This is a question often asked of pastors by followers of The Shepherd.
‘I am just an ordinary follower of Jesus; how can I possibly help to extend the Kingdom of God, as you keep suggesting?’
This is a good question, and one of the answers is to look at little known people in the Bible, who did amazing things for God.
The fourth person to look at is Rahab, the prostitute, whose story can be found at the beginning of the book of Joshua, Chapter 2.
This at its roots, is a story of the wonderful grace of God.
1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and 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. 10 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. 11 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.
12 “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 13 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.”
14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”
15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”
17 Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. 20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.” 21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.” So, she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
NIV
The context of this story is that it plays out somewhere around the early 1400’s BC. to the west of the Jordan River. Joshua had commanded the two spies to cross the Jordan River, and seek out what goes on inside Jericho’s city walls.
The first stage of Israel’s amazing armed conquest, after crossing the Jordan River, turned out to be a mercy mission. The people of Jericho were wicked, and we could say the same about Rahab, who was a prostitute. Almost certainly, like all the people of Jericho, Rahab would have known about the mass gathering of the Israelites on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, and out of the blue, she got to meet two of the people she’d heard of, and for whatever reason, she believed that it was time to commit to the God of Israel, whom she had heard about.
The spies did not arrive at Rahab’s home unnoticed, and because of this, Rahab was interrogated by the king’s men. The spies were at her mercy. She admitted seeing them, implying they were customers, but she lied about their whereabouts. She then made up an account of where they went, to throw the authorities off their scent. She hid the spies on her roof, and by protecting them, Rahab put her life on the line, risking everything. For Rahab, this was a critical moment in her life. The decision she made transformed her life thereafter.
Rahab stood alone in faith against the culture that surrounded her. It clearly was not easy for Rahab as she confessed both her fear and faith in the God of the Israelites. Because of her actions, the spies promised Rahab that she and her family would be spared. The sign that her home was not to be touched was a scarlet cord in her window. Can you see connection between the scarlet cord and the blood sacrifice that runs through the Bible, all the way to the Cross of Christ? Can you also see the connection to Moses instruction to the Jewish people to daub lamb’s blood on the doorposts of their homes in Egypt, protecting them from the Angel of Death?
Presumably, hoping to find an informant in the city, the spies, to their surprise, discovered an ally. Rahab provided protection, hospitality, and guidance to these two men.
Because of the kindness she showed to the spies, God showed kindness to her. God honoured Rahab’s faith, not her lie. God accepted her new allegiance. She could have trusted in the walls of Jericho to shelter her, but she instead trusted in the hand of God.
Rahab is one of five women listed in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, and she is also mentioned in faith’s hall-of-fame list in Hebrews 11, the list covering the Old Testament heroes of the faith.
Rahab went from what she was before this encounter, to a hero of the faith. Her reputation was not an obstacle to God. And here is the truth – neither is ours. Today, like Rahab, we are invited to come into the presence of God just as we are. If you like, the Living God will take damaged goods and make something remarkable out of them. This is indeed exceptionally good news, and there is hope for all of us.
Following the story of this remarkable woman, do you believe that God is very much for you today? You may not have your name written in books or your name spoken about in a public space, but rest assured that if you are a follower of The Shepherd, your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The next little-known person in the Bible we will look at, is Abigail, the wife of Nabal, whose story can be found in 1 Samuel, Chapter 25.
The Shepherd Speaks 