Posted on 11/30/2023 5:50:52 AM PST by metmom
"By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace" (Heb. 11:31).
Rahab illustrates the depth and breadth of God’s amazing grace.
Our final Old Testament hero of faith is an unlikely addition to the list. Not only was she a prostitute, she also was a Gentile—and a Canaanite at that.
The Canaanites were an idolatrous, barbaric, debauched people, infamous even among pagans for their immorality and cruelty. Yet in the midst of that exceedingly wicked society, Rahab came to faith in the God of Israel.
Joshua 2:9-11 records her confession of faith to the two men Joshua had sent into Jericho as spies: "I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And when we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath" (emphasis added).
Rahab demonstrated the genuineness of that profession by risking her life to hide the spies from the king of Jericho, who sought to capture them.
Because Rahab lied to protect the spies (vv. 4-5), some people question the validity of her faith. Surely genuine believers wouldn't lie like that—or would they? Abraham did. Sarah did. Isaac did. Jacob did. But the important thing to understand is that God honored their faith, not their deception.
As with all the heroes of faith before her, Rahab's faith wasn't perfect, nor was her knowledge of God's moral law. But because she trusted God, she was spared during Jericho's conquest, then given an even greater honor. She became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth, the great-great-grandmother of David, thereby becoming an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:5).
Suggestions for Prayer
Praise God for receiving even the vilest sinner who turns to Him in faith.
For Further Study
Read all about Rahab in Joshua 2:1-24, 6:22-25, and James 2:25.
From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
Studying God’s Word ping
Ran across he followin today-
Some are shocked that God would save certain people, but Moule sums it up very nice why God would do so, and even choose certain folks to be key figures-
Moule: “The harlot, the liar, the murderer, are short of it; but so are you. Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they.” Everyone falls short, but everyone can be justified freely by His grace.
The grace of God can and does reach everyone who reaches out for it- no mater their background- n9ne of us, no matter how “good or bad” we are can reach his grace by our own efforts, and none of us are better than others in that regard- we all miss the mark. THankfully god doesn’t miss when he brings us into his fold.
“Some are shocked that God would save certain people, but Moule sums it up very nice why God would do so, and even choose certain folks to be key figures-
Moule: “The harlot, the liar, the murderer, are short of it; but so are you. Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they.” Everyone falls short, but everyone can be justified freely by His grace.”
God only saves sinners. Paul said he was worst. If we think anything in us deserves salvation, we are deceived. “The heart is deceitful above all things.” I am deceived if I don’t know that includes myself.
I have a test for self-righteousness. Perhaps the worst sin? See Luke 18:9.
Here is the test: Is there anyone that you think that you are more righteous than they are? ANYONE? In all history?
If there is - you are self-righteous. And that is condemned by our Lord. Worthy of hell itself......
True-
We are all enemies of God at one point whether we actively and viciously and angrily oppose him and his agenda or not- there are no degrees of “unsaved”, all are just as lost as their neighbor are, and deserving of punishment- but thankfully God has provided a way out
It is only by his mercy and grace that we pass from death and condemnation unto life and forgiveness
I always tell my Sunday School class that one of David and Jesus' grandmamas was a Caananite Hooker.
We see people as better or worse than us or others.
God looks at the heart and when you consider that lust = adultery and hatred = murder, then the physical actions fade by comparison. It’s just a matter of self-control and opportunity for the rest of us.
There, but for the grace of God, go I.
Rahab is one of three Hookers in the Bible. All saved by grace with perhaps the greatest being Mary Madelaine, who was almost the 13th disciple (and some say the wife of Jesus). She is a saint within the Roman Catholic Faith. In the Eastern Orthodox faith the Empress Theodosia, who was a hooker, actress, and wife of Emperor Justinian is honored as a saint.
Nothing in Scripture tells us that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, only that she had been demon possessed.
Since she was in the lineage of Jesus; she was probably born sinless.
Oh wow...I never knew Rahab was the mother of Boaz.
The only person the Bible describes as sinless is Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22).
https://www.gotquestions.blog/sinlessness.html
Everyone else, not so much. LOL
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