THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
Pay close attention to what I am saying. She welcomed the scouts, while Israel turned away in the desert, as Rahab proclaimed from her disreputable home. Why do I reference Israel's time in the wilderness? When the mountain was enveloped in clouds, darkness, the sound of trumpets, lightning, and other awe-inspiring phenomena, amidst the flames, Israel received the divine message: 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one’ (Deuteronomy 6:4), ‘you shall have no other gods before Me’ (Exodus 20:3). I am present ‘in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is no other’ (Deut. 4:39). Despite hearing this, Israel turned to the golden calf and spurned God; they forgot their Sovereign, disavowed the Giver of every good gift, and said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods’ (Ex. 32:1).
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If they sought ‘gods,’ why create them? Can they truly be gods if they can be made? Thus, blind desire battles against itself and leads to its own ruin. One crafted the idol, and the ungrateful Israelites declared, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you out of the land of Egypt’ (Ex. 32:4). ‘These are gods,’ they asserted, yet they only saw a mere calf, a man-made idol; why use the term 'gods'? In this way, the people sought to demonstrate that they did not just worship what they could see but also envisioned a multiplicity of deities, engaging not only in rational thought but also in the depths of their imaginations. However, let us refocus on our topic. What Israel witnessed, protected by countless miracles and instructed by the law, was exalted by Rahab, who was confined in a sinful dwelling. She tells the onlookers, ‘We have heard of what your God has done to the Egyptians.’ The Israelites say, ‘These are your gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt,’ whereas the harlot acknowledges salvation comes not from false gods, but from the true God: ‘We have heard of what your God has done in the wilderness; our hearts have melted and we have no strength left.’ She articulates her faith in the Lawgiver, affirming ‘I know that ... your God ... is in heaven above and on earth below, and there is no other god’ (Deut. 4:39). Rahab foreshadowed the Church, once marred by sin, now embraced by the faithful followers of Christ—the apostles sent not by Joshua, but by Jesus, the genuine Savior. ‘Behold,' it is proclaimed that ‘your God ... is in heaven above and on earth below, and besides Him there is no other.’ This truth was given to the Jews, yet they did not guard it; this truth was embraced by the Church, and they preserved it faithfully. Thus, Rahab, who shaped the Church, deserves all honor. Therefore, the courageous Paul recognized the greatness of her faith and regarded her not as one cast aside due to her past, but as beloved by God for her sincere repentance. He included her among the saints, stating: ‘By faith Abel offered ... a sacrifice’ (Hebrews 11:4), ‘by faith Abraham did this and that,’ and ‘by faith ... By faith Noah ... built an ark’ (Hebrews 11:7), sharing the deeds of many saints in succession, and ultimately noted: ‘By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, for she welcomed the spies and sent them out by another route’ (Hebrews 11:31).
The wonders enacted among them instilled dread across the earth, just as Rahab of Jericho admitted at that time: ‘You have brought dread upon us, and all the inhabitants of this land are fainthearted because of you.’ Therefore, one way of knowing God comes through creation, while the most evident way is through His servants; this is the doctrine that God has sown throughout every generation since the beginning.