Faith 2

Faith 2

It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Hebrews 11:31

Raising three boys who are becoming handsome young men brings with it the responsibility of building into their lives a godly desire for purity. Many years ago one of my very young sons announced that he wanted to marry me and live in our house when he grew up. Although I felt flattered, I knew that someday he would begin to notice pretty young women from other families. He has! Through the years, we’ve encouraged our sons to choose girls who value purity and avoid girls who behave seductively.

Why, then, do we find Rahab—a prostitute—praised in Hebrews for her faith? What is she doing on that list of heroes?

When Joshua was commanded to conquer the Promised Land (Joshua 6), the first city on the list was Jericho. It had walls at least twenty-five feet high and twenty feet wide! When Joshua sent two spies to Jericho, they found safety and lodging at Rahab’s home right on the walls. Rahab was so convinced that the God of Israel was going to destroy her city that she put her hope in the spies—and their God—risking death as a traitor. Rahab’s faith was significant to God because it led her to obey. “Only he who believes is obedient,” wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “and only he who is obedient believes.”

God doesn’t care what our past looks like. He can wash away our sins and give us hearts that love him fully and obediently. He is looking for faith—like Rahab’s—that believes God can and will do the impossible.

Lord Jesus,

Give us the gift of daily faith. We believe that through your awesome power we can be free to live obediently in your care. Amen.