Women of Faith

The Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath – Joshua 2:11

This profession of faith comes from the lips of one of the most unlikely characters in the Bible — a prostitute, a heathen, and a citizen of an enemy nation to God’s people. But it is exactly the unexpectedness of her faith which makes her such a source of biblical comfort and admonition. 

On the one hand, Rahab shows us there is no valid excuse for unbelief in the one true God. Rahab’s faith in the one true God was the reason she did not perish with the unbelieving heathen who surrounded her in Jericho, Hebrews reminds us. Also, James uses Rahab as an example of one whose genuine faith is shown by concrete acts of obedience and sacrifice.

When Rahab heard the report of all that God had done for his people—delivering them out of Egypt, drying up the Jordan, conquering powerful kings—she trusted that this was the one true God in heaven and in earth. If Rahab could come out of such a conflicting and hostile society, to such a potent and unyielding faith, then it proves no circumstantial or cultural barrier is strong enough to overcome genuine faith in the one true God. 

There is also great comfort in the story of Rahab, particularly for those who are saved out of sinful lifestyles. Here was a promiscuous woman, with dubious connections, and a dark and pagan past who was used of the Lord to deliver his people and eventually even usher in the Christ.

What a powerful witness Rahab is of God’s ability to forgive, to cleanse, and even to use those who come to him by faith. May your faith lead you to courageous and sacrificial obedience today, in the knowledge of Christ’s cleansing and healing power for your past.