Faith in an Unlikely Place
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Hebrews 11:31
Joshua 2:1-21
As we continue our study in Hebrews 11, we come tonight to one of the most surprising names in the entire chapter.
We’ve read about Abel, who offered a more excellent sacrifice.
We’ve considered Noah, who built an ark and saved his family.
We’ve looked at Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses—men and women who were pillars in Israel’s story of faith.
But now, almost unexpectedly, the Spirit of God moves the writer of Hebrews to include Rahab the harlot.
On the surface, her life seems out of place in the “Hall of Faith.”
She wasn’t an Israelite.
She wasn’t trained in the Law of God.
She didn’t grow up with godly examples around her.
She lived in Jericho, a city that was under God’s judgment.
She carried a sinful reputation as a harlot—a woman known for her immoral lifestyle.
If anyone looked unlikely to be remembered for faith, it was Rahab.
And yet, she is given the same honor as Abraham and Moses.
Why?
Because true faith is not about pedigree, position, or past performance—it is about trusting the living God.
Rahab’s story reminds us that God saves by grace, not by merit.
Her faith points us again to the supremacy of Christ, who redeems sinners, rewrites stories, and includes the unlikely in His kingdom.
That is the beauty of Hebrews 11: it shows us that the same faith that empowered patriarchs and prophets can also transform prostitutes and pagans.
Faith is the great equalizer, because it fixes our eyes not on ourselves but on the Savior.
Tonight, we are going to see how God used the faith of Rahab to save her life, change her family, and bring her into the very line of Christ.
I. A Surprising Person of Faith
I. A Surprising Person of Faith
When we think of faith, we usually picture someone with a godly background or strong spiritual heritage.
We imagine Abraham leaving his homeland, Moses standing before Pharaoh, or David facing Goliath.
But Rahab’s story shocks us because she doesn’t fit any of those molds.
She was a Canaanite woman living in a city destined for destruction.
She had no covenant promises, no religious training, and no spiritual resume to present before God.
And yet, Hebrews 11:31 lifts her up as an example of faith.
That tells us something important: faith is not about who we are, but about who God is.
But first let’s look at Rahab and …
A. Her Reputation
A. Her Reputation
The Bible does not gloss over Rahab’s past.
She is called “Rahab the harlot” in both the Old and New Testaments (Joshua 2:1; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25).
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
Her reputation was stained by sin, and everyone in Jericho knew her as an immoral woman.
Yet God chose to work in her life and transform her story.
This is the kind of person the world would pass over, but God delights in rescuing the unlikely.
The very title that once marked her shame became the testimony of God’s grace.
First Corinthians 6:11 reminds us,
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
The same God who saved Rahab can cleanse and restore anyone today.
Her reputation did not prevent her from receiving God’s mercy.
Moving from her reputation, we also see what set her apart—she recognized the truth about God when no one else around her would.
B. Her Recognition
B. Her Recognition
Rahab confessed to the spies that she knew the Lord had given Israel the land (Joshua 2:9).
9 And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
She had heard the reports of how God dried up the Red Sea and delivered Israel from Egypt.
Her heart melted, not merely in fear, but in conviction that the God of Israel was the true God.
The same for all of Jericho…She declared,
11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
While the rest of Jericho trembled in unbelief, Rahab responded with faith.
Faith always begins with seeing God for who He truly is.
Romans 10:17 reminds us…
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Rahab heard what God had done, and she believed it.
Her recognition of God’s sovereignty led her to make a bold decision of faith.
This recognition naturally moved her to action.
She could not stay neutral.
She had to choose whether to side with Jericho or with the people of God.
That choice leads us to see the proof of her faith in action.
Rahab’s reputation reminds us that our past does not disqualify us from God’s grace.
Many people today feel too sinful, too broken, or too far gone for God to use them.
Rahab’s inclusion in Hebrews 11 proves that God delights in saving those the world has written off.
If God could take Rahab the harlot and place her in the lineage of Christ, then He can redeem any life surrendered to Him.
Rahab’s recognition of God’s power shows us that faith begins when we see God as He truly is.
