THE FAITH OF RAHAB

By faith the harlot Rehab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. Heb 11:31

And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.  (Jos 2:1 KJV)

Without doubt the story of Rahab as presented in Hebrews chapter eleven verse thirty one punctures the very heart of fallacious religious beliefs not based on accurate revelation of God’s word. I am sure some religious men of the ‘lineage’ of the Pharisees and Sadducees will have the effrontery to question the inclusion of a ‘common harlot’ in the Honour Roll of Faith in Hebrew chapter 11. How can Rahab be included among patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Noah, Joseph, David, Gideon, etcetera? Of what significance was Rahab to God and how did she get her faith?

Moses had just died and the mantle of leadership has been passed on to Joshua to lead the people of Israel. Then it was time for Israel to conquer the city of Jericho. The second chapter of the book of Joshua opens with two Israelites sent on espionage to Jericho and this is where the story starts getting interesting. On entering Jericho the two spies decided to lodge and the place they chose was a Harlot’s house. They may have chosen this place so that they could blend with the general ambience of this Pagan city. The harlot’s house was on the city wall and the name of this harlot was Rahab; Rahab the harlot. The events of that day launched Rahab into a place in history. She was never to remain the same again.

It is easy enough to see Rahab as the perfect example of an unbeliever who is alienated from the commonwealth of God’s people. Rahab and the city of Jericho were headed for destruction which is a reflection of the eternal damnation that awaits those who have rejected Jesus Christ in this world.

On the other hand, Rahab is a figure as it were of Christians. She does typify Christians who have lost their bearing in Christ within the maze of the world system. She exemplifies believers who cannot be easily distinguished from those who do not belong to Christ. There are millions of ‘Christian Rahabs’ in every walk of life who have perfectly settled to the rhythm of the world. Some of these people are quite successful according to the world standard but they are far from God’s will for their lives. It is to this group that I speak. You may be as lost as Rahab but praise God you can still find your place in His plan.

The earnest expectation of the creation is still for the manifestation of the sons of God, but I am sure that I don’t need a long epistle to convince you that most sons [that is Christians] aren’t manifesting anything; most are sound asleep. God is always looking for someone to stand up and get into place. He is always looking for men of KINGDOM relevance, men who WILL represent Him wherever they are in these critical end times. God will not change his plans but he can sure change people. Just like in the time of Joshua the son of Nun, when God needed the wall of Jericho to fall, all he needed was a man [in this case, a woman] of faith inside the walls of Jericho. In the very same way in these times God is looking for men of faith in various human endeavour to lift the kingdom banner. The soul of our spiritual existence must be stirred up; we must awake from our slumber and respond to the call of the Holy Spirit within us and the cry of the world outside.

 ALL HE NEEDS IS A MAN OF FAITH; A MAN THAT BELIEVES.

Let me use these 2 verses to drive home how important faith is to our walk with God as Christians.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that COMETH to God MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (emphasis mine). Heb 11:6

…Nevertheless when the son of man cometh, shall he find (heurisko – to perceive, see, obtain) faith on the earth? Luke 18:8.

These verses of scripture are clear enough. So if faith is so important, what does it take to have faith and did Rahab really have faith? Romans chapter 10 verse 17 puts it as direct as it can be: this is how to have faith; ‘So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God’. Therefore, to have faith you have to have heard the word of God. Joshua chapter 2 shows us how and when Rahab got her faith.

And before they were laid down she came unto them upon the roof; and she said unto the men… for we have HEARD how the LORD… for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath Joshua 2:8-11.

So we see now that Rahab heard the word of God and believed, therefore she was able to take her place in what God wanted to do in Jericho and this pattern still applies to you and me. What have you heard God say to you? Do you believe?

If we will ever make impact in our generation and be useful for kingdom expansion, we must be clear about the following.

WHERE ARE YOU?

                This is a simple question to answer. It is a question of location. Your location is not just geographical but also economical and socio-cultural. In Rahab’s case she was in Jericho. In your case you might be in the educational system, the world of medicine, the oil and gas sector, the banking industry, the law profession, politics and governance, etc. you must be able to define WHERE you are.

WHAT DOES GOD WANT TO DO WHERE YOU ARE?

                The next question is what does God want to do where you are? This is the question that seeks to understand the plan of God in Space, Time and Purpose. In Rahab’s case God wanted to destroy Jericho and he wanted to do it at that time for the sake of Israel. You have to find out what God wants to do where you are. This is not about ambition; it is about a God given vision. What have you HEARD God say?

WHAT IS YOUR PART IN IT?

                The ultimate goal of knowing God’s plan for where you are is to know your part in it. This is the crux of the matter; it is why you are where you are. Will you stand up and take your place or will you just stay in your comfort zone? Will it ever be said that, ‘by faith you…’? God is looking for men who are ready to move the Kingdom forward through sacrifice, dedication and focus. You can be that man.

Just in case you are not aware, Rahab the harlot is in the lineage of Jesus. Jesus had a harlot for his great, great… grandmother; the harlot that had faith! Hallelujah! Matt 1:1 & 5.

Do you have faith?

Thanks for reading this post. Your comments are highly welcome.