There's A Bit of Rahab in All of Us

As soon as we heard these things of God, our hearts melted…

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By Khen Lim

The story of Rahab is a familiar one for many of us in church and does not require a full retelling here, at least not in terms of the famous story that the Bible covers.

And if we ever need any assurances of Rahab’s towering reputation, we merely refer to the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Among the greatness of the seventeen names, only two were women – one was Abraham’s wife Sarah and the other was… Rahab, a prostitute or a harlot no less.

While Sarah’s inclusion was not unexpected, Rahab’s is but God has seen fit to include her as one of His faithful saints.

God is recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:9 as saying, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness,” to which Paul then added, “…therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

From Rahab’s weakness, by His power, she was made strong in faith.

The record of her restoration offers scriptural evidence as to why God had deemed to place her in the pantheon of Hebrews’ heroes: “By faith, Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace” (Hebrews 11:31, NASB).

Let’s face it – most of us would not risk our lives for others. In Rahab’s case, she didn’t even know either of the Israelite spies. Who were they to her? Strangers, really.

At any rate, getting involved with Israelite spies would have simply placed her at great risk of death for treason. Still she possessed the boldness to choose to protect the “enemy” – an act none of us would have condoned or thought of as smart. Rahab, on the other hand, focused on the godly mission of the spies because she knew who they represented. Check out what Rahab had to say on this issue:

“I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan,  Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:9-11).

Rahab’s story is about living by faith and not by sight. For though she was never there to witness all that she had heard, she had blinding (not blind) faith to believe that the God of Israel was infinitely more powerful than any other pagan gods. Her life was so all-encompassing that she trusted the Lord to care for her and her family when she staked everything in her life to protect the spies.

Like Rahab, none of us have a past that we’re entirely proud of. The chinks in our armour may prove us human but they might not be something we’d like others to know. Some of us are even shameful of what we’ve done but if there’s any inspiration we can draw from Rahab, it is that we don’t need to despair anymore.

God’s grace is more than enough to transform a dark or lousy past into a sterling one. All that is required is faith; faith in the One, Jesus Christ, who came through the lineage of a harlot. If ever someone you come across in your life reminds you of your past, stand up. Look him in the eye. Take courage. Hold your head up high.

And then say, “What once I was, I am no more. I am but a person renewed in Christ who died once for me and who has bestowed upon me a new name – a child of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17).