RAHAB

RAHAB

"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." - Hebrews 11:31

The meaning of the name Rahab, the first part “Ra,” was the name of an Egyptian god. As an Amorite, Rahab belonged to an idolatrous people, and had a name meaning “insolence,” “fierceness,” or “broad,” “spaciousness.”

Just after Joshua took over the assignment of leading the people of GOD to the promised land, he was faced with the challenge of crossing the River Jordan which was equally on their path to the promised land. The Lord made the River Jordan to part ways for the Isrealites to pass through bearing the ark of the covenant. Just after successfully passing through, they were faced with another challenge in the form of Jericho, which was a huge fortress, one which refused them passage through it and this denial meant they were blocked from continuing on their journey.

As a result of this, Joshua sent spies to go and checkout the land as a prerequisite to understanding how best he could lead the people to conquering them since that was the only way through seeing that the King of Jericho had refused them passage. This spies went into the city lodged in the house of a woman named Rahab and very quickly, the word of their presence in her house and their assignments as spy of the people of GOD got to the King and he requested for them to be brought before Him, obviously to kill them.

Prior to this visit of the spies to Rahab's home, she had gotten good enough information about the GOD of the Isrealites and how He alone was the one true GOD identifying the strong hand of the Lord upon the Isrealites as He brought them out of Egypt about some 40 years earlier, the crossing of the Red Sea, the wanderings in the wilderness, and their recent victory over the Amorites. She learned enough to reach the correct, saving conclusion: "For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below" (Joshua 2:11). However, Rahab had this advantage and it sure seemed to work in her favour, she had heard that the GOD of the Israelites was to be feared and to fear Him she did and saved her life and that of her household.

She then decided to save them spies from the impending danger of death by the hands of the king and promising to help them escape the city finally. This she did by hiding these spies in her roof, and perfectly rehearsing the lie she would have to tell when asked about the spies whereabouts. So the officers of the King came into her house, asked after the spies, she didn't deny seeing them but only claimed that she didn't know where they were at the moment claiming that they left at dawn a time when it was obviously difficult for anyone to have claimed to have seen them or not.

The officers surprisingly didn't bother to ransack her house in the thought that maybe she had told them a lie and the spies were still there, so they left and she made a pact with the spies asking that they would not harm her and her family whenever the Lord gave them the city of Jericho. This they agreed to and gave her instructions on what to do so that her house would be easily identified in the commotion by hanging a scarlet rope outside her window and that all members of her family should be within such house.

After the spies were let down from a basket through the window of the house of Rahab, they returned to give news back to Joshua who then laid siege to the city awaiting instructions on how it was to be conquered (Joshua 6). As instructed, the walls of the city of Jericho fell down flat, and the city was taken over, everything and everyone in it destroyed by fire except Rahab and her family as they fulfilled the promise made to Rahab when she saved the spies. Rahab eventually became an ancestress of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, a mother of Faith simply by this singular act of saving the lives of the spies sent into Jericho.

There are a number of lessons which we could sit down to understand as touching the life and actions of Rahab and how they truly are similar to the present church today. The church was initially a lost entity, one found in the midst of gross spiritual darkness is redeemed by Grace into Light becoming the bride of CHRIST (Eph. 5:25-27, Rom. 11), such as Rahab was found as a person amongst pagan worship, gross spiritual darkness but by her act of Faith she was redeemed from the death that took her people and was set right to enjoy Life that the Lord alone could offer, and she was able to bear an earthly ancestor for the Lord JESUS.


Christians are saved through our Faith in the finished work of JESUS CHRIST on the cross of Calvary, the best gift given to us. Rahab was equally saved because she had Faith in the GOD of the Isrealites being the one and only true GOD and acted on that knowledge. We become saved by our Faith in JESUS, henceforth required of us is to begin to act out the new life we have received. This new life flees from sin, so should we since we now have received same. By this we show that that which we have believed and received is true.

Imagine if Rahab had just stopped at believing that the GOD of the Isrealites was the only true GOD and she didn't act by saving the spies and claiming her redemption, she would certainly not be that which we can talk about today but because she acted on her belief, her salvation was certain. Christians act out that which you have received. Let it not be difficult for gentiles to identify you and be drawn into the Light that you have been called to shine forth. As Rahab left pagan worship behind, as a Christian your worship should be henceforth exclusively Christ-ward (Rom. 12).

Finally, once we come to Christ, our pasts no longer matter. The slate is wiped clean for all who believe and accept the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on our behalf. Rahab was no longer viewed as an unclean prostitute, but as one worthy by grace to be part of the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as she was grafted into the line of Christ, so we become children of God and partakers in His inheritance (Romans 11). We find in the life of Rahab the inspiring story of all sinners who have been saved by grace. In her story, we learn of the amazing grace of God that can save even the worst of sinners and bring them into an abundant life in Christ Jesus.

Now, though many would want to use Rahab's case as an excuse to their daily offences, citing that as GOD was able to use the prostitute, Rahab despite her assumed filth, He would not discard into hellfire and He would infact use me too. He requires of you righteousness, holiness and sanctity. Come with your filth, no matter how bad it may seem, He is very willing and well able to wash it all away but He still requires that you desist from your vomit (2Peter.2:22).

GOD BLESS YOU.