When the Lie Is Remembered—but the Faith Is Missed (A rare glimpse into current events)

(Grab a glass of water—this is a long one.)

There is an uncomfortable story tucked into the early pages of Israel’s conquest narrative—one that leaders often quote selectively and interpret poorly. Not surprisingly, it’s as relevant in today’s interactions between VP Vance and the Iranian delegation as it was in Old Testament Jericho—and in our daily GovCon interactions with our clients, competitors, and coworkers.

It is the story of Rahab and the spies.

And depending on how you interpret it, Rahab can become either a powerful testimony of faith—or a dangerous excuse for deception. Joshua 2 can be summed up as this: Joshua sent 2 men to spy the land and they were caught in Jericho. Rahab and others in Jericho recognized God’s handiwork in Israel’s domination and chose God over man. She hid the spies in her roof, lied to the guards, and made a deal with the spies to save her family when Israel finally took Jericho. This deal was built on Rahab’s trust that Israel would honor her faith.

Rahab’s allegiance is based on faith in a God she didn’t even know.

But when Rahab later appears in Hebrews and James, notice what is praised—it’s not the lies:

“By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish… because she welcomed the spies.” (Hebrews 11:31)

“Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?” (James 2:25)

• Not her deception

• Not her strategy

• But her faith and allegiance

Scripture is remarkably precise here.

Rahab is honored for whom she trusted, not for how she lied.

This distinction matters—especially for leaders—because there is temptation to sanctify the shortcut. Doing so offends the faith that is the true heart of Rahab’s success.

Whenever success is high and stakes are existential, leaders feel pressure to adopt a colder ethic:

If the cause is righteous, the method must be justified.

While this theme is often praised in movies like The Dark Knight and Zero Dark Thirty, we also see this temptation in life:

• In war strategy (the feint, PSYOPs/MISO)

• In politics (US/Iran “negotiations”)

• In intelligence operations (need to know, plausible deniability)

• In corporate competition (printing that “proprietary” document”

• In religious polemics (Christian treatment of Islam’s Taquiyya, Islam’s treatment of the Trinity)

And yes—sometimes Rahab is dragged into those conversations as proof that God allows deception when the opponent is “outside the covenant.”

That reading is a not-so-subtle lie of the Deceiver. (John 8:44)

But let’s be clear, Servant Leader. Rahab’s lie is descriptive, not prescriptive. And God redeems her despite the lie, not because of it. (Romans 3:23)

In Western discourse, it is common to hear claims—especially about Muslim contexts—that deception toward outsiders is morally permissible if it advances a greater goal. Sadly, this twisting of religious philosophy occurs not only on the part of outsiders looking in, but frequently by religious practitioners with an incomplete understanding of their own religious texts. Many of us reading this blog have even experienced this reality while deployed. (I have personally been both victim and purveyor of cultural and religious ignorance.)

Whether discussing intelligence doctrine, religious jurisprudence, or cultural history, these discussions are often oversimplified, decontextualized, and weaponized. It’s like Christians claiming Israel’s infallible nature despite the Bible demonstrating God’s own wrath against Israel during generations of rebellion. When scripture is decontextualized, it’s open to the Father of Lies.

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6)

As servant leaders, we must resist two equal errors: Pretending deception is foreign to Scripture, and pretending deception is a legitimate tactic of faith.

Rahab stands as a warning against both. Scripture Does Not Teach “Lying to the Outsider”.  The

Bible is unambiguous elsewhere:

• “The Lord detests lying lips” (Proverbs 12:22)

• “You shall not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16)

• “Put away falsehood; let each one speak truth” (Ephesians 4:25)

Rahab’s story reinforces God’s deity, not His selective memory. Scripture creates latticework based on truth, not useful, situation-specific lies.

But, Rahab’s story teaches something far more human:

God, in His mercy, works through flawed people making high‑risk choices under incomplete moral formation.

That’s not an endorsement of our flaws. It’s an indictment of our nature. Still, how do we, as Servant Leaders, avoid the traps of selective deception?

Servant Leadership draws a hard boundary where pragmatists often blur it:

• The mission does not sanctify the method

• Truth is not expendable for advantage

• Integrity is not situational

Rahab’s faith marked the beginning of her transformation, not its completion. And as servant leaders, our choices can demonstrate our growing faith or derail our witness. So, ask yourself one simple question:

WWJD?

Why This Matters Now

In the age of misinformation where AI videos fake downed US aircraft surrounded by Islamist fighters, deceased celebrities punching “liars” from the “other” political party, and dogs and cats portrayed with human-like reactions to stimulus, the truth matters.

Negotiations between Iran and the United States are persistently hamstrung by mirrored misreadings, each side projecting onto the other a flawed moral psychology rooted more in polemic than precision: Washington often approaches Tehran assuming taqiyya as a standing doctrine of strategic deceit—treating Iranian assurances as inherently manipulative—while Tehran, shaped by a long history of coups, sanctions, and regime‑change rhetoric, assumes American diplomacy is merely coercion disguised as dialogue.

Both premises are distortions.

Both premises are rooted in truth that has been selectively decontextualized and deliberately weaponized. So, what must we remember?

Scripture holds two truths in tension without apology: God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, and God’s people are commanded to speak truth regardless of the cost. That same Scripture also records, with unsparing honesty, that God’s chosen people repeatedly suffered defeat, exile, and loss when they rebelled—judgments that were not good in the moment, but proved redemptive across generations. God’s goodness is often revealed not in spared consequences, but in sovereign outcomes that only make sense in hindsight. Seen through that lens, when Vice President Vance sits across from Iranian counterparts seeking an end to hostilities, the better part of valor is not tactical certainty or guaranteed short-term wins, but faithfulness: telling the truth, refusing manipulation, and trusting that obedience to God’s purposes outweighs immediate political discomfort. Biblical wisdom does not promise that honesty will feel successful—it promises that God remains sovereign even when faithfulness passes through fire before it bears fruit.

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