Monday, October 28th

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

 

Well, girls, today is the last devotion in our series of Hebrews 11, the Wall of Faith.  The lady whose faith the Lord records is none other than Rahab....the prostitute.  I love her testimony!  We don't know much about her upbringing or background, but we know that she risked her life and the lives of her family in order to help God's men. 

After the Lord led Moses and the Hebrew people out of Egypt, they wandered in the desert for 40 years.  The trip to the Promised Land shouldn't have taken 40 years, girls.  But, because the people murmured and complained, God promised that none of the ones old enough to be held accountable for their whining would enter into the land flowing with milk and honey.  Moses died, and a new leader took his place.  Joshua was strong and courageous.  Eager to claim what God had promised, Joshua sent spies into the land of Jericho to find out how difficult it would be to take over the land.  The two men were followed and sought a hiding place in a home located on the city wall.  It just happened to be the home of the city prostitute.  Rahab had heard all about the God of the Israelites and the many miracles that had been performed in Egypt.  She was eager to know the Hebrew God and willingly hid the two spies under the stalks of flax on her roof.  The king of Jericho got wind that the spies were seen going into Rahab's home and sent a message to her:  give up the men who are in your home.  She could have done that without a second thought.  She didn't know these men.  What logical reason could she have for putting her life on the line for people she didn't know?  Just one.  She believed what she'd been told about the God of the Hebrew people, and in protecting these men she hoped to gain favor with their God.  Before helping the spies escape, Rahab asked that she and her family be spared when they came back to take over the city.  The spies agreed to protect her, and as a token of their agreement, Rahab bound a scarlet thread in the window of her home.  True to their word, when Jericho was overtaken by the Hebrew people, Rahab and her family were saved from destruction. 

Rahab is also named in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5).  Undeterred by her past, Rahab acted in faith by helping God's men.   When her city was destroyed, God protected her and gave her a home with the Hebrew people.  She eventually married and had a son they named Boaz. 

Quite a legacy from a young woman whose past was what most would call trashy.  Rahab didn't live in her past though; once she met the God Jehovah, her life reflected the great change that had taken place in her heart. 

Does your life reflect that same kind of change?

Scripture Reading for the Day:

Proverbs 28
Romans 9