She didn’t have a full Bible, she didn’t have years of teaching—she had only heard what God had done, and that was enough to convince her.
Too often we make excuses for weak faith when we have far more light and truth than Rahab ever did.
If Rahab could believe with only one report, how much more should we believe with the full testimony of Scripture in our hands?
Rahab’s story calls us to stop judging who is “reachable” or “worthy” of God’s mercy.
The very people we may overlook or assume are too far gone may be the ones most ready to respond in faith.
The gospel is not for the cleaned-up and respectable—it is for the sinner who recognizes their need.
Like Rahab, many in our world are just waiting to hear that the God of heaven and earth is willing to save them.
D. L. Moody famously said, “Grace means undeserved kindness. It is the gift of God to man the moment he sees he is unworthy of God’s favor.”
Rahab could make no claim to God’s favor on her own, yet His grace reached her when she turned to Him in faith.
II. A Steadfast Proof of Faith
II. A Steadfast Proof of Faith
Rahab’s faith was not just something she confessed with her lips.
It showed itself in the choices she made and the risks she took.
True faith is never static—it always produces action.
James 2:25 says,
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
Her faith was proven genuine by what she did.
This is important, because anyone can claim to believe, but real faith will always be seen in steadfast obedience.
A. Her Reception
A. Her Reception
Rahab welcomed the spies into her home and hid them from the king’s soldiers.
4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
That was a dangerous decision.
If she were caught, she could have been executed as a traitor.
But she identified herself with the people of God, even at great personal cost.
Hebrews 11:31 highlights this by saying she “received the spies with peace.”
This was more than mere hospitality—it was an open declaration of where her allegiance lay.
Faith is willing to take risks when it means obedience to God.
Jesus said in Matthew 10:32,
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Rahab confessed her allegiance to God by siding with His people.
A.W. Tozer once wrote, “The man who truly knows God will be loyal to Him at any cost.”
Her reception of the spies demonstrated that kind of loyalty.
It challenges us to ask whether our faith is comfortable or costly.
Her reception of the spies naturally led to a request.
She was not only thinking of herself but also of those she loved most.
B. Her Request
B. Her Request
After showing kindness to the spies, Rahab pleaded with them for the safety of her family (Joshua 2:12–13).
12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token:
13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
She didn’t want to be rescued alone—she longed for her father, mother, brothers, and sisters to be saved as well.
Faith is never selfish.
It always looks beyond itself and desires the salvation of others.
Just as Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus (John 1:41–42), Rahab wanted to bring her whole family into God’s mercy.
That same burden is echoed in Paul’s heart when he said in…
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself, be sure of that.”
Rahab’s request shows us the heart of genuine faith—it not only trusts God personally but intercedes for others to know His salvation.
Her cry reminds us that the most powerful witness we can give is to plead before God for the salvation of our households.
The spies agreed to her request, but they gave her a condition.
She needed to tie a scarlet cord in the window as a sign of her faith.
That visible act became the lasting symbol of her trust.
C. Her Red Rope
C. Her Red Rope
Rahab tied the scarlet cord in her window just as the spies commanded (Joshua 2:18–21).
18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.
19 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
That rope became her testimony of faith.
It was a public, visible sign that she believed God’s promise of deliverance.
Everyone in Jericho could have seen it, but only Rahab chose to display it.
Even though it was not a known sign to the men of Jericho, it was still a display of her faith.
The scarlet cord pointed forward to something far greater—the blood of Christ.
Just as the blood on the doorposts in Egypt spared Israel from death (Exodus 12:13), so the scarlet cord marked Rahab’s house as safe from judgment.
It wasn’t the rope itself that saved her, but the God who honored her faith.
Likewise, it is not our works, our prayers, or our religion that saves us—it is the blood of Jesus applied by faith.
Romans 5:9 declares,
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rahab’s red rope was her steadfast proof that she believed God would do exactly what He promised.
When the walls of Jericho fell, her obedience was not forgotten.
Her house stood firm because her faith was real.
