Rahab
Rahab was a prostitute who lived next to the city wall of Jericho. When Joshua sent two Hebrew spies into the city they found lodging in Rahab’s house. She hid them in stalks of flax on the roof while authorities looked for them. Later she lowered the two men down the outside wall of the city with a rope and then told the authorities they had gone another direction. She asked the Israelites to promise to spare her and her family when they attacked Jericho. She was instructed to let down a scarlet cord from her window as a sign.
When Jericho fell, the two spies were sent by Joshua to bring Rahab and her family to the safety of the Israelite camp. She became the ancestor of King David and Jesus. This Canaanite harlot became a woman of faith and is one of the heroes of faith recorded in the book of Hebrews.
According to rabbinic tradition, Rahab was one of the four most beautiful women in the world and was the ancestor of eight prophets, including Jeremiah and the prophetess Huldah.
Lessons from the life of Rahab:
- God sometimes works through people whom we are inclined to reject.
- God looks at our faith not our profession.
- If you sometimes feel like a failure, remember that with God’s strength you can rise above your situation.
- Don’t let fear affect your faith in God.
Rahab’s story is told in Joshua 2 and Joshua 6:22,23. She is also mentioned in Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; and James 2:25.
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