Faith In Action - Life Lessons From The Life Of Rahab Series

Hebrews 11:30 – 31

These two verses talk about an unusual event and an unusual person. In verse 30, the walls of Jericho, a fortified city, fell because of faith. In verse 31, Rahab, a woman of a disrepute, makes it to the list of the heroes of faith. It is in the book of Joshua that we first read about Rahab and the role she plays to help the Israelites conquer a city. Rahab is a Canaanite. The Canaanites were the descendants of Noah’s grandson Canaan whose father Ham was cursed because of his sin against Noah. (Genesis 9:20-25) The people were a wicked, idolatrous who also indulged in child sacrifices and adultery. Amongst such people, the life of Rahab shines forth to teach us many lessons and predominantly on faith and obedience. She rose from obscurity to the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5), secondly, the author of Hebrews mentions her as a hero of faith, (Hebrews 11:31) making her the only woman along with Sarah to make to that list and finally, in the Epistle of James (2:25), Rahab is shown as a example of faith accompanied by good works.

So, what makes the faith of Rahab precious in God’s sight that He chose to honor her? The answer can be found in the book of Joshua. (Joshua 2:9-11). She believed that:

1) The God of Israel is the God of heaven and earth

2) God divided the Red sea for Israelites when they came out of Egypt.

3) The victories of Israel over the kings of Amorites

4) Jericho will be subdued.

The things that she heard changed her belief, and the new belief changed her behavior. All the above explain that Rahab by faith believed in the sovereignty of God and it is amazing to read that her sinful life is not a hindrance to God to forgive and accept her into His fold. A lesson for us all is that, our past and present shortcomings cannot be a barrier for us to believe in God’s saving grace. It is faith that is required on our part to come to Jesus and without faith it is impossible to please God.

Lessons from the life of Rahab

(James 2:17) says that faith without works is dead. Here, we read that Rahab received the spies in peace which is, faith and good work in action and James in 2:25 quotes Rahab as an example of faith with works.

Rahab was a wise woman who knew how to save herself and the spies from an imminent danger. In the hour of crisis, she did not panic but could speak with wisdom. She was precise in her calculation on the time that her people will take to search for the spies and just as she instructed, the spies followed her advice and were safe.

She was a responsible woman who cared for her entire family. For the help extended, she makes the spies to swear an oath to spare her and her family when they besiege Jericho. Much like the wise woman described in Proverbs 31 who cared for the needs and wellbeing of her family, Rahab ensured that she and her family were saved.

A praiseworthy trait of Rahab was that she was a woman of action. When the spies asked her to hang a scarlet cord on her window, she wasted no time and responded immediately with faith.

Likewise, in our Christian life, we must have faith in God’s sovereignty and goodness. II Corinthians 6:2 says that today is the day of salvation which implies that we must respond immediately to God’s call and not procrastinate. Our faith must be accompanied by actions which will cause to save ourselves and our families from any dangers, and because we believe in an Almighty God, we have wisdom from above that separates us from the rest which the world will surely notice and glorify the God in heaven. Rahab’s life also teaches us that there is no sin that is beyond the saving grace of God. Though she lived as a prostitute, she eventually found love, identity and fellowship. She gave birth to Boaz and became an important ancestor of King David and our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God grant us the faith of Rahab!

God Bless!

In His love,

Timothy