Dysfunctional 3

Intro

Students!

It’s week three of our series called “Dysfunctional”

So far we have looked at:

Joseph — seeing how even when you are betrayed and hurt God is still with you

Moses — waiting no the Lord trusting in his plan

Well today we are going to look at another character in the Bible that seemed irredeemable

Today we are going to look at Rahab!

Who is Rahab

The story of Rahab starts in Joshua chapter 2

Joshua 2:1 ESV

1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.

The nation of Israel is now under following Joshua the successor of Moses

The nation is no longer wondering the wilderness, but now is preparing to take the promised land

So Joshua sent spies into the land to prepare for battle

Where do the spies go? To a prostitutes house

They go to Rahab the known prostitute of the area

This could be for a lot of different reasons

It could be good — they knew strangers often traveled into a town to visit the house of prostitutes

It could be bad — they wanted to visit the prostitute

But either way they are introduced to Rahab

It doesn’t take a major biblical scholar to know that God condemns sex outside of marriage

God created sex for one man and one woman inside the confounds of marriage — not the point of today but I feel like it needs to be stated

So naturally Rahab is a sinner — both in born into sin like everyone else and a sinner in the practice of sin

However the spies secret was soon found out

Joshua 2:2–3 ESV

2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”

Rather they were followed or someone else in Rahab’s house told of their location we are not told, but they are found out

The king comes to Rahab a known prostitute — a known immoral woman — and asks her to deliver the spies

Naturally the thought is that she would have no issue doing this

I mean she is clearly far from God, so this shouldn’t be difficult

Yet look at what she does instead:

Joshua 2:4–7 ESV

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

Instead of turning them in she lies

She seeks to protect them from harm

Hides them in her house

This ultimately risks her life because if she is found out to have lied / harbored them she could be put to death

Yet she hides them anyways

Why does she do this?

Listen to what she says:

Joshua 2:8–14 ESV

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.”

Rahab tells them that what the Lord has done for them has echoed across all of the land

The people in Jericho know that the Lord will deliver them up to the Israelites

Then she says something remarkable:

“your God, He is God”

Rahab the prostitute professes faith in the God of the spies

Declares that she trusts in Him!

Then after saving them, and protecting them she asks for protection and safety for herself and her family

The men agree to protect her and her family

As we see in Joshua 6

Joshua 6:22–23 ESV

22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel.

Rahab and her family are sparred

The spies word stays true and they rescue Rahab

This leads to our first thing for tonight:

Jesus saves despite your past

The theme of this entire series is summed up in the beginning of Rahab’s story

Rahab was a literal prostitute and yet because she believed in the Lord she is saved

Students this should immediately go to show you that your past doesn’t define you

You can be so far from the Lord and yet Jesus is there waiting for you

But the beauty of this is that it doesn’t stop there

Rahab’s lineage

That could have been the end of Rahab — a prostitute gets saved

YET

God wasn’t done with Rahab

Listen to what happens next:

Matthew 1:5 ESV

5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

In Matthew chapter 1 we get the lineage of Jesus

Guess who shows up: Rahab!

Rahab the prostitute!

Here’s the second thing we see:

Jesus doesn’t stop with salvation

The Lord could have stopped by simply saving Rahab the day that the walls of Jericho came tumbling down

He could have just let her live and stopped right there

But instead He allows Rahab to father Boaz who then fathers Obed who fathers Jesse who fathers David and so on until you get to Jesus

The Lord in kindness allowed Rahab a literal prostitute to be in the lineage of Jesus

If that doesn’t show you that your past doesn’t stop you from doing great things for the Lord than I don’t know what does!

Rahab’s example

Not only though was she saved, and Jesus didn’t stop at just salvation

Listen to what the author of Hebrews says:

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.

Rahab is also mentioned in the passage known as the “hall of faith”

Or quite literally — here is a list of people who did great things for the Lord

Here’s the last thing:

Rahab is an example

Rahab was not only saved despite her past

Rahab was not only blessed despite her past

The prostitute is then set up as an example for all believers to follow!

That we should demonstrate the same kind of faith that Rahab demonstrated!

Trusting the Lord despite the people around us!