Her scarlet cord still speaks today: God honors those who trust Him, even when the whole world collapses around them.
III. A Saving Power of Faith
III. A Saving Power of Faith
The story of Rahab does not end with her confession or even her scarlet cord.
Faith that begins in the heart and is proven by obedience always results in salvation.
Rahab’s faith brought her from the brink of destruction into the safety of God’s people.
It reminds us that true faith is never wasted—God always honors the one who trusts Him.
A. Her Rescue
A. Her Rescue
When the walls of Jericho collapsed, destruction swept across the entire city (Joshua 6:21).
21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Every household perished—except one.
The two spies returned as commanded and brought Rahab and her family safely out of the ruins (Joshua 6:22–25).
22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.
23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.
24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Her scarlet cord distinguished her house as a place of mercy.
In the middle of wrath, grace was extended to those who trusted in God’s promise.
This is a vivid picture of the gospel.
Only those who are under the blood of Christ will be spared from judgment.
Romans 8:1 declares,
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Just as Rahab’s family was secure inside her house, so the believer is safe in Christ.
Outside of Him there is only destruction, but in Him there is deliverance.
But God’s work in Rahab’s life did not stop with sparing her from death.
He gave her a new life, a new people, and even a new legacy.
B. Her Redemption
B. Her Redemption
Joshua 6:25 tells us that Rahab “dwelleth in Israel even unto this day.”
The woman who had once been part of a doomed city was now fully accepted into the people of God.
Her old identity as a harlot no longer defined her.
She became the wife of Salmon, the mother of Boaz, the great-great-grandmother of David, and eventually part of the very genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:5).
What a testimony of redeeming grace!
Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us,
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
John Bunyan once said, “No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness.”
Rahab’s redemption proves that truth.
Her past was not erased from memory, but it was overruled by God’s mercy and rewritten into His plan of salvation.
God not only saved her from destruction—He gave her a place in His story.
Her salvation stands even today a story of redemption.
Her life continues to preach to every generation of believers.
And so we see…
C. Her Reminder
C. Her Reminder
Rahab’s story is preserved in Scripture not only as history but also as a message of hope.
She reminds us that no one is too far gone for God’s grace.
The very title “Rahab the harlot” becomes a testimony that God delights in saving sinners.
Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Rahab would have nodded in agreement.
Her story shouts the same message as Newton’s hymn: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”
If God could reach down into a pagan city, into a life scarred by sin, and raise up faith in Rahab, then He can still do the same today.
Her reminder to us is clear: salvation is not about our worthiness but about God’s mercy.
Our past may describe us, but it does not define us when grace intervenes.
Like Rahab, our names can be written not in a city marked for destruction, but in the Lamb’s book of life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Rahab’s faith reminds us that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works or merit.
Her scarlet cord pointed forward to Christ’s blood, which secures salvation for all who trust Him.
No matter our past, God delights to rescue, redeem, and rewrite our story by faith in Christ.
Picture the scene on the day that Jericho’s walls fell.
The ground shook, dust filled the air, and the mighty walls that had stood for centuries crumbled in a moment.
Soldiers, families, and leaders who had mocked God’s power now screamed in terror as judgment swept through their city.
But in the middle of that destruction stood one house with a scarlet cord hanging from its window.
While chaos reigned all around, that one household was marked as safe.
The soldiers who came to destroy passed by because God had declared those inside to be spared.
The difference was not strength, wealth, or position—it was faith.
Rahab believed God’s promise, and that faith held firm when everything else fell apart.
One day, God’s judgment will fall again—not on a single city, but upon this whole world.
The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
In that day, only those who have placed their trust under the scarlet cord of Christ’s blood will be safe.
The question is not whether judgment will come, but whether you are covered.
Just as Rahab clung to God’s promise with the scarlet cord, so we must cling to Christ alone for salvation.
Will you, like Rahab, stake everything on God’s promise of salvation through Christ?
Don’t trust the walls of this world, because they will fall.
Don’t trust your reputation, because it will not stand in the day of judgment.
Trust instead in the blood of Jesus Christ, because His blood alone can save.
