Two men spent the night at a prostitute's house, but it's not what you might think. What sounds like a juicy, sordid tale of immorality is, in reality, an outstanding story of faith and promise.
"Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there" (Joshua 2:1)
You may be familiar with the story: Rahab hid the two spies on the roof of her house, all the while a posse heads out on a wild goose chase to find them. When the coast is clear, Rahab secretly dispatches them down the city wall through a window in her house, but not before securing a solemn promise of safety. She had heard the stories of the mighty works of the One true God on behalf of the people of Israel, and her faith was resolute.
"Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath" (Joshua 2:8-11)
Character not withstanding (Sunday School teachers seem to skip the part about her being a prostitute), this woman stands out as a shining example of faith, and is memorialized in Scripture because of it. She is listed in the ancestry of Christ (Matthew 1:5), as well as in the great "hall of fame" of the faithful in Hebrews eleven (Hebrews 11:31).
So is the lesson here that faith overrides character? Is an immoral occupation and lifestyle acceptable so long as one has faith?
Faith is the pathway to character. Abraham was a man of questionable character, but the record of the Bible allows us to see his transformation of character through faith. And while little else is known about Rahab, the same is evidently true. She eventually married an Israelite man and became the mother of Boaz. Boaz we know about from the book of Ruth, who was destined to become the great-grandfather of King David.
Faith, rather than substituting for character, became the source of it with Rahab, and so many others listed in scripture. And so it is with us. We cannot please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), but God-s pleasing faith never stands alone; it always transforms.
The stories of renown concerning the works of Yahweh God are not simply historic record; they are stories designed to stimulate faith that leads to transformational character. Faith, then, is not the goal, but rather the journey.
May simple faith in the Creator and Father of all stimulate you today in the transformational journey.
Steve
"Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there" (Joshua 2:1)
You may be familiar with the story: Rahab hid the two spies on the roof of her house, all the while a posse heads out on a wild goose chase to find them. When the coast is clear, Rahab secretly dispatches them down the city wall through a window in her house, but not before securing a solemn promise of safety. She had heard the stories of the mighty works of the One true God on behalf of the people of Israel, and her faith was resolute.
"Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath" (Joshua 2:8-11)
Character not withstanding (Sunday School teachers seem to skip the part about her being a prostitute), this woman stands out as a shining example of faith, and is memorialized in Scripture because of it. She is listed in the ancestry of Christ (Matthew 1:5), as well as in the great "hall of fame" of the faithful in Hebrews eleven (Hebrews 11:31).
So is the lesson here that faith overrides character? Is an immoral occupation and lifestyle acceptable so long as one has faith?
Faith is the pathway to character. Abraham was a man of questionable character, but the record of the Bible allows us to see his transformation of character through faith. And while little else is known about Rahab, the same is evidently true. She eventually married an Israelite man and became the mother of Boaz. Boaz we know about from the book of Ruth, who was destined to become the great-grandfather of King David.
Faith, rather than substituting for character, became the source of it with Rahab, and so many others listed in scripture. And so it is with us. We cannot please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), but God-s pleasing faith never stands alone; it always transforms.
The stories of renown concerning the works of Yahweh God are not simply historic record; they are stories designed to stimulate faith that leads to transformational character. Faith, then, is not the goal, but rather the journey.
May simple faith in the Creator and Father of all stimulate you today in the transformational journey.
Steve
posted by steve @ 8:59 AM
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