Rahab

The Prostitute Who Professed

READ Joshua 2

The sins of the Canaanites were so extreme that God intended to wipe them out. And Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, would be an unlikely candidate to become a hero of faith.

Yet when Joshua sent two spies to scope out Jericho before the Israelites entered Canaan, Rahab showed herself to be a woman of amazing faith and courage. The spies, hoping to evade capture, stayed in Rahab’s house. When the king of Jericho demanded that Rahab hand them over, she lied to the king. She hid the spies and told the king’s men the Israelites had already fled the city. She put herself on the line to save these strangers.

Rahab showed her amazing faith in God when she spoke to the Israelite spies: “The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:11). What a remarkable profession! How could Rahab have such a strong faith in the God of Israel? The answer can only be that God’s Spirit ignited this faith within her, and to her credit, she lived out this faith boldly.

Rahab did make a request of the spies: that she and her family would be saved when Israel conquered Jericho. The men made her a conditional promise: If she hung a scarlet cord from her window, everyone in her house would be saved on the day of battle. Rahab—a Canaanite prostitute—became a part of the covenant promise. She saved not only the Israelite spies but also her own family.

Rahab is highly honored later in the New Testament. Hebrews 11:31 lists her among the heroes of faith. James 2:25 says she was “considered righteous” for her faithful act. The highest honor of all, however, comes in Matthew 1:5, where Rahab is listed in the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ.

May Rahab’s story encourage us not to make quick judgments about others. It is easy for us to see what someone looks like or hear what they’ve done in the past and stereotype them negatively. We rarely look for God to do remarkable things. Our imaginations are too small. Rahab’s story reminds us to avoid judging where the lines of God’s mercy fall. Like so many interactions in Christ’s ministry, Rahab’s story shows us that God is in the business of working in ways that may surprise us.

Perhaps you feel more like Rahab in this story, unworthy or not good enough because of mistakes you’ve made. Maybe you carry guilt about things you’ve done. Let Rahab’s story offer comfort and inspiration: God doesn’t judge people by worldly résumés or outward appearances. He looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Your past mistakes do not keep you from a life of faithfulness. You can be part of God’s work. It’s his power that you rely on, not your own. God includes all kinds of people in his redemption story.