Rahab the Harlot

Hello, everyone. Happy Sabbath. It's good to be here. It's wonderful to be back in Springfield and to see all the brethren here in Springfield. It's also a beautiful thing to see so many guests, so many ladies here. One of the ladies commented that there were just too many men here, though. Sorry about that, ladies, but we're grateful to be here with you. And I really want to thank the Tulsa and Oklahoma City brethren that drove so far just to hear me speak. I certainly appreciate that. It really is a wonderful opportunity to be here this Sabbath and this special weekend for you ladies. My wife has been anticipating this weekend for many weeks and months. She has a speech, so she's been diligently preparing and working on that. So I know she's glad to be here. For me, personally, this is the first time I've ever been asked to speak at a women's conference or a women's weekend. So I wanted to speak on a topic that you women especially could relate to, one that would be interesting, thought-provoking, and hopefully enlightening. Now, if I were to ask you to name the most shameful profession a woman could possibly have, I'm confident that the profession of prostitute or harlot would be very high on the list. Probably number one on the list was number two probably quite a ways behind. Now, why would I want to bring up such a negative subject on a women's weekend? Well, with Passover now just around the corner, I thought it would also be good to speak on a Passover theme. We commemorate the death of our Savior Jesus Christ, of course, on Passover. We drink the wine that is symbolic of Christ's shed blood for the forgiveness and the remission of our sins. So what better topic than that of a woman of faith who repented, of engaging in perhaps the most shameful of all professions? Did you know that there are only two women specifically mentioned in the faith chapter in Hebrews 11? Many men are listed, but only two women. One, of course, is the wife of the father of the faithful, Sarah. And, of course, it makes perfect sense that Sarah would be listed there. But do you know who the other woman is that is listed as a woman of faith in Hebrews 11? I'm sure some of you know what I'm going to talk about. Let's go to Hebrews 11, verse 31, and let's consider what is said about a certain person here, Hebrews 11, verse 31.

Well, let's read verse 30 along with it. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she received the spies with peace. So here it mentions a former prostitute, but it mentions Rahab as a woman of faith. So I'd like to talk about Rahab some this morning. Why would God use Rahab as one of His instruments? And why is she listed in Hebrews 11? Why should we consider the story of Rahab this women's weekend? And also, as we approach the observance of the Passover, what can we learn about Rahab and her life?

In Joshua 2, and let's go there, we read the account of Rahab and how she is mentioned in the Bible. Joshua 2, I find it interesting, it does mention Rahab a number of times in the Scriptures.

In Joshua 2, verse 1, Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, especially Jericho. So they went and they came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and they lodged there, or they laid down there as the margin says.

And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country. So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country. Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.

And it happened, as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them. So obviously Rahab lied about this situation, because it says in verse 6, But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof. So she hid them, she lied about hiding them. Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords, and as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.

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, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainhearted because of you, because of the children of Israel. For we have heard how the eternal dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you. For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven, above and on earth beneath. Obviously, Rahab believed in God. She had faith in God, and I think it's very obvious that God was calling Rahab. We know that God is the one who opens up our minds to know who He is and what He is doing. She had a part to play. God was calling Rahab. And it's quite amazing that in some ways that He sent her to Rahab's home. He sent the men there. Undoubtedly, they were strong and faithful men that Moses had selected, especially after the other spies.

Joshua and Caleb were good, faithful spies, but there were ten men who were unfaithful. And so he had some experience in sending spies out. He no doubt selected a couple of very fine men and sent them to Rahab's home because God had a purpose for Rahab. God was calling Rahab. God was opening her mind.

Verse 12, Now therefore I beg you, swear to me by the eternal, since I have shown you kindness, that you will also show kindness to my Father's house, and give me a true token. And spare my Father, my Mother, my Brothers, my Sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. So the men answered her, our lives for yours. If none of you, that is, if you and your family, if you tell this business of ours, if you don't tell this business is what He was telling them, it shall be when the Lord has given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly with you.

Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall. She dwelt on the wall. And she said to them, Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way. So the men said to her, We will be blameless of this oath of yours, when you have made us swear, unless when we come into the land you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down.

And unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father's household into your own home. So they had to also be willing to come into her home. They had to have a certain amount of faith as well to go along with this plan, what she was doing. So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, His blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, His blood shall be on our head, if a hand is laid on him.

And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath, which you have made us swear. Then she said, According to your word, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed, and she bound the scarlet cord in the window. They departed, they went to the mountain, they stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but they did not find them.

