THE GRACEFUL PROSTITUTE
When you read the Book of Joshua you will find yourself amazed at the grace of God. Rahab would most definitely intrigue you.
And if it didn’t strike you before, it will now. Jesus is really a descendant of a Canaanite prostitute? I can still get past the Gentile part, but the “prostitute” thingy, that’s heavy stuff.
Joshua 2:1 is the first mention of Rahab — and the Bible is straightforward about who she is.
‘And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.’
Some of us must have always thought how cool it would be for our names to be mentioned in the Bible, especially one that would link us with Jesus. But not this way. Rahab is a prostitute. I think the Bible wants to make this crystal clear. The phrase “Rahab the prostitute” is mentioned 5 times in the Bible: thrice in OT and twice in the New Testament (Joshua 2:1; 6;17; 6;25; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25).
This is really heavy stuff, yeah? Ever wondered why not Deborah or Miriam or any Israelite woman with a good, stellar record of righteousness? Why, would the holy, righteous God include the name of a harlot into the genealogy of His Son Jesus?
The answer is simple, His grace shining in through:
“I show My great mercy and power through human weaknesses. Whenever you feel at your weakest, whenever you feel you’re the most undeserving, whenever you feel you are in your filthiest, most sinful moment, that is the moment where My power shines the brightest and My compassion for you beats the strongest. My GRACE is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
“Why harlotry of all sins?” you may ask?
The Drake commentary tells us that “Harlotry is the epitome of self-inflicted, gut-wrenching brokenness. The prostitute knows it is wrong, but she can not escape due to various reasons. And each time a prostitute commits the act, he or she is broken into further smaller pieces that seem irreparable. She feels like it is too late to turn back.”
Same with you. Every time you commit a sin that you swear you won’t be doing again, you feel like you are breaking yourself into pieces that are too small to be restored back.
But God’s message is this: No matter how filthy you feel, I can reach out to you and turn your life around, I can make it right, and even do wonders through it, when everybody else — including yourself — thought you are good for nothing and can never be restored.”
“Then what is the appropriate response to your Grace, Lord?”
The first 2 words of Hebrews 11:31 read… “BY FAITH, the prostitute Rahab…“
Posted on October 31, 2014, in Dear Jesus and tagged Faith, God's grace, God's love, Grace, Rahab. Bookmark the permalink. 63 Comments.
Ezar's Chronicles 
Is it not written dat God choses the weak to shame the strong….He chooses those dat have not arrived to shame those dat have arrived so dat no one will boast in His Presence(1 Corinth1:26-31).Let him who boasts boast in d Lord.
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Ezar,with ur posts,i am challenged to STUDY my Bible…to know where u are coming from,nd where u are going to!You have become my study help….tanx.
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Graceful Ezar,I likeoooooo.The Lord is with you!
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Faith without a corresponding action is dead/useless!Show me your faith without works,nd i will show you a woman(Rahab) whose great faith was demonstrated by what she did.Great woman of faith!
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Her faith pleased d Lord indeed.I noticed how a whole verse(v31) was given to her b4 great men of God(Gideon,Samson,Jephthah,David,Samuel) were gped together in d next verse(v32).There will be great surprises in Heaven…the unrecognized in d world are usually rich in faith.They are God-pleasers.
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Its not about d Word of God we know or can quote,but about faith in d Word of God to accomplish what it was sent to do eg salvation,healing.By faith,Rahab put d scarlet cord at her window, nd her life was preserved.
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Many of us claim we have faith,but our inaction betray us.It is faith plus works dat justified Rahab,nd not just faith alone(James 2:25).
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No matter how graced we are,if we do not exercise our faith,our faith is dead,God’s grace is frustrated nd nothing is accomplished!
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Mother Sarah laughed in unbelief when God spoke,but Mama Rahab believed dat the God of Israel was the only true nd great God who will do what He says He will do.By faith she put her life on d line by hiding d spies,not fearing d wrath of her king,the king of Jericho!By faith she tied d scarlet rope on her window in anticipation of her salvation.
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What is faith(from Rahabs story)?Faith is my action dat provokes God’s reaction to work on my behalf,even in d face of contradictions.
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Hebrew 11 is a long list of ‘By faith’.These were ancients whose absolute trust(faith) in God motivated them to do what they did.This list is our example for today.
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This post made me to study nd meditate on Hebrews 11 nd the other scriptures on Rahab.Now when i want to pray or read d Bible,I will say,by faith Efuru is going to pray,or by faith Efuru is going to study….I will speak it out to my hearing.This has helped me a lot in my new walk of faith.The journey of faith has begun for me.Halleluyah!
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It is written dat iron sharpens iron.Ezar ur posts have helped to sharpen nd broaden my view on some Bible topics.May d Lord be with you.
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