Heroes of Faith Part 11 - Rahab

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Other than Sarah, Rahab is the second and only other woman in a pantheon of patriarchs that make up the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. That may be astounding on its own but what is even more amazing is that the God is Israel is not fazed by her less-than-decent background in Jericho before she and her family was rescued by Israel’s advancing army. As such her inclusion in this much haloed list contains a humbling lesson for all of us in terms of how we view people.

God had duly recognised the role that Rahab played in ensuring that Israel would rout Jericho into submission. Her stealthy shielding and cloaking of the two Israelite spies was instrumental in a deal wrought between her and Israel where she and whomsoever she could get into her home would be spared while they rampaged through Jericho. What she did had a tremendous impact as we consider that God had honoured this woman not once but twice in the New Testament.

An example of this can be found in Matthew 1:5 where Rahab was only one of a clutch of five women who were highlighted in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, not to mention her presence in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11:31, “It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”

Rahab was obviously awed by who the God of Israel was by what she had heard. Though she did not see any of these, she chose to believe, recognising Him as the true God and the One whom she could invest her life in. Through this, Rahab built a foundation of faith that would be the wellspring of her life thereafter amongst the Israelites following the collapse of Jericho, spawning the genealogy that would inextricably lead to Jesus.

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The story of Rahab would have been completely insignificant if not for the beginning when Joshua, having taken over the reins of leadership from Moses, decided to assign two spies to study the lay of the land in Jericho. This was necessary because Jericho was a remarkably fortified city with massive inner and outside walls between which there were homes built. Amongst those who dwelled within the two walls was a prostitute whom we now know was Rahab.

As it were, someone caught a glimpse of the spies with her, a report was made to the king of Jericho who then summoned his men over to her house, demanding that she turned them over. Somehow the Bible didn’t say how but Rahab was tipped off to the men coming for her and she hurriedly hid them from view in a space on her roof top.

And with that, she lied, telling the soldiers that they weren’t with her anymore and that they had headed out in the opposite direction, resulting in a red herring chase to nowhere but that gave the two spies enough time to make their hasty escape but not before a deal was brokered. In the deal, Rahab bargained that one good favour deserved another in return. She pleaded for not only for her life but also her family members as well. Chances are that they would have lived in another house not too far from her because the spies directed her to make sure that those whom she wanted saved needed to be all together with her and not elsewhere.

In making the oath with the spies, Rahab, in return, had to refrain from mentioning to anyone about Israel’s intentions in invading Jericho and that on the fateful day, she was to hang on the outside of her window a scarlet cord so that the Jews would know to spare the occupants of that house.

And so in the unusual Battle of Jericho, the allegedly invincible fortress collapsed and the Israelite army breached all defences to rout the kingdom. In the midst of the battle, Joshua’s orders to save Rahab and her family were carried out and eventually they were repatriated to Israel to be adopted by the Jews in order that they could stay with them instead.

It’s hard for us to perhaps understand how someone with such a saucy and dark past could be let into the morally upright community of the Israelites who lived by the code that Moses had already given them and one that Joshua would remind them all the time. The stigmatism would have been very difficult for Rahab to live down but the honour of having made Israel’s invasion so successful would have earned here not just a place amongst the Jews but one in which she would play such an important part in the genealogy of David, leading all the way to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

That in itself makes her an incredibly exceptional member of the Hall of Faith.

Achievements

Because she was awed and humbled by what she knew of the God of Israel, she could also recognise the One True God and decided to take Him for her own. For someone with such humble underpinnings, she went on become the ancestor of both King David and Jesus Christ, earning for herself illustrious mentioning in Hebrews 11:31.

Personal Strengths

Rahab’s loyalty to Israel and the worth of her word made her famous for her faithfulness. She also proved to be very resourceful in emergencies.

Personal Weaknesses

Her one dark spot was her prostitution career, that is, before she knew of the God of Israel.

Lessons in Life

The scarlet robe that Rahab was asked to hang out from her window may have symbolic importance as it represents the sacrificial blood of the Passover lamb during the Old Testament days. Then it was the blood of the unblemished lamb. In the New Testament, we know it as the blood of Christ. From the stories she heard about God’s deliverance of His people from the hands of their enemies, Rahab chose to declare her faith in the One True God and from thereon, her life changed forever. As we also know about Rahab, how we judge people from who and what they are from the outside, God teaches that He judges differently and thankfully He does till today.

Hometown

Very likely Jericho

Family Tree

Salmon (husband); Boaz (son); Jesse (grandson); David (great-grandson); ancestor of Jesus Christ

Occupation

Prostitute at least until she was rescued by the Israelites

Biblical References

Joshua 2:1-21, 6:17, 22, 23, 25; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25

Key Verses

Joshua 2:11 > “for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below”

Joshua 6:25 > “But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho and she lives among the Israelites to this day.”

Hebrews 11:31 > “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies was not killed with those who were disobedient”

Next Up 

Heroes of Faith Part 12 - Gideon; January 9 2015