Last week, in What a Prostitute can Teach us, Part A, we looked at the importance of promise-keeping, and how a kept promise can ultimately lead to ultimate good. Today we will look at two more lessons to be learned from this famous prostitute:
2. Stand up for what is right!
When Rahab initially hid the spies, she was, in essence, taking a stand against her own people. She knew who the men were. She knew what people they represented and what God they served. In her own words: “I know that the Lord has given this land to you … 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 …” (Josh 2:9-10 NIV)
Rahab also knew that her people were in grave danger. Otherwise she would not have asked for the spies to promise to save her and her family: “Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death.” (Josh 2:12-13 NIV)
Yet despite all that she knew, Rahab was willing to take a stand against her very own people!
Why did she do it?
Because she knew the power of the God they served, and she wanted to serve Him, too! “… for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” (Josh 2:10-12 NIV)
As a result of the fact that Rahab was astute enough to recognize the hand of the One true God, she and her family were the only inhabitants of Jericho to survive.
Friends, let’s follow Rahab’s example. Let’s stand up for what is right! For in doing so, we also follow the advice of Paul: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.” (1 Cor 15:58 NIV); “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5:1 NIV)
True, this could mean lost friendships. It could mean lost raises and promotions. It could even mean lost family. But in the end, it meant salvation for Rahab, and it will mean life eternal for you and I!
3. Keep your actions in line with your faith!
Rahab believed the God of Israel was the One, true God, she was willing to betray her own people for her beliefs, and this message was made clear by her actions. When she hid the spies, lied for them, and later helped them to escape, she was letting her actions demonstrate her faith.
The author of the book of James goes to great length to help us see the importance of our actions: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” (James 2:14-18 NIV)
Basically, James is telling us that our actions will show what we truly believe, and he specifically uses Rahab as an example: “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:24-26 NIV)
The author of the book of Hebrews also uses Rahab as a specific example of the how faith must be shown in our actions: “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” (Heb. 11:31 NIV).
When Rahab acted upon her faith, she not only saved the lives of the spies, but she saved her life and the lives of her family as well. Friends, if we truly believe something, we will take action! Let’s learn from the prostitute Rahab. Let’s let our faith and our belief in God be represented by our actions, for in so doing, we will not only be proving that our faith is not dead, but we will also be proclaiming that faith to the world!
Join us next week for perhaps the most important lesson that we can learn from Rahab: What a Prostitute can Teach Us, Part C.
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org, with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org.
(To access the entire “Lessons From Joshua” mini-series, please click here.)