God was obviously protecting these spies. So the two men returned, they descended from the mountain and crossed over. They came to Joshua the son of Nun and told him all that had befallen them. And they said to Joshua, Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands. For indeed, all the inhabitants of the country are fainhearted because of us. So here we see this account of Rahab.

We might ask the question again, why did the spies end up at her home? Well, for one thing, it was a good place to lie low. Probably lots of traffic, things going on there, in and out, people in and out, no questions asked. Strangers would come and go at all hours. Obviously, it was somewhat of an inn, perhaps, as well. We don't know all the details. But again, these were undoubtedly good Israelites. They were on a dangerous mission. The high roof from her home was the ideal vantage point for spy missions. The double walls of Jericho that were evidently double walls, and she would have been between the walls, probably 12 to 15 feet apart is what is speculated by a number of commentaries.

Her home would have been between them. Her roof would have been level with the ramparts at the city gate. So it was a good place to go, but primarily, they went there because I believe God was directing them to go there. Rahab's house would have been in full view of the march. Remember, they marched once around the city of Jericho each day until the seventh day. Then they marched around seven times. And then, of course, they shouted, and the walls came down. The horrible sound of what was happening outside must have tested her faith as well.

But she was strong. She was faithful. She may have felt a little bit like Noah and his family inside the ark when the door was shutting. The people were screaming. The rains were coming down. But she, again, had faith in God. I suppose, also, there could have been an escape route that others had used, politicians, perhaps, other men, husbands. Anyway, it's interesting to speculate on some of these things, but some of it is, obviously, speculation. According to rabbinic tradition, Rahab was one of the foremost beautiful women in the ancient world.

I'm not sure who the other three were, but according to rabbinic tradition, she was one of the foremost beautiful women. So, again, what can we learn about Rahab from this biblical account? Clearly, she was a prostitute. She was a harlot. And, again, she was one who was being called of God. He had opened her mind to grasp and understand what he was doing. The others were fearful. But she was faithful. She was also wise. She was quick-thinking. She acknowledged God. She was also very family-oriented. She was a determined overseer of her family's welfare. She was courageous. She was protective, not only for her family, but of those who were under her roof.

The officials commanded her. And, of course, this implies a threat to her life. She could have easily been killed because of lying to the king and to the rest of her people there. But she was willing to risk that, again, because she had faith in what God was doing and what was going to be happening. She was willing to step out and be counted, unlike Lot's wife, who would not step out in faith.

Of course, Lot's wife became a pillar of salt. And Rahab, obviously, was spared. She was saved. In her mind, I'm sure she needed to protect the two spies because she knew that God was on their side. She undoubtedly rationalized and justified telling a lie to protect these men.

Did she have to lie? Not likely, because God tells us not to lie. No doubt, God would have likely intervened and protected them anyway, in other ways. But God used that lie, in a sense, to protect the spies. And again, He protected Rahab from being discovered by her people. It seems like it would have been very likely that they would have discovered that she had been lying. And again, they would have killed her had they known what she had done.

In James 2, let's go over there for a moment. James refers to Rahab as well. James 2. And again, he shows that she was indeed a woman of faith. James 2, verse 25. Likewise was not Rahab the harlot, also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out another way. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. So Rahab showed that she had faith by doing something, by acting, by protecting the men. She did it her way.

And again, God no doubt could have worked it out another way. But he was obviously beginning to work with Rahab. He was beginning to call her out of her harlotry, out of her former lifestyle. He was going to give her a new way of life.

