THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
Pay close attention to what I say. She welcomed the spies, while Israel, in their wanderings, turned away from their God, just as Rahab proclaimed from her home of ill-repute. Why bring up Israel in the desert? When the mountain was shrouded in clouds, darkness, the sound of trumpets, lightning, and other frightening signs, it was from the midst of the fire that Israel heard the voice of God: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord your God is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4), and "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). It is said, “I am in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other” (Deut. 4:39).
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Upon receiving this, Israel turned to idolatry, fashioning a golden calf and rejecting God; they forgot their Sovereign, dismissed their Benefactor, and demanded of Aaron, "Make us gods" (Ex. 32:1). If they are "gods," why should they be made? How can they be divine if they can be formed by human hands? Thus, misguided desire conflicts with itself and leads to ruin. They poured out offerings and ungrateful Israel declared, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt” (Ex. 32:4). “These are the gods,” they claimed, yet it was merely one visible calf, merely an idol created by man. Why call them "gods"? The people wanted to convey that their worship encompassed not only what was visible, but also included their imagination of polytheism; they expressed their thoughts, extending beyond mere observation. But let's refocus. What Israel had witnessed, surrounded by miraculous signs and instructed by the Law, bears witness through Rahab, who lived in disgrace. She told the observers, "We have heard what your God has done to the Egyptians." The Jew asserts, "These are your gods that brought you from Egypt," but the harlot recognizes salvation as stemming from God alone: "We have learned what your God has done among the Egyptians in the wilderness; our hearts are melted and we have no strength left." She acknowledges God's deeds by faith. She professes, "I know that your God is in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." Rahab symbolizes the Church which, once tainted by sin, has now embraced the gaze of Christ—the apostles, sent not by Joshua but by Jesus, the true Redeemer. "Behold," he declares, “your God is a mountain in heaven and a share on earth, and there is no other.” This message was initially rejected by the Jews but faithfully embraced by the Church. Therefore, Rahab, who shaped the Church, deserves all commendation. Paul, recognizing the greatness of her faith, viewed her not as disqualified due to her past but as commendable to God because of her sincere transformation. He included her among the saints, saying: "By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice" (Hebrews 11:4); by faith Abraham did this and that; by faith Noah built the ark (Hebrews 11:7); and by faith Moses accomplished significant works. After naming many saints, he concluded: “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies and sent them out another way” (Hebrews 11:31).
The wonders performed for them instilled fear throughout the land, as the harlot of Jericho stated: “You have put terror in our hearts, and all the inhabitants of this land are faint-hearted because of you.” Thus, there exists one form of understanding God from the perspective of His creation, and another, clearer understanding from the standpoint of God’s servants; this is the teaching God has imparted to every generation since the beginning.