suzydoll
Cheneyville, LA
age: 62
|
Rahab the Prostitute
Can you imagine having your worst sin recorded into the Bible for all to read, and not just once but for all times? Suppose it actually became part of your name? That’s what happened to Rahab, “Rahab the prostitute” is what she is called over and over again.
Prostitution in Old Testament times was not considered a victimless crime and was punishable by death. Yet here she is, “Rahab the prostitute.”
Obviously God chooses and uses unlikely people. He used a young, ruddy, inexperienced boy named David to kill the giant goliath. He used a shepherd and fig tree keeper called Amos to speak to kings. He used an impetuous, uneducated fisherman named Peter to start the church. So if He uses a pagan prostitute to save the lives of Joshua’s 2 spies, who are we to complain? She was unlikely a candidate as David or Amos or Peter. She was a Canaanite, not even a Jew. As such she was under God’s curse, not blessing. She was a woman, and women were not respected in Canaan. Jewish men would pray every morning, thanking that
Joshua 2:2-7:
Rahab betrayed her own people. The Israelites were seeking to take Jericho, and Rahab had the opportunity to stop them, but she didn't. Rahab found herself in a position many teachers claim never happens--she had to decide between God's plan and the plans of earthly authority.
Much like Jacob and his divining rod, Rahab proves she is a cracked vessel even as she operates in great faith.
When Rahab, a woman, a lowly prostitute faces this same challenge, she responds differently. When the crowd comes to her door, she uses her brain to solve the problem; I've often wondered how many times I've been Lot instead of Rahab--how many times have I sacrificed the ones I should have protected?
Joshua 2:8-11:
Finally we learn why Rahab betrayed her people. She heard what the Lord had done and believed. Too many times we hear what the Lord has done and refuse to believe, or worse we believe but refuse to act on that belief. Rahab believed and acted, even though acting put her life on the line. We often talk about stepping out in faith, but many times that step has little meaning because the drop is small. An abyss awaited Rahab with her first step-the life of a traitor would be short indeed, especially the life of a traitorous harlot.
Joshua 2:12-13:
Rahab has faith not only in what God has done, and can do, but in faith of what He will do. She has faith that He will spare her family.
This verse also presents a mystery--why is Rahab a prostitute if she has not only a father, but brothers to help provide for her? The Bible doesn't tell us.
Yet, if we think about Rahab's life, her faith shines even brighter. She is an outcast, a prostitute. Rejected by society, she still trusts that the Lord will not reject her. Abandoned by her family (we assume) to a life of prostitution, she trusted that the Lord will not abandon her.
Joshua 2:14-21:
By this point, Rahab has already expressed faith: she acknowledged God and that God could and world act in her life. But there was more to be done. Faith alone isn't good enough, though we Protestants like to think so. Faith must produce action. As the Book of James tells us, "faith without works is dead." The two spies explain to Rahab that she must act--she must not betray them and she must put the scarlet cord in the window. Failure to act, despite her claim of faith, will result in her destruction. Faithfully (pun intended) Rahab ties the cord and awaits the results.
Joshua 6:17:
Rahab's faith and action prove to save not only herself but her entire family. We have this same opportunity today, in many forms. Stepping out in faith can never be easy-if it were it wouldn't be faith. But by walking in faith we open the door for the Holy Spirit to work not only in our lives, but in the lives of loved ones.
Joshua 6:22-25:
Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family has lived in Israel ever since. For she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
This first New Testament reference to Rahab shows just how richly God blessed Rahab.
Matthew 1:5:
and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse"
This list of names is part of the Christ's genealogy. Chroniclers didn't need to include women in a genealogy, but the author of Matthew's Gospel included 4 such women. He lists Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Of these four, only Bathsheba was Jewish. However, all four are united by another factor---their biblical stories involved sexual scandal. Tamar played the harlot to gain a son; Rahab, of course, was a prostitute; Ruth initiated a seduction; and Bathsheba was, for a time, mistress to the king. Not exactly the line-up we expect. No mention of Sarah or Rebekah or Leah or Rachel. Interestingly, this verse also gives us a glimpse into Rahab's fate with her chosen people. We know from Ruth's story that Boaz was a wealthy and prominent man in his community. We also know he was an honorable man. Rahab apparently (I say apparently because an entirely different scenario is possible) play a role in Boaz's father's life. Did this prostitute become the wife of a wealthy community leader, as some women went from the depths of prostitution to nobility in the 1700s?
James 2:24-26:
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.
James reminds that faith can't be just words--or even sincere emotion. If we say we have faith and do nothing based on that faith, then our faith is worthless. I can think I love God with all my heart, but if I don't love my brothers and sisters I do not truly love God.
I can think I have all the faith in the world, but if I don't "do" something, I truly do not have faith.
|