Unashamed (6 page)

The men on the roof were silent. Could they have fallen asleep? Setting down the food she had brought with her, she crossed the roof quietly, took up a bundle of flax, and set it aside. She didn’t want to startle them.

“The soldiers are gone now. It’s safe to come out.”

The taller man sat up first. When he looked at her, she felt the impact of his gaze. He was curious about her, and he was disturbed by his attraction to her. He said nothing as his companion stood up and brushed himself off. “We heard shouting.”

She wanted to put them at ease. “The soldiers have left the city in pursuit of you.” When she stretched out her hand, she realized she was shaking badly enough for them to notice. “I have bread and wine.”

She understood their hesitation. She was a Jerichoan and a harlot. Why should they trust her? They must be wondering why a Canaanite would protect them. They might even wonder how she’d managed to get rid of the soldiers so quickly, without their even searching the house. Why should these Israelites believe anything a harlot had to say? But believe her they must. So many lives depended on it.

Rahab lowered her hand and lifted her chin. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear!”

She wondered why they’d even come here. Surely they knew better than she that the land was theirs! Why should they come to spy out a land the Lord had already given them? Did they doubt? Did they need encouragement?

“No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.” Her eyes filled with tears, for her heart ached deeply to be counted among the chosen people of this God.

Swallowing hard, she stepped forward and spread her hands. “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”

The taller man glanced at his companion, who stared at Rahab. There was enough moonlight that she could see his consternation. The taller man looked at her again, his expression curiously excited. “My name is Salmon, and this is Ephraim. We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety.”

Her heart soared with relief and thanksgiving. She looked at the other for his response.

“I agree,” Ephraim said with less enthusiasm, giving Salmon a disgruntled look. He looked at her again. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise when the Lord gives us the land.”

She smiled broadly, elated. She would trust these men with her life and the lives of those she loved. She had made them swear to her by the Lord. They wouldn’t dare break such an oath. The faith they had in their mighty God would make them uphold it.

“Please,” she said, extending her hand toward the cushions in one corner of the flat roof. “Sit. Make yourselves comfortable. You’re my guests.” She busied herself with the food she had brought with her. “What can I serve you? I have dates, almonds, honey and raisin cakes, bread, wine . . . ”

“Nothing,” Ephraim said coldly.

“But thank you,” Salmon added, as if to ease the rejection.

Rahab turned and studied them. Though they had promised to save her life and the lives of her family members, it seemed all too clear they wanted no part of her. Especially the man called Ephraim. He made her feel like a bug that had crawled out from under a rock. The other young man studied her with open curiosity. She sat down on a cushion and looked at him. “Ask whatever you want.”

He looked into her eyes intently. “How did you come by your faith in our God?”

“I’ve heard stories about Him since I was a girl.”

“So has everyone else in Jericho.”

She blinked. “I know that all too well, and I can’t explain why I believed when everyone else didn’t.”

“Your people are afraid,” Ephraim said. “We heard enough at the gate to know that much.”

“Yes, they’re afraid of you, as they would be any conquering army. But they don’t understand that it is your God who gives you victory.”

Salmon’s eyes shone as he studied her face. Then his eyes moved down over her and back up again as though taking her in all at once. She could see plainly enough that he liked what he saw. So did she. He was a very handsome young man.

Ephraim seemed determined to keep her in her place. “You have gods of your own.”

“Wooden statues of no earthly use,” she said disdainfully. “Did you see any in my chamber?” Ephraim looked uncomfortable. “Go on down,” she said, gesturing toward the ladder. “Open the cabinets. Look behind the curtains, under the bed. Search anywhere you wish, Ephraim. You will not find any idols or talismans among my possessions. I lost faith in the gods of my people long ago.”

“Why?”

The Hebrew seemed intent upon testing her. So be it. She was more than willing to comply. “Because they couldn’t save me. They’re just things made by men, and I know how weak men are.” She spread her hands in a gesture of appeal. “I want to live among your people.”

Ephraim frowned slightly and looked at Salmon.

Salmon leaned forward slightly. “You must understand that we have laws, laws given to us by God Himself.”

“I would like to know these laws.” She had felt some message pass between the two men and sensed it would affect her greatly.

Salmon considered her for a moment and then said quietly, “There are laws against fornication and adultery.”

Ephraim was not so gentle in his condemnation of her profession. “Prostitution is not tolerated. Anyone found practicing it is executed.”

Rahab remembered how she had hung out her window and called down to them as she had a hundred others before them. The heat poured into her face. Never had she felt such self-loathing. No wonder they had hesitated. No wonder they wouldn’t eat food from her table or drink so much as a drop of water. She was filled with shame.

“I didn’t choose this lifestyle,” she said in quick defense. “I was presented to the king by my father when I was a girl and had no say—” She stopped when she saw Salmon’s grimace. What did it matter how she had come to be what she was? She had sensed from the beginning that it was wrong. What did it matter that she had been just a girl and had to do what she was told? Did that excuse continuing in her profession these past years and gaining wealth from it? No! She frowned and looked away, feeling the Hebrews’ perusal. She looked at them again, calm and accepting. “If God loathes prostitution, then I’m done with it.”

