Joshua 2
King James Version (KJV)
12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:
13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
Comments:
Rahab bargains with the spies to spare her and her family from death during the conquest of Jericho. In being a friend of God's people, she showed herself to be a friend of Israel. By harboring them, she showed them mercy, and thus they would show her and her family mercy.
This situation is worth considering for Christian nations. When Christian spies acquire information for a just war from a member of the enemy nation, perhaps the safety for the families of those who aid them should be a priority. God's words in Genesis 12 come to mind: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee" (Genesis 12:3a).
