Joshua 2:1-15

8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “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 away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall…Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

Hebrews 11:30-31

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Rahab was an unlikely ancestor of Jesus; primarily for the obvious fact that she was once a prostitute. Although her life might have once been filled with sexual lusts of the flesh, that is not the end of the story. In Joshua, we see Rahab heard of the God of the Israelites and His might. She recognized His power––how He defeated opposing nations on their own turf. She recognized the helplessness of her own people in the face of God. She recognized God’s identity––professing Him to be the God of everything. Rahab had a healthy understanding of who God was and who she was in light of His holiness and her sin. And in an act of faith, she protected God’s people. The Lord blessed her faith, delivering her and her family from destruction. He valued her loyalty and blessed her with not only deliverance, but a Jewish husband and a place in the lineage of Jesus Christ!

Through Rahab’s story, we see God can use anyone from any background; no one is beyond His love and redemption. His redemption knows no bounds. Rahab was a former prostitute, and yet, God saw her worth, her devotion to Him, and used her for His kingdom. This speaks to the overwhelming, all-encompassing reach of God’s grace and forgiveness. Just like Rahab, we can trust that God is all powerful and in control––He keeps His promises and accomplishes His purposes. Rahab believed in the one true God and was invited to become one of His people. Romans 10:13 reminds us that not only Rahab, but anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Finally, we see that following God sometimes means going against the culture around us even when it’s unpopular or we are persecuted for it. Rahab was commended for her faith (Hebrews 11:31). Her story is a powerful reminder that God’s plans are greater than our past mistakes, and He can use anyone willing to act in faith. For Rahab, going against her own people and all she knew and aligning herself with the God of heaven and earth was worth it. Similarly, we are promised that our perseverance in the faith will be worth it as well. If not in this life, then without a doubt in the eternal one to come!

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