"Rahab" March 31 Readings: Joshua 5-6, Luke 4:16–44, Psalm 40:7–13, Proverbs 10:3-4

Today's Readings - Joshua 5-6, Luke 4:16–44, Psalm 40:7–13, Proverbs 10:3-4

Devotional 

There is so much in Joshua 5 and 6 that it worth our reflection. There is Joshua's meeting with the Commander of the Lord's Army. Joshua sees this man with a drawn sword and hopes he is a friend not an enemy. "Whose side are you on, ours our theirs?" he asks. The Commander says, essentially, "I'm not here to pick sides but to take charge." Joshua followed the Lord and won the battle.

Of course, there is the story of faith in the conquering of Jericho. God's plan of attack made no sense - marching around the city once a day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day. But Joshua learned that the key was not the greatness of his plan but simple obedience to God. When Israel followed God's plan, he brought the walls down and gave them the victory.

But I want to focus on the story, told in Joshua 6:22-25, of one woman from Jericho. For 3500 years of history, she has been known for what she was when she encountered the spies Joshua had sent into the city. She was "Rahab the Prostitute." Not an nice way to be remembered. A harlot.

We know very little about Rahab, except for her profession, but there is much we know of her because of that tidbit. She made her living by means of immorality. She was used by men for her sexual favors - and in spite of all of Hollywood's pollyanna lies about prostitution, it is a degrading and demeaning way to make a living. She was used, abused, and objectified. It is a horrible life now, it was a horrible life then. And in those cultures, the stigma of such a thing would stay with her. She was never going to be anything but what she was. A harlot. A prostitute.

But then she met these spies and was rescued from death, brought of of Jericho to a new life with the people of Israel. And there she got a new start, a second chance. She married a man named Salmon of whom nothing is known. But we do know the name of his son, Boaz. Yes, that Boaz - the one who married Ruth. Boaz and Ruth had a son, named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse. And Jesse had a son who worked as a shepherd until one day the prophet Samuel appeared and anointed him as king. That is right. Rahab the Harlot was the great, great grandmother of the Great King David. And, of course, that means she was also one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Rahab's life was rescued, redeemed and reformed. The prostitute became a key ancestor of the Royal and Messianic lines of Israel. Is that not good news? In the world you are often defined by your own mistakes and plagued by your past. But in God's economy, the past never controls the future. The blood of Christ cleanses and the power of the Spirit renews. You can be what you never were.

And that is good news because I am Rahab. Well, sort of. I am a wicked sinner who was trapped in sin's power and degraded. But God did not leave me in my sin. He rescued me from the Jericho of sin, brought me out to be adopted into the heavenly family and gave me a new life free of guilt and the slavery of sin.

As God freed Rahab and made something beautiful and significant of her life, he frees us and makes us new creations. Praise God! Your life is not defined by your past or your present. It is defined by the future God has destined for you.

Father, you rescued me from sin and death and have given me a new life. Thank you that though I was destined for death, you changed all of that with your grace. 

Think and Pray

Do you have a past that haunts you, that gives you shame?
Remember that the blood of Christ not only cleanses, but washes us clean and fits us for the service of God.
You may have a past but in God's service, you also have a future!