Challenged by the Faith of a Pagan Prostitute

Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. Joshua 2:8-9

Rahab is her name, she was a prostitute in Jericho. Recently Rabah’s faith has challenged mine and I’m hoping it does the same for you as well. 

Rahab did not grow up as a Jew, nor did she know much about the God of the Jews. But a time came when that changed. The Israelites had started conquering other nations and taking possession of the land God had given them, and the news of their victory and their God spread all across the nations. Jericho was next and rumor had reached the country that Jericho had been given to Israel. Not long after, Joshua sent two spies to Jericho.  These two spies came in contact with a woman with an audacious faith, who decided to hide them because she believed in a God she had only heard about from a distance. 

When Rahab hid the spies, she said to them “ I know God has given you the land”. Let’s unpack that for a moment. The people of Jericho were still alive, healthy, and going about their day-to-day activities, yet Rehab saw them as dead. She said, 

I know God has given you the land. Meaning: –  I know you will come in and kill everyone just like you have done to the other nations. These people moving around are as good as dead.

I know God has given you the land:  Meaning:- even though Jericho seems fortified by these walls and secured, it has been conquered and overthrown. 

Her faith:  Because she believed that God had given them the land and everyone would be killed, she made a deal to save herself and her family. Rahab made this decision when the walls of Jericho were still standing. Rahab made this decision when the King and armies of Jericho were still alive and well. This is what faith is, it is making a decision and acting in line with what God has said regardless of the circumstance. 

What amazes me about this woman is that she was making all these faith moves, all these decisions based on what she heard about God. God did not speak directly to her, she did not know much about Him, yet she believed Him. She believed Him enough that she took action based on what He said. How do you look at your people, your nation, the armies in place, the King in power, and yet consider them all dead because you heard that the God of the Jews had given them your land? Isn’t it crazy to see people alive and yet consider them all dead because God said so? 

Rabab did not hear God directly yet she believed Him, I could not help but ask myself how many times have I heard Him speak to me yet I sometimes doubt? Rahab did not know about this God, yet she believed. How long have I known God, yet I still doubt Him sometimes? Rahab did not have the scriptures; a documentation of the power, integrity, ability, and faithfulness of God, yet at just one rumor she believed Him. I have the scripture, a compendium of His acts, love, power, and faithfulness, and yet I sometimes doubt. 

How many times have I said “I know God is faithful” yet my actions betray my words? How many times have I said “I know God loves me” yet my actions betray my words? How many of the promises in the bible have I confessed, I know I’m blessed, I know I’m the head and not the tail, I know I’m victorious, and yet my actions seem far from my confessions. Rahab knew the land would be conquered by Israel, she did not just say the words,  her actions proved she truly believed them. How many things have I claimed to believe yet my actions betray me?

Rehab was not a Jew, she was a pagan and a prostitute yet her faith in God will challenge many of us believers today. She did not have the Holy Spirit, we do, and yet many of us still sometimes doubt. She was not redeemed by the blood, we are, and yet we sometimes doubt. She was not seated with Christ in heavenly places, we are and yet we sometimes doubt. 

I have been humbled and challenged by the faith of a woman who saw a city alive and full of life,  yet knew it would be in ashes and rumbles because the God of the Jews said so. She lived above her reality, she lived by what God had said. What is my reality and what has God said about it? What is your reality and what does the word of God say about it? Do you believe it? 

It is no surprise that Rahab made the list of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. She was a woman with an audacious faith. Her faith challenges us in many ways. She had just one piece of information about God and believed that little, today we have much. We’ve been given God’s word, His promises, a rich history of His works and faithfulness, we have the Holy Spirit, a position and an inheritance in Christ, and more! We’ve been given much. It’s time to dare to believe Him more.

Finally, I cannot help but wonder, what gave Rahab the audacity to believe that the God of the Jews would save her and her family? Seriously though, If God were to save anyone, would it be a prostitute of all people? I’m sure there were people in Jericho with higher moral standards than Rahab. I wonder what else she heard about this God that she could trust Him to save a pagan prostitute. It was clear she did not trust in her good deeds, she barely had any. Despite her lifestyle Rahab never disqualified herself, she still took the risk to believe in God.

It is easy for us to disqualify ourselves from God’s blessing because we think we do not measure up. It is so easy to think; I have not prayed enough, I have not fasted enough, I’m not good enough, I’ve made too many mistakes, etc. But we must learn to anchor our faith in God, not our works. He gives because He is good. He saves because He is good. All Rahab did was believe, all God is asking is that we believe.  Don’t disqualify yourself from what God has for you, only believe. 

What has God said to you? What has He promised? Dare to Believe!