Women of the Bible: Rahab found acceptance in Hebrew community
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I read an interview with a pornographic actress once. She talked about the frequent response of men when they see her in public while accompanied by their wives or girlfriends. The men would approach her and say with an obviously false inquisitive tone, "You look so familiar. Where do I know you from?" She described the temptation to ruin that man's relationship by answering him honestly.
In the 21st century, porn stars occupy a strange place in our collective consciousness. On the one hand, they are highly paid and well-known. Most men use porn. A significant number of women use it, too. Web filtering software company Covenant Eyes reported that 64-68 percent of young adult men watch porn at least once a week. Eighty-five percent watch it at least once a month. In 2009, Simon Lajeunesse experienced some serious setbacks when he tried to study porn use because he couldn't find a control group of young men who didn't use porn.
On the other hand, pornography still carries a stigma. As ubiquitous as porn use is, women are still deeply hurt when they find out the men in their lives consume it. Despite all the rationalization in the world, there is still a gut-level understanding that there is something deeply wrong with pornography.
When Christians discuss a response to the problem of porn, we often act like it's a new and unique problem for the church to address. Instead, because "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9), I suggest this is an old problem presented in a more technologically sophisticated way. Consider Rahab.
In Joshua 2, Joshua sends two spies on a mission to Jericho. The king of Jericho and his security forces became aware of their presence, and as the spies looked for a place to hide, Rahab welcomed them into her home and hid them on the roof of her house.
The Bible says Rahab was a prostitute.
The most likely case is that she was a temple prostitute. Ancient Canaanites worshipped a God called Baal and a goddess called Asherah — Baal's mother and mistress. They believed that re-enacting the sexual union between Baal and Asherah made the land more fertile. Rahab was likely paid to play the part of Asherah in the temple for "devout" male worshippers.
We don't know much about what those worshippers' wives thought about this religious practice. Rahab's inclusion in the narrative in Joshua 2 is actually an exception in ancient Semitic literature. I wonder, though, if despite the ubiquity of this religious practice, the wives were still hurt by it. I wonder if she got that feeling in the pit of her stomach that comes from knowing there was nothing she could do about her husband doing something deeply offensive because "it's just what men do" every time he went to go "worship." I wonder if the same conversation happened when a couple ran into Rahab in the market. "You look so familiar. Where do I know you from?"
What I do know is that Rahab was not completely accepted in her culture. She lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city. It was as far away from the life of the city as it could be while still being inside the walls. That's why spies were lurking in the streets near her house. Even though practically everyone used her services, nobody welcomed her into the center of the life of the city.
But look at what happens in her life. She hears about a people of the one true God. The gods she knew — Baal and Asherah — forced her into prostitution and out of her own society. The God the Israelites worshipped welcomed her into their protection because of her faith. Joshua 6:25 is clear that she was welcomed into the Hebrew community and that she lived "among" the people of Israel. Not on the outskirts in a shack built into a wall.
In the church, we often focus on helping the consumers of pornography and condemning its producers. Instead, Israel killed the prostitute's consumers and saved the prostitute. While men and women addicted to pornography certainly need grace — I am not advocating their persecution by any means — perhaps porn stars need to make it into your prayers. They are not a hopeless case. Just look at Rahab.