Today the Monday Memo turns 17 years old! I began writing in 2001, starting out with eight subscribers and the hope that the Memo would last a few years. It has lasted more than a few, and I have produced six books from my weekly Memo content. With today's edition number 846, I want to continue our series on women of purpose in the Bible, this week focusing on an Old Testament woman who is mentioned three times in the New Testament, the controversial character named Rahab.
THE NEW TESTAMENT
What does the New Testament have to say about Rahab? The writer of Hebrews wrote, "By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient" (Hebrews 11:31). In James' epistle, we read,
You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead (James 2:24-26).
What's more surprising is the third mention of Rahab, this time in Matthew as he outlined Jesus' family tree: "Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David" (Matthew 1:5-6).
What do these three passages tell us? First and foremost, Rahab was a woman of faith, and both James and Hebrews bear witness to that fact. Those two books also indicate that Rahab was a harlot, but more probably she ran a hotel of sorts that served as both a boarding house and a place for women to work their trade as ladies of the night.
Who better to know what was going on in the land than someone who ran a hotel who heard all kinds of stories of what was happening from all around the region? Rahab did indeed hear about the Lord and His works on behalf of His people, and those stories stuck in Rahab's mind and heart. When the spies showed up at her establishment one day, she knew what she had to do to save herself and her family.
THE OLD TESTAMENT
Rahab hid the spies whom Joshua had sent out as scouts, and the mayor of Jericho, assuming they would be staying at her establishment, asked her to turn them over to the local officials. Rahab refused, hiding the spies on her roof while saying they had already departed. The locals believed her and then Rahab lowered the spies from her roof. Before they left, however, she negotiated a deal with them in return for her protective services, something she was accustomed to doing in her line of work (negotiate a deal with men, that is):
Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roofand said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death" (Joshua 2:8-13).
The spies agreed to her terms but only if she displayed a scarlet rope from her home when they attacked the city. If they could see the rope, they promised to spare her and her family.
FAITH'S REWARD
When Jericho's walls fell and Joshua attacked, Israel kept their promise and spared her household: "But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day" (Joshua 6:25). Not only did Rahab live among the Israelites after that, she married and had children, becoming part of King David's and Jesus' family heritage.
Rahab put her faith in the God of Israel and the God of Israel saved her and her kin. I mentioned in the first paragraph that she is controversial because of what she did for a living and also due to her deception, dare I say her lies, that saved the spies. It's as if the New Testament anticipated some people's misgivings toward her and endorsed her not once, but twice, for the faith she exercised.
If Rahab could exercise faith and please God, then you should be able to so as well. The message of Rahab is that your past sins and your present occupation cannot keep you from purpose if your heart is set on serving the Lord's will for your life. You don't have to be perfect to be a person of purpose, and God has another future for you that isn't related to who you have been up to this point in time. All you have to do is put your trust in Him and He will take care of the rest, as long as you continue to have faith. May the Spirit who helped Rahab help you this week as you seek to break with your past and present to embrace a future of purpose. Have a blessed week!
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