“Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in the house shall live because she hid the messengers whom we sent.” Joshua 6:17b (ESV)
Opening the door to her well-known if not well-despised inn, Rahab spied the foreigners.
Terror-filled eyes searched the room for safety.
Somehow, something inside her knew these men. This was drastically different from how she usually knew men; this was a spiritual revelation.
The cadence of running soldiers propelled her to usher them into the room and quickly close the door. She knew what was about to happen. “Quickly, to the roof, under the flax,” she instructed pushing them up to a hiding place.
The alarm in their eyes stirred her compassion as she confidently continued, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us and that all the inhabitants of the land melt before you.” (Joshua 2:9 ESV)
How did she know?
She had housed many foreigners. She had heard the stories of what Israel’s God had done. She also had her finger on the pulse of the people and knew they trembled in fear at the thought of the Israelites.
She believed in this God of Israel. If the Israelites were coming, she’d see certain death. If the King learned she’d lied and concealed these men, she’d die for treason. Just about any outcome of this scenario ended with Rahab’s death.
Yet, “she received the spies in peace.” (Hebrews 11:31 ESV)
Peace, what peace?
Most women in Rahab’s occupation know fear – fear of personal safety, fear of dealing with someone physically stronger than herself, fear of who might enter her door. She didn’t have any protector.
Here, with spies hidden on her roof and a King’s demand on her doorstep, Rahab could confidently face death knowing she now believed in Israel’s God. She now had the Greatest Protector.
She wasn’t alone. For the first time, she was not alone.
After the imminent danger had disappeared, Rahab bargained for not only her life, but also for the lives of her family members. Although she probably knew slavery to others, she herself acted selflessly.
Rahab’s deep faith in God gave her the power and strength to save the spies and the confidence of cleansing through God’s grace.
She knew God. She believed in Him. She believed in what He saw in her. She didn’t see herself as only a scarlet woman tying a scarlet cord to save her life.
She believed in the grace of God: she had a right to ask for her life to be saved.
God saved her life in two ways. First, her life was spared when the Israelites came and conquered. Second, her way of life was forever altered. She was no longer a condemned prostitute, but she became the esteemed wife of Salmon and would have her name in the lineage of Jesus Christ. (The power of God’s grace!)
This astute business woman didn’t buy any lies that she was “just this” or “just that.” She didn’t buy into the lie she wasn’t “good enough” or that she “could never change.”
Rahab possessed the power of a simple, sincere faith that promised God could do anything.
And He did more than she ever could have fathomed.
Reflections:
What lies do I “buy into”?
What truths from God’s word reveals those lies for what they are, lies?
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your power, the power to propel me to live the life You authored. No matter where I’ve been, no matter what I was, You can change all that with Your amazing grace. Please help me to focus on You and who You are and accept forgiveness from You. Please help me to fix my eyes on You and the future You have planned for me. Remind me not to stare into the rearview mirror as I live my days for you. Thank You for Rahab’s example; Your love and grace are truly all I need. Thank You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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