A Righteous Lie?
Why Was Rahab Praised For Lying In James 2:25 When Lying Is Forbidden In The 10 Commandments?
Was Rahab praised for lying? A closer look at the Scripture reveals she was not praised for lying. It's always good to go back and check claims against the absolute authority of God's Word.
The context of Rahab's actions refers to Joshua 2:1-16, when the Israelites were spying out the land that the Lord has promised them. Rahab gave refuge to the spies and hid them and send the pursuers off in another direction while directing them elsewhere. During her discourse with the pursuers, she lied about where the men were. This refers to:
Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. (Joshua 2:1, NKJV)
After she hid the spies, she sent them off in another direction:
And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.” (Joshua 2:16, NKJV)
This was a different direction from where she sent the spies’ pursuers. This is where the relevant passage in James 2 becomes important:
Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? (James 2:25, NKJV)
The first thing that needs to be pointed out is that nowhere in this verse is Rahab given any inclination of being praised for lying to the spies. Also in Hebrews 11:31, Rahab’s faith was praised for receiving the spies in peace. But again, there was no praise for lying. Rahab was not righteous for lying but for her other deeds:
- Giving lodging to
the spies
- Sending the spies in another direction
It
was for these things that James, by the power of the Holy Spirit, considered her
righteous. So God, who inspired James to
write this, never said Rahab’s lie was just—but instead it was her other
actions.
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Image from Presentation Library.
