Today’s reading is from Joshua 2. The book of Joshua is about the continued trek of the Isrealites to the Promised land. Moses died and the Lord chose Joshua to lead the people. God instructed him to obey the laws Moses gave and to be strong and courageous.
In the second chapter of Joshua, Joshua sent 2 spies to the city of Jericho to scope out the area and report back to him for the sake of planning his attack. The spies found their way to the home of Rahab, the prostitute. The King of Jericho heard about the spies and he sent men to find them. Rahab had the opportunity to give them up to her king but she did not. Instead she kept them safely hidden on her roof because she had heard the stories about their God. In Joshua 2:9-11 Rahab says,” For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”
Rahab had been hearing the stories of the God of the Irealites. She feared the God of the Isrealites more than she feared the King of Jericho. Based on the stories she had been hearing about God, He was powerful, He took care of his people, and where He went the enemy was always defeated. The enemy here was Jericho and that’s where she lived. At that moment she made a choice to believe in God. And with her belief she was granted salvation from the destruction that would ensue on Jericho in the days to come. She believed and she asked to be saved – along with all her family. The spies agreed to keep her safe as long as her entire family stayed inside the house and she left the scarlet cord hanging out of her window. We don’t hear any more of the specifics of Rahab’s story in the Bible but we do know God had a plan for her life. Later in Matthew 1:5 she is one of 5 women mentioned in the geneaology of Jesus Christ. Because of her profession of faith she was saved from destruction. She became a part of the blood line of Jesus – a prostitute, a sinner, an outsider – part of the family. All it took was her belief.
No matter what our past holds, God has a plan for our future. Joshua 1:9 says “I command you – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. Rahab no longer had to fear because God was with her wherever she went. Same goes for us. Today – be strong and courageous, no matter your past or where you come from. God has a plan.
Shelly