As I gear up to teach Joshua online this fall (you can sign up FREE here), I thought I would give you a little snippet from what we’re about to uncover in this amazing book. Today we will look at one woman’s journey. Her name is Rahab and the story is found in Joshua 2:1-24 (click on the link to read the story).
You know what I love? I love how God chooses the most unlikely candidate for His purposes. And that is Rahab’s story.
I would guess that you, like me, want to please God. We want to make God proud so that His favor will fall down upon us. This should be our highest goal. So, how do we do this? How can we please God? Well, Rahab shows us exactly how it’s done. Let’s take a look…
The people of Israel had come upon their appointed time – the time God would give them their promised land. They had waited forever. Forty years to be exact. Forty years was a long time to wander aimlessly in the wilderness. But now the time had come. YAY! They would soon have their own land. They must have been so excited.
But before they could take possession, they had to see what was ahead of them. What kind of people were occupying the land? What weapons did they have at their disposal? What did they know about God and His people?
So Joshua sent spies. It was dangerous. If they had been found out, they would have died at the hands of their enemies. The Bible tells us that the people in Jericho were afraid of God and His people. They were living in terror. (Joshua 2:9).
When the spies entered Jericho, they met a woman. Her house was on the wall and not too far from the gate. Her house was well-known, especially to men. Rahab was a harlot and she invited the two spies into her home to keep them safe. In the end, they learned what they needed to know and left unharmed.
All because of one woman – a prostitute. I’m pretty sure that her profession wasn’t highly looked upon even in her country. She must have gone to bed at night feeling rejected – rejected from her family, her friends, and the people of her community. But in one night, all of that changed. She found favor with God. Rahab was redeemed.
Here are three things we learn about Rahab that caused God to look her way:
Rahab was a woman of…
- Faith
Rahab believed that God would do what He said He would. That’s faith at its best. No one else in her town believed. While the men hid on her roof, listen to her confession… “For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below” (Joshua 2:11).
The writer of Hebrews tells us that “it is impossible to please God without faith, and anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). In other words, we must believe He will do what He said He will do.
Let me ask you… Do you have faith that God will come through for you? Are you resting in His Word, His promises? Or are you worrying and fretting? The way we live our lives is a sure sign if we have faith like Rahab.
Faith surely brings upon the favor of God.
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Rahab was a woman of…
2. Courage
It took tremendous courage to hide the spies. She risked her life by doing it. When I read this story, I read about a woman with great courage. Courage like the lion in “The Wizard of Oz” at the end of his journey. Courage to stand and face her accusers when they barged into her house and demanded that she bring out the spies (Joshua 2:3). She simply led them on a goose chase while leading the spies to safety.
This kind of courage only comes from God. Are you cowering in fear? Or have you asked God to give you courage to stand and face your accusers? Are you willing to venture outside your comfortable zone and let God do in and through you great things? It takes courage. And you and I can have the same kind of courage as Rahab. But we must ask God for it.
Courage surely brings upon the favor of God.
Rahab was a woman of…
3. Boldness
Sometimes I run into bold people. People who aren’t afraid to speak truth. Rahab also exerted amazing boldness when she asked the spies to keep her safe during the attack on her city. Listen to her words: “Now swear to me by the LORD that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my family and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families” (Joshua 2:12-13).
I think our insecurities keep us from being bold. We’re afraid of what others will think of us. We think we’re not worthy to speak for God because of our past or what we’ve done. But Rahab didn’t let her lifestyle, her foreign citizenship, or her insecurities stop her from being bold.
Friends, we need to be bold. We need to put aside our uncertainties and doubts and be bold just like Rahab.
Boldness surely brings upon the favor of God.
** I hope today’s post encourages you to sign up for our FREE Online Bible study on Joshua. Again, click here to sign up.
Have a Blessed day…
