West Coast Chapel

The story of Rahab.

Intro myself: Ben, Westside youth and Young adults.

Intro the story: who here likes action movies? who here likes stories of spies? and who likes when there is a hero in a story that saves the day. well this story has all 3.

Context:

Abraham made a covenant: that God bless his family and make his offspring a numerous as the stars

Moses covenant: one of abrahams many descendants was mose and God promised him that he was there God and they were his people and that he would lead them.

people in the desert: there were rules that had to be followed and God’s family israel broke those rule and as a result they couldnt enter into a special land that God had for them.

then moses passes away and joshua has become the leader of the people and God said it is time for them to enter into the land.

Joshua became the leaders of the people and he sends his spies into the promised land

the problem was there were some obsticles in the way. the frist one was the city of jericho.

Spy story:

The spies left from the camp and they came upon this massive walled city called Jericho.

the spies were sneaking around the city and they ended up at a woman named Rahabs house.

Rahab:

Now Rahab was an outsider. she did not actually fit in well with the culture of jericho well or with the nation israel

the bible actually states the Rahab and her family lived in the wall of the city. showing how she was an outsider who did’nt ever really belong.

additonally Rahab did not belong to the Gods people Israel as she was what was called a cannaite

But when the spies came because they were worried about being caught Rahab steps up and all

The king of Jericho heard that there were spies in the city and banged on Rahabs door asking if she knew the me.

She refused to betray them to the king of Jericho, and when he demanded them, she hid them on the roof of her house with stalks of flax that she had laid in order to dry. She pretended that they had escaped before the shutting of the gate, and threw their pursuers off their track.

when asked why she did this she give a beautiful recogniton of who God is

Joshua 2:9–11 ESV

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.

Rahab despite being an outsider who has made many mistakes and questionable choices that landed her living on the wall gives an amazing presentation of who God is to Gods own people

Future:

She became the great great great x20 grand mother of Jesus

God used a person who didnt fit in with the rest of the world to achieve something amazing.

Rahab is actually callled righteous person of faith in the book of hebrews

James 2:25 ESV

25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Hebrews 11:31 ESV

31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

implications

Rahab felt small and like the outsider but by faith she became a real hero in this story.

she was able to save the lives of the God spies who were on israels side

by hiding them it allowed for them to bring back the right information for them to move forward

she and her family were saved when israel took over

and became part of Gods redeeming story for every one in creation