The Story of Rahab in the bible is a great example that God not only forgives but restores. No matter how bad your past or even your current situation, God can forgive you. He is truly a Change-Maker.
Who was Rahab
Rahab was a prostitute. There is no record as to why she ended up in this situation. However, just like many women who end up in prostitution, I can imagine she was desperate to provide for herself. As a prostitute, there was a level of shame she must have carried. The society may have shunned her. She was probably a subject of discussion by many.
She had a different perspective about life outside the walls of Jericho because of the stories she heard from the men who passed by her home. The stories she heard from the men probably made her realize there was hope and that her condition was not permanent.
Rahab probably yearned for a different life but had not gotten the opportunity or did not know how to change.
I can imagine that the stories she heard about the God of Israel may have made her realize that there was a way out. This may have prepared her when she had an encounter with the two spies.
Rahab and the Spies
Joshua the son of Nun had sent two men to secretly spy on the land of Jericho. The two spies went into Rahab’s home.
Scholars have thought that Rahab’s place was a kind of inn which would have made it easier for the spies to stay there and gather information. Some have suggested that the spies went to her home for other reasons apart from spying on the land. However, the narrative steers clear of any suggestion that they were in her home for anything else other than what their leader Joshua had sent them to do.
The king, who had employed me to observe the people who went in and out of Jericho reported to him about the spies. He sent his men to Rahab and told her to bring out the spies that had come to her house.
Instead of bringing them out, she hid them. And then she told the king’s men that the spies had left.
Rahab is Saved
Before the spies slept, she interceded on behalf of herself and her family. She told them that they, meaning the people of Jericho, had heard of all the things the God of Israel had done. They also knew that God had given Jericho to Israel.
She asked the spies to save her and her family just like she had saved their lives. They told her to tie a scarlet cord on the same window that she had let them down by. Her house was part of the city wall.
When Jericho fell, her family was saved because she had hidden the spies. She had also followed the instructions to hang the scarlet cord on the window.
Eventually, Rahab and her whole family were incorporated among the children of Israel. She later got married to a prince of the tribe of Judah called Salmon and became the mother of Boaz. Boaz was the father of Obed and Obed the father of Jesse who was the father of David.
She is among the four women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ found in Matthew chapter one.
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife
Lessons We Learn from her Story
No one is too far gone for God to reach and change if only they are willing. As long as someone is willing to change and looking to God to change the trajectory of their lives, God can. He is not limited by anyone or anything. He can turn anyone’s life around.
God forgives even what we cannot imagine that he can. He loves us and is merciful toward us. While many wish him to punish, he would rather give a chance for the person to surrender and ask for forgiveness. He is not as quick to judge as many would like him to.
Rahab had faith in God. When she hung the scarlet cord, her faith was not only by mere words but by actions as well. It took faith on her part to believe that when she hung that cord by the window and got her family to her home, they would be saved.
Courage will cause you to do things you did not think you could. Rahab was courageous. She hid the spies and lied to the king’s men. God wants us to have courage because sometimes we will be faced with difficult circumstances, and we can easily retreat.
Read an amazing story in the bible that will encourage you.
The Story of Hannah in the Bible
One of the greatest reminders from Rahab’s story is how surrendering to God positively impacts our lives. We experience God’s life-changing ability, his forgiveness, grace, mercy, and unfailing love.
No matter how bad your story or people have labeled you a certain way, God can turn around what no man, not even yourself can.