So what lessons should we learn from this biblical account? Now, I've already talked about some lessons, but let's talk about five lessons that we can learn from this biblical account of Rahab. First of all, God is entitled to choose anyone he would like to be an instrument in his hand. It's important that we understand that, that God can choose anybody he desires to choose. Because God is supreme, and God certainly is omnipotent. He knows what he's doing. And he's the one that does the calling. You know, God is the one that draws people to him, and he was drawing Rahab, the harlot, to him. Also, our past does not determine our future. God is not a respecter of persons. God loves all people. God is in the business of calling all people eventually. And he elected to call Rahab thousands of years ago. And again, with God, all things are possible. All people can change. All people can repent. It isn't who you were in the past that matters, but who you are becoming. Rahab was becoming a different person. And with God, all things are possible. We can all change, and we can all overcome. In fact, we all need to be overcomers if we're going to be in God's kingdom. Rahab was far from perfect when she was saved from Jericho. But God saw a woman that he could work with. God looked into her heart. He saw that she was a woman of faith. She was courageous. She had a faithful heart. She believed, and she acted on what she believed. Another lesson that we can learn is that God is willing to forgive anyone who will believe and act in faith. God is willing to forgive anyone who will believe and obey and act in faith. Even someone is damaged as a prostitute. If God is calling someone, who are we to question Him? Being involved in the prison ministry in Oklahoma, I've had quite a bit of experience working with prisoners, with inmates. And that's the approach I've taken. If God's the one that's opening their minds and calling them and drawing them to Him, who am I to reject someone that God's calling? So we do our best to work with these men that God is calling. Sometimes they show themselves faithful. Sometimes they don't. But it's our job to give them an opportunity. And, of course, we're careful. We don't believe everything we hear from the prisoners, from the inmates. And there are certain precautions, obviously, that need to be made. But on the other hand, God's all-powerful, and people are able to change with God's help, if they will humble and yield themselves to God. It's interesting that in the Bible, obviously, it's Rahab the harlot. That's her identification. When we think of Rahab, we think of a harlot. It's Rahab the harlot. We, too, should accept anyone that God is leading, again, to repentance, whether or not she was a harlot. Even in James, in the New Testament, she's referred to as Rahab the harlot, so no one mistakes who we're talking about. We know who we're talking about.

So, again, how could and why would God use a lying harlot to save the spies when He could have used someone else?

Well, God's will is perfect, isn't it? God knows what He's doing. She had mercy on God's people. She was instrumental in the plan. God obviously had mercy on her. It shows the forgiveness and the mercy of God, and that He looks for the good in people and sees their potential. I wonder also how she was received by all the women in Israel, as well as the men. How do you think Rahab may have been treated by some of the women in Israel? We can only speculate, because there's really nothing that the Bible says about that. How would you have treated Rahab the harlot? I'm sure there were some who were very grateful to her for saving the nation, for protecting those spies. But there may have been some who gossiped behind her back and talked about what she had done and what she had been into in a former life. So again, how would you have treated her? She was way outside the boundaries of polite society that God accepted her because of her faithful works.

She is an example of living faith. James refers to her as an example of living faith. She left her past completely behind. This is an example of a before-and-after work of God. This is an example of what God can do in people's lives. Her label is a harlot, in a sense, is meant to glorify God and His mercy and His grace. It's not used to demean her, but it's to show the wonderful grace of God. There's a book written, some of you women are no doubt familiar with it, it's called Bad Girls of the Bible, by Liz Curtis Higgs. She said, if God can turn a harlot into a holy vessel, and trusting her with the very genes that would one day produce the King of Kings, surely those of us with a past can leave our shame in the rubble and walk away, fixing our eyes on the one who washes us white as snow. We do need to put our faith in God and His grace and His power to change and help us overcome in our lives. Which leads us to the third point, the third lesson that can be learned. God greatly emphasized His willingness to forgive and orchestrating that even His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, would spring from the human line of a former harlot.

What was in her character that God chose her to be in the lineage of Christ? And one of the few women actually included in the written genealogy of Jesus Christ.

She was clearly listed. I think it's in Matthew 1. Let's go there for a moment just to briefly show this. Matthew chapter 1. Matthew chapter 1 verse 5. It says, And we know that Jesus Christ, as it says in verse 16, And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called to Christ. So it emphasizes God's willingness to forgive because His own Son came of the line of Rahab.

I think that's a powerful lesson to consider as we approach the Passover. Every one of us is a sinner. We've all sinned. We've all fallen short of God's grace. We're all worthy of death, but it's because of Christ's sacrifice that our sins are forgiven. And we will receive the gift of eternal life because of our acceptance of Christ as our Savior, because of our willingness to repent of our sins, to change our lives, to embrace God's commandments and His laws. And Rahab was willing to do that as well.

So it is just a powerful example. Again, she's one of only two women mentioned in the faith chapter. When God saved her and brought her into the nation of Israel, she probably had no clue of the laws of the nation. She had a lot to learn. She was just embracing the true God, but she had a willing heart. God saw something in her. Undoubtedly, she responded to his laws. She became a very fine citizen of God's way of life, and He included her in the genealogy of His Son, Jesus Christ. Again, I think God wants us to see how wonderful and forgiving and loving He truly is, and He wants us to become like Him. And we are to put on the mind of Jesus Christ.

Rahab is remembered for her bravery, her courage, her faith, not her harlotry. She is remembered for trusting God. She was blessed with a good husband. She was blessed with an honorable son. She was the ancestor of kings and Christ Himself.

