DRAWING NEAR
November 30
An Unlikely Heroine
"By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who
were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace"
(Heb. 11:31).
Rahab illustrates the depth and breadth of God's amazing grace.
Our final Old Testament hero of faith is an unlikely addition to the
list. Not only was she a prostitute, she also was a Gentile--and a
Canaanite at that.
The Canaanites were an idolatrous, barbaric, debauched people,
infamous even among pagans for their immorality and cruelty. Yet in
the midst of that exceedingly wicked society, Rahab came to faith in
the God of Israel.
Joshua 2:9-11 records her confession of faith to the two men Joshua
had sent into Jericho as spies: "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. And 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."
Rahab demonstrated the genuineness of that profession by risking her
life to hide the spies from the king of Jericho, who sought to
capture them.
Because Rahab lied to protect the spies (vv. 4-5), some people
question the validity of her faith. Surely genuine believers wouldn't
lie like that--or would they? Abraham did. Sarah did. Isaac did.
Jacob did. But the important thing to understand is that God honored
their faith, not their deception.
As with all the heroes of faith before her, Rahab's faith wasn't
perfect, nor was her knowledge of God's moral law. But because she
trusted God, she was spared during Jericho's conquest, then given an
even greater honor. She became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth,
the great-great-grandmother of David, thereby becoming an ancestor of
the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:5).
Suggestions for Prayer:
Praise God for receiving even the vilest sinner who turns to Him in
faith.
For Further Study:
Read all about Rahab in Joshua 2:1-24, 6:22-25, and James 2:25.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Matthew 1:5
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot
Jesse
Joshua 2:1-24
2:1 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 came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged
there.
2 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."
3 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."
4 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.
5 "And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark,
that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them
quickly, for you may overtake them."
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.)
7 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.
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,
9 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 fainthearted because of you.
10 "For 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 the two kings
of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and
Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
11 "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.
12 "Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have
shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's
house, and give me a true token,
13 "and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all
that they have, and deliver our lives from death."
14 So the men answered her, "Our lives for yours, if none of you
tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given
us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you."
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her
house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall.
16 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."
17 So the men said to her: "We will be blameless of this oath of
yours which you have made us swear,
18 "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 to your own home.
19 "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.
20 "And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from
your oath which you made us swear."
21 Then she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent
them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the
window.
22 They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three
days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along
the way, but did not find them.
23 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed
over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that
had befallen them.
24 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 fainthearted because of us."
Joshua 6:22-25
22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country,
"Go into the harlot's house, and from there bring out the woman and
all that she has, as you swore to her."
23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out
Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So
they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of
Israel.
24 But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only
the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put
into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
25 And 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.
James 2:25
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when
she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@wowway.com
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