Rahab

January 1, 2019

Jesse (Lk 3:32-3:32)

“The son of Jesse,

The son of Obed,

The son of Boaz,

The son of Sala,

The son of Nahshon.”

 

τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ τοῦ Ἰωβὴδ τοῦ Βοὸς τοῦ Σαλὰ τοῦ Ναασσὼν

 

This is pretty much the same as Matthew, chapter 1:5-6, as the genealogies almost match here.  Luke said that David was the son of Jesse (τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ), the son of Obed (τοῦ Ἰωβὴδ), the son of Boaz (τοῦ Βοὸς), the son of Sala (τοῦ Σαλὰ), and the son of Nahshon (τοῦ Ναασσὼν).  The genealogy at the end of Ruth, chapter 4:18-22, goes from Judah to David.  Nahshon was a famous warrior prince of Judah, especially in Numbers, chapter 7:12.  Nahshon was the father of Salma or Salmon (Σαλμών), the direct male ancestor of King David, and all of the kings of the Kingdom of Judah.  Sala or Salmon was the father of Boaz with Rahab his wife.  Boaz was the father of Obed with Ruth his wife.  Obed was the father of Jesse.  Jesse had 7 sons with King David the youngest son.  Ruth was a Moabite non-Jewish widow.  She traveled to Israel with her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi.  There she then married Boaz in a beautiful love story in the biblical book of Ruth.

September 13, 2016

The powerful intervention of God (Isa 51:9-51:11)

“Awake!

Awake!

Put on strength!

O arm of Yahweh!

Awake!

As in days of old!

The generations of long ago!

Did you not cut Rahab in pieces?

Did you not pierce the dragon?

Did you not dry up the sea?

Did you not dry up the waters of the great deep?

Did you not make the depths of the sea

In a way for the redeemed to cross over?

The ransomed of Yahweh shall return.

They will come to Zion with singing.

Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.

They shall obtain joy.

They shall obtain gladness.

Sorrow shall flee away.

Sighing shall flee away.”

Second Isaiah has a plea for the arm of Yahweh to act again as he had done in Egypt at the time of the Exodus. He had cut up Rahab, the sea monster name for Egypt. He had pierced the dragon in mythological terms. He dried up the waters, so that the redeemed of Israel could cross over. These same ransomed people will now come to Zion singing with joy. They will be joyful and glad and not sorrowful or sighing. Yahweh will intervene again on their behalf.

August 14, 2016

Oracle on the desert animals (Isa 30:6-30:7)

“An oracle concerning

The animals of the Negeb.

Through a land

Of trouble,

Of distress,

Of the lioness.

Of the roaring lion,

Of the viper,

Of the flying serpent,

They carry their riches

On the backs of donkeys.

They carry their treasures

On the humps of camels,

To a people

That cannot profit them.

Egypt’s help is worthless.

Their help is empty.

Therefore I have called her

‘Rahab who sits still.’”

This seems to be an oracle by Yahweh about the animals in the Negeb desert, south of Israel. The messengers of the King of Judah were going to pass by these animals as they went with their riches on the backs of donkeys and treasures on the camel humps on their way to Egypt. Along the way, they would suffer trouble and distress. They would see many animals, like lioness, lions, vipers, and flying serpents. However, Isaiah says that their mission was worthless and empty. It was a waste of time since the Egyptians could not help them. In fact, Isaiah calls Egypt a useless sitting still ‘Rahab,’ a mythological sea monster like the Leviathan monster.

November 13, 2015

The power of Yahweh (Ps 89:8-89:11)

“Yahweh!

God of hosts!

Who is as mighty as you?

Yahweh!

Your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule the raging of the sea.

When its waves rise,

You still them.

You crushed Rahab like a carcass.

You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

The heavens are yours.

The earth also is yours.”

Yahweh is the powerful God with hosts of large armies. He is mighty, so that there is no one as mighty as him. His faithfulness is all around him. He controls the raging sea and the rising waves. He crushed the sea monster Rahab. He scattered his enemies. He has power over heaven and earth.

November 11, 2015

Mount Zion is holy for everywhere (Ps 87:4-87:4)

“Among those who know me,

I mention Rahab and Babylon.

There also is Philistia,

Tyre,

With Ethiopia

‘This one was born there.’

They say.”

