Lessons from Rahab: Acting on Faith

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Years ago, as a preteen at summer church camp, the theme was about acting out your faith. Each day was dedicated to a different Bible character, and one of those days just so happened to be Rahab. Reflecting on her now, there are so many parts of her story that I marvel out. Obviously, I needed a blog post to really reflect on all of the lessons from Rahab I’ve gleaned over the years.

Her Past/Her Status

Look at any civilized society and the woman who is hated the most is the one in Rahab’s position: the harlot. She is shunned wherever women and children gather, be it the well in Biblical times, or the grocery stores and churches of today. The life of such a woman must be marred with loneliness, hatred, and virtually no community.

Yet, Rahab didn’t allow that to interfere with what she knew she had to do. Rahab didn’t believe the lies that so many of us succumb to every day. Lies like “I will never be good enough”, “God can never use me”, “I’ve done too much wrong in my past”, or “I have too much baggage”. By the way, an awesome book that discusses deeper this idea, is here. It really changed my perspective on life!

Too often, we can stop ourselves from those extraordinary moments that God has for us because we look on our past failures. Because Rahab refused to allow her past and technically her present to define her future, the spies were spared, the Israelites gain a victory, and Rahab and her family are spared as well.

This brings up one of the foundational lessons from Rahab I’ve learned that has stuck with me for quite some time. God doesn’t care about what you did; He cares about what you’re doing now.

God Saw Rahab

It’s interesting to note that the spies just happen upon Rahab’s house. It is my personal belief that God lead them directly to her. God knew she, along with all the inhabitants, was aware of recent events. She had viewed the Israelites and their recent victories against the Amorite kings. He saw her in the midst of Jericho, and knew her heart.

God knew that she realized that He was God alone. He knew she saw that there was something different about the God the Israelites worshipped, compared to the gods of Jericho. I believe He connected the spies with her in order to preserve the Israelites and “redeem” Rahab, if you will.

The second application I can draw from her is that God cares about big issues like giving victory to an entire nation. But, God also cares about the smaller, individual issues, like completely turning someone’s entire life around, simply because of their faith in Him.

Her Faith

Did you know that Rahab is listed in the lineage of Jesus Christ? Did you know that Rahab is only one of two women mentioned by name in the great hall of faith (I’m referring to Hebrews 11)? Additionally, James refers to her when discussing what true faith looks like.

I love that passage the most and want to dive a bit deeper into it here. James starts off discussing faith in James 2:17, when he states that faith without works is dead. He brings up Abraham, stepping out on faith with his son Isaac. Then, he brings up Rahab. He discusses how she became justified by her works. By Rahab acting out on her faith, she proved that it was alive and well.

How amazing would it be to be told that my faith was alive and well! The Christian life isn’t just about making sure you don’t do anything wrong. In my opinion, the Christian life is so much more about doing what it is that God has called you to do, when He calls you to do it.

Lastly,

Not only am I inspired by Rahab’s faith and action, but I realize her life doesn’t end there. Rahab reaches out to her family and their lives are spared as well. It makes you wonder what loved ones of her moved on to live lives rich in Christ.

Rahab marries; she lives in the Jewish culture. At some point she has a son. Rahab went from being a harlot, and left her past in Jericho. She becomes a wife and mother, redeemed by a God who saw her heart. Do you have other lessons from Rahab on your mind? Share about them below.