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Rahab: Testimony of God's Power

By: Sarah Humphrey

Throughout Scripture, we repeatedly see God purposefully choose world changers from those who have failed, those who are disadvantaged, and those with repentant yet shattered hearts.

Such might have been the case with Rahab. We don’t know much about her, but what we do know we learn in the book of Joshua.

When we dive into Joshua 2, we read about a woman named Rahab who is described as a prostitute who lived in Jericho, a city on the edge of Canaan in the promised land. We know she had a family that included parents, brothers, and sisters, that she lived in a house, and that she believed what she had heard about the power of Yahweh, Israel’s God. Beyond that, we don’t know about her personal life or family history.

Rahab hid in her home two Israelite spies sent by Joshua to scout out the land and get a sense for how they could conquer it. When word reached Rahab that these two spies were to be captured by the king, she courageously hid the men and then manipulated the plans of the enemy so their lives would be spared and the plans of God would prevail. In exchange for her protection, the spies promised they would protect Rahab and her family when the Israelites conquered Jericho.

Later in Joshua 6, in a scene that fulfills many of God’s promises to the nation of Israel and puts the power and glory of God on display, the Israelites conquered Jericho. Joshua upheld the oath the spies had made with Rahab—her family was protected, and they became a part of the covenant community of Israel.

Rahab, a woman best known for being a prostitute and a Canaanite, played a prominent place in the history of God’s people and is included in the earthly lineage of Jesus Christ, the Messiah (Matt. 1). Rahab became the mother of Boaz (the kinsman redeemer from the book of Ruth). This means she was also a great-grandmother in the lineage of King David, and therefore Jesus.

God reveals His love for us through the lives of people in the Bible who point us to Christ. God’s Word documents for us His redemptive and restorative plan through the messiness of humanity. As you move forward through your days and nights, remember the story of Rahab’s faith. No matter what has happened in your past, there is repentance, grace, and purpose for each one of us as God’s children in Christ.

Read Joshua 2 and Joshua 6:22-27 to learn Rahab’s story.