. firſt God revealed unto her, that the Iſraelites were to take this Citie, and deſtroy it. Secondly, ſhe knew that whether ſhe had diſcovered the Spyes, or hid them, yet the Citie ſhould be deſtroyed: wherefore it was beſt for her in the deſtruction of the Kingdome which ſhe could not ſaue, to ſaue her ſelfe, and her own houſhold; and here ſhe conformed her will to the will of GOD; and as he is no traytor, who yeeldeth an Hold to the Prince of the Land, although it be contrary to the will of him, who hath commandement over the Hold: ſo when Rahab yeelded the Citie to the Lord, contrary to the will of the Inhabitants of Iericho, ſhe is not be reputedHeber made a covenant with the Canaanites and with the Iſraelites. a betrayer of the Citie for that. Heber the Kenite and his wife made a covenant with the Canaanites, and a covenant with the Iſraelites the people of God; now there was warres betwixt the Iſraelites and the Canaanites; Siſera the Canaanite flieth into the tent of Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite; What ſhall ſhe doe in ſuch a caſe? If ſhe kill Siſera, then ſhe breaketh her covenant with the Canaanites; and if ſhe let Siſera goe f…ee, then ſhe will fight againſt the people of God, and deſtroy them; here her wiſedome teacheth her what to doe,Iael had a civill league with the Canaanites, but a civill and ſpirituall league with the Iſraelites. to kill the Canaanite with whom ſhe had onelyonly a civill league, and to ſaue the Iſraelites, with whom ſhe had both a ſpirituall and a civill league.
There were three ſorts of the Nations, with ſomeThree ſorts of ſtrangers with whom the Iſraelites had to doe. they might hauehave faedera commerciorum, as David and Salomon made with the King of Tyrus, 2 Sam. 5. 11. 1 King. 5. 12. of whom it is ſaid, he made this covenant with them, according to the wiſedome which God had given him. So Chriſt ſought water of the woman of Samaria, and David fled to the King of Gath for a refuge. Secondly, there were the A…monites and the Moabites, Deut. 23. 6. Ye ſhall not ſeeke their proſperitie all your dayes; that is, ye ſhall not enter into covenant of friendſhip with them, but yet Deut. 2. 19. they are forbidden to make warre againſt them. And ſo the ſeven Nations they were not to ſeeke their good, but yet upon ſubmiſſion they were to accept of them. Thirdly, there were the Amalekites, and theſe they were utterly to deſtroy.
Rahab was ſaued, although ſhe was a Canaanitiſh andHow the law of the deſtroying of the ſeven Nations is to be underſtood. one of the ſeven Nations who were to be deſtroyed; for that law, that the ſeven Nations ſhould be deſtroyed, ſhould be interpreted by another law, to wit, they were to be deſtroyed, unleſſe they had ſubmitted themſelues, and became tributaries unto the people of God, Deut. 20. 10. When thou commeſt nigh a Citie to fight againſt it, then proclaime peace unto it; and it ſhall be, if it make the anſwere of peace, and open unto thee, then it ſhall be that all the people that are found therein, ſhall be tributaries unto thee, and they ſhall ſerue thee. So 1 King. 9. 26. And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizites, Hivites, and Iebuſites, which were not of the children of Iſrael, their children which were left after them in the land, whom the children of Iſrael alſo were not able utterly The Canaanites were bond-ſlaues to Salomon.to deſtroy, upon thoſe did Salomon levie a tribute of bond ſervice unto this day. And it was the people of the ſeven Nations, who hardned their hearts, with whom Ioſhua tooke not peace, Ioſh. 11. 19. 20.
When the Gibeonites came to Ioſhua, if they had told him the truth, that they were a people that dwelt amongſt them, and that they came not from a farre Countrey, but were Canaanites indeede, and came to ſeeke their peace, (which they did not for feare) then Ioſhua was bound to hauehave ſpared their liues upon their ſubmiſſion: and whereas the men of Iſrael ſaid then, Peradventure yee dwell among us, and how ſhall wee make a league with you? Ioſh. 9. 7. The meaning is, we cannot make ſociale faedus vobiſcum, but onelyonly deditionis, that is,Faedus Sociale. Deditionis. we cannot make a covenant or league of mutual friendſhip with you, but wee may take you as ſervants and ſlaues, if ye ſubmit your ſelues; and if it had beene ſimplyIoſhua might make a league of peace with the Canaanites, but not of mutuall friendſhip. unlawfull to hauehave made any ſort of league with the Canaanites, then the poſteritie of Saul would not hauehave beene puniſhed for the breach of this oath. Ambroſe ſaith well, Pacem quam dederant non cenſuerant revocandam, quia firmata erat ſacramenti religione, nedum alieni perfidiam arguat, ſuam fidem ſolveret; that is, they held that it was not lawfull to break the oath that was made, leaſt finding fault with other mens falſhood, he ſhould become perjured himſelfe.
Ioſhua was a type of Chriſt; as Ioſhua ſent meſſengersIoſhua a type of Chriſt. to the Canaanites to receiue either peace or warre: ſo the Lord hath ſent his Faeciales into the world, to bid them either receiue peace or warre; and as Rahab heldRahab a type of the Church. out a red threed to be a ſigne that whoſoever remained in her houſe, ſhould be ſaued; and they who went out of it, ſhould be killed: ſo there is no ſalvation to thoſe who are without the Church, which is marked with the bloud of Chriſt, Act. 2. 47. Rahab being the firſt fruits of the Gentiles, implied that the Gentiles ſhould be received into the Church, and be ſaved.