Rahab

To give us some context of where we find the story of Rahab it comes during the conquest narrative, where the Israelites are poised to enter the promised land. And to help us further understand just how important Rahab is, we need to take a look at how it is the Israelites got to where they are now. Joshua is leading them into the promised land because they were forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. The whole reason that happened is because just like Joshua, Moses sent spies into the land of Canaan, however, 10 of the 12 spies reported the land could not be overtaken because the people in the land were stronger than the Israelites.

So due to their lying and spreading rumors God caused them to wander for 40 years. Now we jump back to the text today and the new leader of the community Joshua, who was one of the 12 spies by the way, once again sends spies into the land, especially the cit of Jericho, to see what what they can report back about everything they discover. Now we only know what is recorded in scripture, and because of that, the first and only thing we learn about these new spies is that they go straight to the house of a prostitute. I don’t know about you, but in these two very important moments in the life of the people of Israel, the spies are sorely lacking and failing in their ability to be good spies. I’ll reinforce that by saying that Rahab has to go so far as to even hide them. They’re spies, they’re supposed to know this kind of stuff…I would hope.

It is thanks to Rahab that the spies live, and so much more than that. As I’ve shared, I don’t have a lot of faith in the skills and abilities of the spies. Now that Rahab has saved the spies she then shares with them everything she knows about the Israelite people. Word has come to Jericho of what happened at the Reed or Red Sea between them and the Egyptians. Word has also come of their victory over the kings Sihon and Og and how they now control the land on the other side of the Jordan where they are now camped out.

While word of their conquest may be of great importance especially to the king of Jericho, what Rahab says next is probably the most important for us all to hear. Instead of chalking up their victories to military might, or strategic prowess or some other kind of military genius, Rahab tells them that she knows that it is their God. She confesses that their God is the God of heaven above and earth below. In this moment, and in the opening of her speech to them when she says that she knows that the LORD has given them this land, that Rahab says and believes something that was lacking when those 10 spies lied 40 years earlier and in all the times the Israelites failed to believe as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Rahab hasn’t even see what God has done directly she has only heard rumors of what has happened and she believes in God’s promise to them of the Promised Land. She also believes that when their God says that God will do something or provide them with something then God will do it.

Can you believe that Rahab has this kind of understanding and faith in a God that she doesn’t even know personally? It reminds me of a story another pastor told me about a time when he was leading a funeral for someone from the church. This person was steeped in the motorcycle culture. He had been a part of a motorcycle club and rode with them as often as he could. So naturally when he passed away and the service was held at the church, the his fellow motorcycle club members came to pay their respects by attending the service. The pastor told me that as he was welcoming everyone to the service a very large man dressed in full biker leather came walking into the entry of the church. As this large man came close to the entry of the sanctuary the pastor said that his demeanor changed and he stopped dead in his tracks. The pastor assuming he was emotional about the loss of his friend went over to let him know it was ok. The man turned to him and shook his head and said, “No it’s not that.” Then he looked around again and then continued, “something big lives here.” The pastor then told me that the man felt he couldn’t go inside. Despite being a large, seemingly strong and tough man, he had this understanding that something even greater than he lived inside the sanctuary of the church.

Rahab and this motorcyclist, even though they didn’t know God directly, understood something of God that they otherwise couldn’t explain. They also recognized the power and might of God even though neither of them knew God directly nor had before had faith in God. It is simply amazing to me that it was this woman Rahab who was able to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise to the Israelite people. Rahab, a prostitute, a woman, and a Canaanite (one of the people who was supposed to be wiped out) is the one and only person who believes and trusts in God’s word to the Israelite people. She secures the safety of the spies, she even tells them how to avoid the soldiers looking for them. She does everything she can to ensure the success of their mission despite what it means for her own people. She understands that there is something greater than she is at work in this world. She has faith in it and she ensures her safety and the safety of her family in the process. Through it all Rahab does what no Israelite was able to do.

If we take a look at the New Testament we see two letters that address Rahab. The first I want to bring up comes from the letter of James 2:25 who at this part of his letter is talking about how faith and action go hand in hand. He then lifts up the faith of Rahab and how her faith was followed up by receiving the spies and then setting them back to the Israelite camp. Her faith in God and her action to keep them safe so God could fulfill God’s promise is what James points out as faith in action and how James then reckons Rahab as righteous for what she did.

Then we see another passage in the Hebrews 11 This is where the author talks about how faith is what we hope for and how it is the proof of what we haven’t seen. Then he goes on to list all the people who lived by faith and in verse 31 Rahab is mentioned as living by faith and having her life spared because of how she accepted the spies in peace.

Clearly the New Testament upholds the faith of Rahab for not only what she did for the spies and the people of Israel but for the faith she has, not through what she had personally seen but simply by hearing all the ways that God had been and would be there for God’s people. And that is what Rahab, a powerful woman of faith leaves for us today. An outsider, with an unwelcome profession, is the one person who in this pivotal moment in the life of Israel is able to see what God has done and how God will continue to do those things for God’s people. What a powerful and impactful person to look at and see how the Spirit is at work in some of the most unlikeliest of people in our world. May we have the faith of Rahab and recognize the faith of others who are like Rahab in our world today. Amen.