Salmon rose and walked to the edge of the roof. He stared out across the city for a long moment and then turned and looked at her again. “It’s time for us to leave,” he said. “We’ve served our purpose in coming, Ephraim.”

Rahab rose abruptly. She knew they had to act quickly now. She hurried down the ladder into the house, followed by the two men. Crossing the room, she untied and yanked free the crimson rope that held her curtains back from her bed. “You can’t go by way of the gate. I can lower you from the window with this.” Looping it up, she went to the window, brushed Salmon aside, and dropped one end over the sill. She peered out as the crimson cord snaked down the wall. “It reaches to within ten feet of the ground.”

“Close enough.” Salmon took the rope from her hand and set her aside. “You first,” he said, nodding to his friend. Ephraim lifted himself up and swung his legs out the window.

“Wait!” Rahab said. “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days until the men who are searching for you have returned; then go on your way.”

Ephraim nodded, grasped the rope, and went out the window. Rahab heard a soft cascade of loosened mortar, then a thud as he hit the ground. Salmon handed the rope to her and sat on the windowsill.

“Listen to me, Rahab. We can guarantee your safety only if you leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house. If they go out into the street, they will be killed, and we cannot be held to our oath. But we swear that no one inside this house will be killed—not a hand will be laid on any of them.”

She bit her lip as gratitude filled her.

He swung one leg out and looked back at her. “If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”

“I accept your terms,” she replied.

The look in his eyes changed subtly. Letting go of the rope, he reached out and cupped the back of her head, pulling her close. Her heart stopped, for she thought he meant to kiss her.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be back for you.”

“I hope so.”

He released her and took up the rope. “Are you strong enough to hold me?”

She laughed. “I’ll have to be!” She held on with all her strength, and when she thought she’d fail, she found strength she didn’t know she had.

When Salmon let go of the rope, she stood on her tiptoes and looked out the window. Both men stood below her. Ephraim was looking around cautiously, but Salmon grinned up at her. He raised his hand in a gesture of salutation and promise. She waved for him to go quickly.

She smiled when she saw they took the road leading to the hill country.

SALMON
and Ephraim followed the road over the mountains into the hill country. It was well past dawn when they rested near a small stream. Kneeling, eyes alert, they drank and drank their fill.

Ephraim trapped several fish in a pool and flipped them onto the bank, where Salmon had built a small fire. After cleaning them, Salmon roasted the fish on a stick. Salmon had never eaten anything but manna and found the fish a new and interesting taste to his palate. Replete, they saw a Canaanite shepherd bring his flock of goats to drink downstream. The man glanced their way, then drove his flock west.

“He’s afraid of strangers,” Ephraim said.

“The fear of the Lord is upon the land.” Exhaustion caught up with them. Salmon stretched out on his back, a soft blanket of grass beneath him. He could hardly keep his eyes open. “Our days in the wilderness are almost over.” He filled his lungs with the rich, fragrant scent of the land. The sky was cerulean with wisps of white.
Oh, Lord, my God, You are bringing us home to a land You have prepared for us. You have laid out this gift before us. Give us the courage to take it.
Closing his eyes, Salmon drifted off to sleep while listening to the stream of living water.

And as he did so, he dreamed of a beautiful woman peering down at him from a window, her luxurious curly, black hair rippling in the wind.

Ω
     
Ω
     
Ω

Rahab saw Cabul and the king’s men returning late the next afternoon, while the gates were still open. Even from a distance, they looked weary and defeated. She drew back so Cabul wouldn’t see her as he passed below her window, heading for the gate.

“Rahab!”

She ignored him. She hoped he wouldn’t come and question her or seek solace in her company. She wanted no further discourse with the fellow. The king had summoned her yesterday, and she had repeated her lie about the spies and her directions to his men. He believed her, and that had been the end of it.

Later that evening, Cabul knocked at her door. Hiding her fear, she opened the door long enough to find out if the king had thought the matter over further and become suspicious. When Cabul made it clear he had come for personal reasons, she told him she was ill and needed to be alone. It was no pretense. She was sick—sick of him, sick of the life she led, sick at the realization that everyone in this city would be dead soon because of their stubborn hearts and stiff-necked pride. She did not rejoice that destruction would come upon them, but she wanted to separate herself from them. She wanted to close herself in and stand at the window, waiting for her deliverance.

But there were others to consider, others to protect.

She let another night pass. On the third day, she ventured out of her house to shop in the marketplace, where she knew her father would be selling dried dates, raisins, and parched grains. When she approached him, he smiled briefly before returning his full attention to a patron standing at the booth. Her heart softened, for her father had never condemned her for the choices she made. Groveling for a living himself, he’d understood her reasons and never stopped loving her. Her mother had had grand hopes for her when the king had summoned her to his bed, but she’d put too much confidence in her daughter’s physical beauty. Rahab had had no such illusions. Men were fickle, especially when they held positions of power, and she hadn’t expected the affair to last long. She’d only hoped it would last long enough for her to make a place for herself in the king’s service. It had, and now she had a livelihood and could help provide for her family—when their pride would allow it.