Adapted from the She study, volume 3, pp. 49-50
Today’s Scriptures: Joshua 2:1-15; Genesis 12:3
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse that curseth thee and in thee: shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 12:3
When Joshua sent two men to spy out Jericho, we are told that they went into the house of a prostitute named Rahab, whose house was on the town wall. To help explain why/how the spies came to be in the house of a prostitute, gotquestions.org offers this insightful explanation:
It may seem strange that the spies found refuge in the house of a prostitute—what were they, people of God, doing there? The answer may be quite simple. To state the obvious, perhaps the spies were seeking the services of a prostitute. There is another possible explanation, however. The house of a harlot was probably a good place to avoid detection—a couple of travelers entering such a house would probably not arouse much suspicion. The spies, seeking anonymity, figured a house of prostitution would be a good place to find it. Also, Rahab’s house was situated on the city wall (Joshua 2:15), providing an escape route. As it turned out, the spies’ choice of a hiding place was God-ordained.
God gives us so many wonderful examples of His timeless and boundless grace through the people He saves and chooses to use throughout His Word. Rahab is definitely one of these living illustrations. We find her story in Joshua chapters 2 and 6 as well as in Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31, and James 2:25. Each time she is mentioned, we are pointed to her faith, and in three of those passages, the author notes not only her faith but things she did because of her faith. In the Joshua 2 account, Rahab:
- hid the men in a safe place
- lied to protect the men when men from the town came searching for them
- made her faith known to them
- sought protection for herself and her family, and
- when it was safe, she safely let them down through the window
She serves as an example that when we bless the people of God, He will bless us in return.
She, delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, p50
Like Gomer in the book of Hosea, Rahab is among my favorite stories because of how God’s grace is revealed to and through her. Notice, for instance, one of my favorite passages in this story: “9 And she said unto the men, ‘I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.’”
Friends, may we make sure others hear what God is doing in our lives and in the world around us ~ so that, like Rahab, they might declare their faith and be saved.
The More We Know
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) – There is no one, not even a prostitute, beyond the saving grace of our God.
If you have questions about how you can be saved and what it means, I invite you to read “Know These Truths,” where you will find why and how – and the promised hope that Rahab received.
Me From the Inside Out 