Rahab
Scripture Reading — Joshua 2
Salmon [was] the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab ...
Matthew 1:5
When you first meet Rahab, there is nothing in her story to suggest that she would become a hero of faith (Hebrews 11:31). Rahab was a Canaanite, a resident of Jericho, and her profession as a prostitute could well have been connected with the worship of Canaanite fertility gods. Rahab fell off the charts when judged by the standards of behavior expected from the people of God.
But when two Jewish spies visited her home one afternoon, she was confronted with the choice of a lifetime. Would she hold with the dying cause of Jericho, or would she cast her future with God's people? Whom would she worship?
Rahab made her decision. The scarlet cord dangling from her window was a sign that she was cutting with the past and moving on with the people of God. When she hung that cord out her window, she was taking a bold step of faith. She was trusting that the God of Israel had more power than her old deities. She was stopping one history in its tracks to take on a whole new identity with Israel. God blessed that choice by honoring her as the great-great-grandmother of David.
Some of us have choices to make too. They're hard because they mean making a radical break with the past. But here's the good news: faith in Jesus grafts us into the family of God-the one family that really matters.
Lord, the road before us divides, and we must decide which path we will travel in life. By your grace, lead us to the track that walks with you and embraces real life. Amen.
About the author — Bob Heerspink
Dr. Robert Heerspink was director of Back to God Ministries International from 2006 until 2011, when he passed away. He had previously pastored several Christian Reformed churches. Bob loved to write and was a frequent contributor to the Today devotional.
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