After Moses death, Joshua becomes the leader of the Israelites. The time has come to cross over into the promised land and he sends two spies on a mission to strategically determine how best to plan the long-awaited takeover. They come to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and take lodging there.
Whenever I hear the name "Elijah" I think "prophet". The name "Matthew" is associated with "tax collector". "Nicodemus" was a "Pharisee". With "Jonah" we link "whale", with "Daniel" we imagine a "lion's den". Names are synonymous with stories. If you have children, most likely choosing a name for your son or daughter took time. Some names remind us of loved ones, while others stir up memories we'd rather dismiss. Word association is powerful. A name can represent our identity, either good or bad. Rahab is introduced to us as a prostitute. But, was Rahab's occupation the most important thing about her?
In a tremendous act of bravery, Rahab hides the two spies from the king's messengers who inquire of her as to their whereabouts. She protects the Israelites at great personal risk to herself. I love her first recorded words to the Israelites: "I know the LORD has given you this land." She doesn't question the conquering at all. In a declaration of tremendous faith she voices her belief in the certainty of victory. So confident her faith in the Israelite's God that she put her life on the line to save His people.
"When we read Rahab's story, starting in Joshua 2, we find that the centerpiece of Rahab's story is a different kind of profession - not her line of work but her profession of faith: 'The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below,' the harlot proclaimed, thus identifying herself with Yahweh, the God of Israel." (Amanda Bible Williams)
Rahab's faith is remarkable. She acted on what she professed to believe. Her faith was not just knowledge. True faith acts, and it's implausible when trusting in a God so big not to respond in a way that gives evidence to His greatness. Rahab was just a regular person who believed God and responded in a way that gave testimony of this assurance. I love what has been recognized by Charles Spurgeon regarding Rahab's faith. Her faith was saving, singular, stable, self-denying, sympathizing and sanctifying.
Is your profession of faith pointless or powerful? When others see your life do they see a living faith? Do you simply claim faith or does your life characterize faith? Our actions speak louder than our words. Is your primary profession and posture one of belief in who God is and all He can do?
The faith of this foreigner found favour. She later became the mother of Boaz, an ancestor of David, in the lineage of Jesus. Her faith moved her from harlot to hero. The Lord remembers Rahab in the New Testament, not as a prostitute, but as a woman of faith. Her name appears in Hebrews 11 with those who counted the cost of following the Lord and willingly identified with Him by their activity. Her obedience was commendable and God, through the use of a scarlet thread in the window, spared her life. The scarlet thread, the symbol of the blood of Christ, that gives forgiveness and mercy to all who believe.
Prostitute can be defined as using something valuable in an inappropriate way. For those of us who claim the name of Christ, we carry within us the most precious treasure. The Lord is to be desired more than gold, and He is sweeter than honey straight from the comb. Are we living in ways that declare His worth to us? Do we have a radical "Rahab" faith that takes God at His word regardless of personal risk?
Rahab's profession was not her occupation but her obedience. Her profession of faith overshadowed her profession of shame as God redeemed and remembered Rahab. Her works didn't save her but revealed a genuine faith flowing from a recognition of God and a new-found relationship with Him. May our profession of life in Christ be obvious in our steps of obedience as our actions affirm our belief.
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