No doubt, she will have a very useful place in the Kingdom of God. She is an example of repentance and of God's grace. Which leads us to the fourth lesson. Faith that is demonstrated is also remembered. When we demonstrate our faith, God remembers our faith. He remembers the choices that we make. Life is full of choices. And when we make choices in faith, we will be remembered. Rahab is well-remembered. If not for her faith, she would have just been another scorned, forgotten prostitute. But because of her faith, she is well-remembered. We also remember Joshua and Caleb because they were the faithful spies who encouraged Moses and the Israelites to immediately go in and possess the Promised Land. But I challenge you to name even one of the other ten spies. Who can tell me the name of even one of the ten spies? Do any of you know their names? They're listed in the Bible. We don't remember the names of the ten unfaithful spies, but we do remember Joshua and Caleb. And they're the example that we are to follow. And faith will be remembered. So what is it that you do that causes people to look to God because of your faith and your dedication to Him? Have you shown yourself to be a person of faith? A woman of faith? A man of faith? You know, she was the only one in all of Jericho to repent and be saved along with her family because of her willingness to intervene for her family. And that's actually the fifth point, the last point that I'll bring out. Our family should be very important to us, and we should be willing to protect them, to care for them. She was certainly willing to do that. In Joshua 6, we go there for a moment, Joshua 6.

In Joshua 6, verse 25, Joshua 6, verse 25, Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had, so she dwells in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Her father's household, they all came to her. And again, we read in Joshua 2, verses 12 and 13, where she spoke for her family. She wanted to make sure that they were included. And thankfully, they evidently believed what she told them, and they were there with her and were spared. We should look out for our families. Our families should obviously be very, very important to us. She saved her father's household. We should be willing to step out in faith for our families as well. In some ways, I'm sure they were less deserving than she was. They may have even ridiculed her because of what she had done, that she had become a harlot. We have no idea what happened in the family dynamics and what led her to become a harlot. But it is an interesting family dynamic, for sure. But God protected her and He protected her family, and she stepped out in faith for not only herself, but for her family.

So as we approach the Passover, I think we should consider this woman of faith, Rahab the harlot. We all have sins we have to repent of. We need to be examining ourselves and looking at ourselves and admitting that we, too, are sinners. Not that we've gone to the degree that Rahab did, but nevertheless, sin is what killed Jesus Christ, and we're all responsible for sinning. We all need to repent.

There's a progression that we see in this story of Rahab. First, she heard the Word. God was calling her. God was working in her heart and in her mind. She believed. She believed God. She had faith. That came next. She heard the Word. She believed. She acted in faith. She stepped out. She became obedient to God. She did good works, as it talks about in the book of James. And she is listed in Hebrews 11. God is giving her the gift of salvation. It's a very powerful example. Her faith was a God-sized miracle. You know, God was working in her life. God is working in your life. He's working in my life. It's a wonderful privilege to be here on God's Sabbath. To observe this day, it's because God has called us. It's because God has chosen us. God has opened our minds. We're here because of God. We're here because of His calling. We know that God loves us. We know that God is working in our hearts and minds to bring us to repentance, to change us. So, again, let's examine ourselves this Passover season. Ladies, it's wonderful to be here with all of you. You know, I was at the dentist recently, and Dr. Emillien is my dentist, and he started telling some jokes from the Bible. He knew I was a minister. I've been going there for a long time. I was just having my teeth cleaned, but he always comes by and checks my teeth as well. He starts telling me a few jokes, and then I start telling him some jokes. He was pretty hilarious. He started laughing about it and telling everyone in the whole office. I asked him, what's the smallest sin in the Bible? He didn't know the answer. I said, well, it's obviously flea fornication. That's the smallest sin.

He had never heard that before. I said, listen, I can prove that there aren't any women in heaven. There are no women in heaven. The Scripture clearly says that there was silence in heaven for half an hour.

Something tells me you women are not going to be silent this weekend. That's a good thing. You're here to learn from each other and to share with each other. I told my wife, there's a women's forum now that the elders' wives are on the forum. I said, Barb, you guys will probably have more postings in the first week than the men do in the whole year. I think that was probably true. I don't have any statistics on that, but I think it was probably true. I also told the thing about there are cars mentioned in the Bible. They were there all in one accord on the day of Pentecost. He was telling all these jokes around about the Bible. I thought it was kind of funny. I didn't even share that with my wife until just now. I've been meaning to tell her about that for a week or two, and I just never got around to it. It is a wonderful opportunity to be here. I'm glad you're all here, and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful weekend.