Joshua 2 continues our journey to cross over the Jordan Rivers of life. Joshua sent spies out to “scout the land…So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there.”
Spies, prostitutes, and all-night parties? At first blush, this sounds a bit like the opening to an “R” rated movie. But this little house that hugged the city wall was exactly where God wanted the Israelites to be. Here a woman named Rahab bolstered their faith as she proclaimed, “We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea…for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below…”. They knew in that moment that the Lord God had gone before them, and the unknown was not so scary. The men ran to meet the adventure ahead.
In the most unlikely of chance meetings, a prostitute and a spy became the great grandparents of King David and part of the legacy and lineage of the Savior of the world.
“Salmon fathered Boaz by Rabab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David.” Matthew 1:3-4
This love story is so elegantly merciful that it makes a grown woman cry. Rahab, the pagan prostitute, began life with a sad, hopeless outlook. Salmon saw beyond her sin and looked instead at her faith in the God she believed could save her. He fell in love with the woman who dared to hope that life could be different.
What is in this story for you and I? So, so much! It tells us to:
- Believe that salvation makes “all things new”
- Show mercy, compassion, and hope to every person
- Know that a sad reputation can be renewed by the Savior
- Proclaim God is not limited by our circumstances
- Dare to believe that life can be different
- Trust that God does not leave us in our bad choices
- Believe that God has gone before you
- Expect the unexpected to happen in the most unlikely of situations in your life, your family, your church, your relationships, and your efforts.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! Ephesians 3:20-21 The Message
Always Expect Amazing,