Many people from all over the world were born at Mount Zion, so that the citizens of Mount Zion can be found all over the world. Although Rahab was the prostitute who helped in the Book of Judges, this apparently is another name for Egypt here. Thus the places where Israelites from Jerusalem and Mount Zion might be Babylon, Egypt, the Philistine territory, Tyre, and Ethiopia, especially after the captivity. They could then maintain that they were all born in Jerusalem but live elsewhere.

July 15, 2015

The hymn to the all powerful God (Job 26:5-26:14)

“The shades below tremble.

The waters and their inhabitants tremble.

Sheol is naked before God.

Abaddon has no covering.

He stretches out Zaphon over the void.

He hangs the earth upon nothing.

He binds up the waters in his thick clouds.

The cloud is not torn open by them.

He covers the face of the full moon.

He spreads over it his cloud.

He has described a circle on the face of the waters.

He has described a circle at the boundary between light and darkness.

The pillars of heaven tremble.

They are astounded at his rebuke.

By his power he stilled the sea.

By his understanding he struck down Rahab.

By his wind the heavens were made fair.

His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

These are indeed but the outskirts of his ways.

How small a whisper do we hear of him!

But the thunder of his power,

Who can understand?”

Then Job broke into a hymn about the all powerful God. Could this be from Bildad?   In very explicit colorful language, he describes the power of God over all things. This is the vision of earth, Sheol, and heaven. Sheol and Abaddon are similar, like a bottomless pit. Abaddon will become a person in the Christian book of Revelation. Here it is like another name for Sheol, so that even those below must recognize the power of God since they have no place to hide or cover up. Zaphon is the northern mountain area of the Canaanite gods, something like the Greek Mount Olympus. The earth was suspended over an abyss. The water in the clouds was still accepted today as the cause of rain. Only God could make it rain and break the clouds. He also had control of the moon creating eclipses. God was of course responsible for the boundary between water and earth as well as light and darkness. There were even pillars in heaven that were afraid of him. Perhaps these pillars are the mountains that seem to reach up into the heavens. Obviously he controlled the sea and the mythical sea monster Rahab. Rahab was also the name of the prostitute, who helped the troops of Joshua, chapter 2. God then pierced the fleeing serpent, perhaps a reference to Genesis, chapter 3. We mortals only catch a glimpse of his power like a whisper when he thunders. The idea that God spoke through thunder was prevalent. However, we cannot understand all this.

May 1, 2014

Joshua vows destruction (Josh 6:17-6:21)

“The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to Yahweh for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers we sent. As for you, keep away from the things devoted to destruction, so as not to covet and take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel an object of destruction, bringing trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, as well as vessels of bronze and iron, are sacred to Yahweh. They shall go into the treasury of Yahweh.”

The divine punishment is very severe destruction since absolute evil must be destroyed. Ironically the only exception to total destruction is the friendly prostitute, Rahab. Stay away from everything, but only take the silver, gold, bronze, and iron in order to give it to Yahweh.

“So the people shouted. The trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout. Then the wall fell down flat. So the people charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. Then they utterly destroyed by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.”

The horns sound with the religious outcry as they just attack and destroy everyone and everything. With the noise of the great shout of the people and the trumpets, the walls came tumbling down. The people charged ahead and destroyed the city with everything in it, killing all the humans and the animals.

April 28, 2014

The spies of Joshua at Jericho (Josh 2:1-2:7)

“Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies.  He said to them. ‘Go! View the land, especially Jericho.’ So they went. They entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab. They spent the night there. The King of Jericho was told. ‘Some Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land.’ Then the King of Jericho sent orders to Rahab. ‘Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house. They have come only to search out the whole land.’ But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said. ‘True, men came to me. But I did not know where they came from. When it was time to close the gate at dark, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you can overtake them.’”  

The Israelites were camped at Shittim, while Jericho was in the Jordan valley. Joshua sent spies out to view the land. They visited a prostitute. There is no indication why they went there. Anyhow, the King of Jericho found out about them. He asked Rahab what happened. She said that they were there but had left. She suggested that they go catch them when, in fact, she had hid them. Rahab, the prostitute, gave the leaders of Jericho the wrong information.

“She had, however, brought them up to the roof. She had hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order out on the roof.  So the men pursued them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. As soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.”

Rahab had hid them on the roof. While the others were pursuing the two spies, the gate of the town was shut. So far, all is going well.