I don't know about you, but I have always loved a good spy mystery. One of the greatest spy stories is found in Joshua 2.
After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel are getting ready to begin the conquest of their Promised Land. Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, wanted to start the attack on the Promised Land. Before the battle could begin, he needed some espionage work done. So he spent two men to spy out the land.
The two spies' mission went relatively well. However, this changed when they entered the city of Jericho.
The two spies' secret mission was discovered. In order to remain safe, they took refuge in the home of a woman named Rahab. Rahab helped the two men by hiding them and lying about their whereabouts. Once the soldiers searching for the spies were diverted away from her house, we read that Rahab went up to the roof to see the men.
How many times has Hollywood used this plot in their spy movies? We all know what happens next in the movies when the secret agents are hidden overnight by a woman, especially one deemed a prostitute in verse one. This thinking is exactly the type of natural groove that needs to be replaced in our heads. We cannot have our minds, which are supposed to be becoming holy like Jesus', automatically degrade women and treat them as sexual objects. We must become men who see women as holy vessels and spiritual beings who should be loved, honored, respected, and protected. This is precisely how we see these two spies treat Rahab.
1. They trusted her instead of using her.
The first attitude we see these men display towards Rahab is one of trust. These two men had no idea who Rahab was or how she would treat them. However, instead of looking at her as a dishonest woman, they decided to put their lives in her hands. That is trust.
While on earth, Jesus was a model of a man who trusted women. When Jesus' mother came to Him begging Him to help the wine situation at a wedding in Cana, He trusted her opinion and did what she asked. We read in the Gospels that Jesus entrusted His well-being to a group of women who supported Him financially. Jesus trusted Mary Magdalene to tell His disciples that He had risen from the dead. Jesus always trusted women, and we need to do the same.
2. They treated her with dignity, not disgrace.
Rahab was a woman with a shady past and a bad reputation. She was not a pillar of virtue. However, these two men overlooked this and showed her nothing but dignity and respect. They listened to what she said. They didn't degrade her or look down on her. They were courteous, kind, and respectful.
God wants His men to treat all women with dignity and respect. We need to honor them. It is the way Jesus treated women. Nowhere in the Bible will you ever find Jesus being disrespectful or condescending to women. It never happened. We need to come to a place where we see any disrespect or degradation of women as a sin. Like these two spies, we must respect all women, no matter who they are or what they have done.
3. They valued her thoughts and opinions.
Rahab told the two spies what she thought about the Israelite's battle plans. She told them about the morale among the people of Jericho…they were scared to death. She shared what she thought their chances of victory would be.
They listened to her. They heard her point of view. They took her seriously. They worked with her to accomplish their mission. They didn't see her as inferior. They didn't look down on her for having strong opinions. They didn't feel they were smarter. They listened, learned, and followed what she said.
It is key that we, as men, learn this lesson from the two spies. In the book of Genesis, we read that God created Eve because Adam needed a helpmate. He was incomplete without her. Men and women think differently. Men think linear...A to B to C. Women have a greater ability than men to think more emotionally and see the entire picture. We need women to give us a different and sometimes better perspective.
Women can see things in a situation that a man would never see. The wisdom and advice from the females in our lives help us get a 3D perspective on a situation, not just a male one-dimensional viewpoint. We must value and respect the opinions of the women around us.
4. They showed gratitude to Rahab.
Rahab risked her life and all she had to protect these two men. If caught, she would have faced a certain death. These men realized that they owed their lives to this brave woman, and they made sure she knew how grateful they were to her.
When did you last show gratitude to the women in your life? Men's lack of gratitude and appreciation is a gross sin against God and the women He has blessed us with. We, as men, can no longer take the women in our lives for granted. We can't expect them to be our servants. We must appreciate them. We must praise them. We must let them know how grateful we are to them. We must even pitch in and help them and make their lives easier. To fail to do this is a sin. It is also degrading and disrespectful to women. We must all work on this area.
5. They saw Rahab as a spiritual soul, not a sexual being.
These men didn't view Rahab as a sexual being. They saw her as a person with a spiritual need. They promised to protect her and make her a part of Israel. They sought to fill her spiritual need by making her one of God's children.
In the world in which we live, men are taught always to be seeking sex. That is as blunt as I can put it. As a result, worldly men tend to view women as sexual objects. They look at their bodies, appeal, and sensuality and base their thoughts and opinions on this. They don't think about their feelings or emotions. They ignore women's needs and desires. They look at them as things.
This is a sin. It is degrading. It is wrong, and it must stop. A godly man realizes he needs to act differently from the world and treat women in a godly way.
A godly man will act like Jesus acts. He will see women like Jesus sees them. These two spies never make any mention of Rahab's occupation. They don't view her as a sexual being. They see her as a spiritual being. They listened to her heart and heard her desire to follow their God. They insured her safety and security so she could become a convert to the one true God.
We are all guilty of heinous sin when we view women as sexual objects. We must change our thought patterns and mindsets so we can defeat Satan's favorite play of sexual temptation.
Guys, we have to examine ourselves. Are there areas you need to face, change, and conquer in how you treat women?
We must learn new ways of thinking about the opposite sex.
We must learn to put our trust in the women around us.
We must always treat them with dignity and respect.
We must value their thoughts and opinions.
We must express gratitude and appreciation for who they are and what they do.
Finally, we must look at women as spiritual, not sexual beings.
It's what a godly man must do to treat women with the respect they deserve.
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