By Pastor Shana Wise
Hebrews 11:31 31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she had received the spies with peace.
Background text: read Joshua Chapter 2 and 6:17, 22-23
The Lord laid on my heart to examine Rahab the harlot (prostitute) for Mother’s Day. Why? He showed me that before she became a mother, her faith saved herself and her family. Due to this faith, in the God of the Israelites, she was not only securing her future and her family’s future, but her future children would also be in the lineage of Christ.
It is amazing how God will use us despite our present situation and circumstance. Rahab was a prostitute, probably not by her choice, but she may have had to do that to help take care of her family. She was also was not Jewish, and lived in city and culture where a they did not worship the true and living God. She was a woman, who in those days had little or no rights.
When the Israelites were about to inherit the promised land, they had to conquer Jericho before they inhabited the land. The residents of Jericho feared the arrival of the Israelites because they heard about all the things God did for them in Egypt. Out of this fear, they shut up the city, meaning no one could go in and out of its walls.
Rahab heard about all that was about to happen, and when the spies from Israel came to her house, instead of fear gripping her, she chose to help them by hiding them at her house (Joshua chapter 2). By doing this she risked the life of her and her family, but her faith, that came by hearing about what God had done for the Israelites, caused her to respond in favor of the spies. Due to her bold decision to not only help the Israelites spies but also to request that her household be saved when the Israelites come to conquer Jericho, it was inevitability propelling her into her destiny!
Many of us can identify with Rahab because we may have done some things in our past that were not “morally correct”. For others, our lifestyle still is not lining up with the standards of the Word of God. However, we can see, through Rahab, that our present circumstances will not stop God from meeting us where we are. Our decisions, our past, and our present situations will not stop God from responding to our faith in him. God is so awesome, that not only did he saved Rahab and her family, but He enabled her and her offspring to be ingrafted in the lineage of Christ! She was the mother of Boaz and from him came Obed and from him came Jesse, and from him came King David, and we know the rest of the story!
God used this future mother, Rahab, to show us that his love for us is unstoppable! Not only does God want to save us and our love ones, but He also wants to give us a future and hope for the generations to come!
Practical application from the story of Rahab:
1. James 2:24-26 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Rahab demonstrated her faith in God by her actions and responses towards the Israelite spies. She chose faith over fear. How have you worked your faith recently concerning the current events in the world and whatever is going on in your personal life?
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2. I am sure after Rahab and her family were delivered from the destruction of Jericho; she still may have had issues concerning her past life as a prostitute. Yet, her past did not deter her from bringing forth a child and being remembered in Israelite history. What things are still bothering from your past (before Christ and after), that you need healing from?
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3. Rahab was unselfish when it came to her deliverance from the impending destruction of Jericho because she requested that her family be spared along with her. Despite what she did, the family still came first and God honored not only her faith in Him but her concern and love for her family. What are you believing God for concerning your family and friends?
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About the Author
Dr. Shana Wise is an ordained Pastor and CEO of Wise Choice Ministries (est. 2016). She is the founder of The Well Christian Women’s Network formally known as Christian Women Preachers United. Dr. Wise is the author of women’s devotional, Acts of Intercession, and The Impact of Your Election (available on Amazon). She received a doctor of divinity degree in 2019 from St. Thomas Christian University. Her passion is to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, equip others to apply the Word to their lives, and demonstrate the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit. She is a televangelist that appears on social media outlets and television. Shana is married to Ron Wise and is the mother of four children.
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