Rahab The Heroine: Lessons We Can Learn

Even though Rahab had probably done everything wrong in her life, it only took one act of something right to have her immortalised in the Bible as a heroine. It is an excellent illustration of the bottom line of Christianity, the only thing that really matters is that we choose God over everything else (surrender to Jesus), and thus we are saved. (To read about Rahab, see Joshua 2:1 - 24, Joshua 6, Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25 ) Rahab was a prostitute. She was the lowest form of mankind in the eyes of the religious. Through her "contacts" she heard about the crossing of the Red Sea and the other miraculous acts God had performed for the Israelites.

Here is the account in the Bible in Joshua 2 verses 8 – 11:

“Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. (New International Version)

She knew the people were frightened of the children of Israel, and were anxious about their impending attack. Rahab wisely chose sides, she wanted to be under the greater more powerful God, not just out of fear for her life. As the Word says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10 (New King James Version)

Rahab sheltered Israel's spies in return for her and her family’s protection when they attacked Jericho. Maybe this to her was a small favour, something that she had done for others in the past. Rahab knew how to survive, but obviously had a soft heart as she did not forget her family, wanting their protection from the spies. How she wound up in such a disreputable occupation is a mystery, but under it all, I believe she would have been a decent person. Her heart was soft enough to accept God rather than laugh at what must have come across as some tall stories. She was open enough to believe and receive God's salvation into her life. The messages you could glean from Rahab are undoubtedly numerous; God siding with the underdog, and God willing to use someone like Rahab, a harlot to accomplish His purposes. She has been given more than "fifteen minutes of fame." Her acts have been reported consistently over several thousand years. There is no rock star or movie celebrity who will be able to claim that. What I have learnt from Rahab is that works alone doesn't completely matter. The Bible says in James 2:14 – 16 that faith without works is dead. Works needs to be accompanied by faith, and faith needs to be accompanied by works.

We come into the kingdom with a heart's desire to serve God to the utmost, and that is a wonderful attitude. Without faith and our desire to serve, there would be no churches, no outreach, no missions into other countries and our own communities. The bottom line however, is our choice of following God. Our choice to stay out of sin, astrology, drinking, illicit sex, materialism, idolatry, lying, cheating and the many other forms of self-destruction and worldliness that are ours for the taking in this society. To God, it doesn't matter in the end, say at the point of death, how much we have done, how adequate or inadequate we think we have been for the kingdom, or what we have left undone. What really matters is that we have chosen Him above all else. That is not only our passport into heaven, but our passport into abundant life rather than a life of bondage.

To get into heaven and to have abundant life, we must first of all accept Jesus Christ into our lives and make Him the Lord and Saviour of our lives. If you would like to do so click the LINK and from your heart pray the Salvation Prayer.

We can be Mary or Martha working overtime to be acceptable, feeling the pressure to do as much as everyone else is, or having surrendered to Jesus, we can sit at His feet and be awestruck and in an intimate relationship with Him, knowing who our Father is, where our hope is, and being blessed as we look back and praising Him for the troubles He has bought us out from.

About the Author

Cate Russell-Cole has been a Christian since 1981 and is a qualified Creativity Coach, Author, Editor and Social Worker. She has been actively involved in church life since her teenage years and has served the Lord as a youth leader, desktop publisher, administrative assistant, writer, church reporter, magazine editor ("YOU" and "Echo" Lifehouse Christian Church, Coffs Harbour), intercessor, Sunday School teacher, ISCF leader and youth prayer coordinator. You can find Cate via her web site: http://cateartios.net

Via Faith Writers

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