Joshua 2:8-11
8 Before the men lay down, she [Rahab] came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, forthe Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
Hebrews 11:31
31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she \had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
Rahab is an unlikely example of faith. She wasn't known for her good works. She was a prostitute, someone who we would be tempted to dismiss as a hopeless low-life. But her declaration of faith to the Israelite spies causes her to be listed as an example of great faith (Hebrews 11:31), and she became the great great grandmother of David, and an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). This should give hope to those of us who feel unworthy and shamed due to our past sins. God can use anyone, and God can change anyone, even you and me. We don't really know what caused Rahab to have such faith in God that she would risk her life, believing that the Israelite God was the true God. But it may well have been her sinful life that produced the humility needed to look elsewhere for answers. When we are broken and empty we can be more receptive to change and God's promise, versus when we think we have it all together.
Lord, thank you for the example of Rahab, that someone insignificant and unworthy could still have great faith. Help me to have faith in Your power and promise.
8 Before the men lay down, she [Rahab] came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, forthe Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
Hebrews 11:31
31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she \had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
Rahab is an unlikely example of faith. She wasn't known for her good works. She was a prostitute, someone who we would be tempted to dismiss as a hopeless low-life. But her declaration of faith to the Israelite spies causes her to be listed as an example of great faith (Hebrews 11:31), and she became the great great grandmother of David, and an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). This should give hope to those of us who feel unworthy and shamed due to our past sins. God can use anyone, and God can change anyone, even you and me. We don't really know what caused Rahab to have such faith in God that she would risk her life, believing that the Israelite God was the true God. But it may well have been her sinful life that produced the humility needed to look elsewhere for answers. When we are broken and empty we can be more receptive to change and God's promise, versus when we think we have it all together.
Lord, thank you for the example of Rahab, that someone insignificant and unworthy could still have great faith. Help me to have faith in Your power and promise.