This week in our Women of the Word Bible Study group we have begun taking a look at Rahab. We are reading The Linage of Grace by Francine Rivers which looks at the five women listed in the linage of Christ. Talk about powerful stories these women have. We have already studied Tamar and are now onto Rahab. Francine Rivers does a wonderful job of "putting clothes on" her characters, which in this instance are real people who lived.
We don't know a lot about some of these women, but the author goes to great lengths to study the times and cultures these women lived and paints a picture of them. She paints a picture of Rahab with an immense faith which seems entirely plausible when you read the account in Joshua 2-6.
One thing that was brought up was her great faith. In Joshua we read of Rahab's declaration of faith.
Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below." Joshua 2:8-11
What is your declaration of faith? Do you even have one? If not start building one. Use Rahab's model, she only heard of what the God of the Israelites had done and built her faith on that. Can you build a faith on what you have heard? More importantly, can you build a faith on what you have experienced?
One thing that struck me in looking at this was the fact that Rahab exhibited more faith on hearing what God had done than the Israelites had while experiencing what God was doing. How do we fall into that?
Because of my faith in the Lord, He has given me a witness to who He is and a testimony to His goodness. As you read further into the account of Rahab, you learn that the spies sent into Jericho did not need to go to scout out the land for the battle to take the land, for when they returned Joshua had already received word from the Lord of how to conquer the city. Perhaps the spies were sent only to rescue this woman of great faith. Do you have the faith of a Canaanite prostitute?