...So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night. But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.” Rahab had hidden the two men ... Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.” “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men said ... Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window. “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.” (Joshua 2:1-16 NLT)
It has been said that there are two reasons people change-either they see the light or feel the heat. Change through seeing the light is inspired change. Change through heat is forced change. However change is good no matter how it comes to be. In our text today, a remarkable change both through light and heat took place. It was a change that eventually transformed the world.
It is an amazing text for various reasons. First, for its theme of change. Rahab's house had had no lack of visitors but that day it hosted visitors of a different sort. A whorehouse became a hallowed spot. A whore received a halo. A sinner became a saint. A Jericho madam became a Jerusalem matriarch. A flirty prostitute became a faith pioneer. A house where sex was traded for money became a place where faith was traded for redemption. A woman who allowed everyone to use her decided instead to let God use her. A death-doomed gentile became a live-giving covenant giant of faith.
Then it is also amazing because of its strange but significant scenery. The Redemption story finds its beginnings in the red light district. The bloodline of the Savior went through the brothel. Salvation story swings through a strip club. Only God, Rahab and the depraved men who were the regular visitors to Rahab's house knew what role the scarlet rope played in Rahab's brothel before this day . Maybe it was an escape tool for men who visited her and had to quickly escape because their significant others were banging in rage on the other side of the door or perhaps it was for other lewd sexual uses we dare not talk about. One can only wonder. However the real wonder is that on that night it became a tool of salvation - a symbol of life-preserving covenant that eventually spawned David the great king and his great Messiah offspring. The body abused by many men would eventually house in its womb the progenitor of kings. ( Rahab's was ancestress to King David, all the kings of Judah, and Jesus).
Then, it is also amazing because it illustrates God's compassion. A woman with a bad past became a significant part of the world's future. God did not consult her past to determine that future. A gentile was incorporated into the covenant long before Peter could be born to visit Cornelius. Her faith was satisfactory to God and sufficient for her salvation. She didn't have to undo her years of sinning, she only needed to look to a scarlet cord in faith and she and her family were saved.
This has much for you today. First, it shows there is no one past being used by God and that there is nothing in your story or existence that God cannot utilize for his purpose. Your past has not taken you past his pasture of divine purpose. There is nothing he cannot redeem. Your misses can become missiles of faith, your mess a message and your sin-ridden environment a hallowed ground of deliverance for others. Your distance from God can be bridged and kings can still come out of your loins even if you had messed with the vilest. The scarlet fountain flowing from Jesus' veins can be your own lifeline.
Then it shows the power of faith. Rahab acknowledged God as supreme and entrusted herself to him for her deliverance. He did not disappoint. If you will do the same today with your life, the world can start expecting the inevitable --the manifestation of one who has fully committed his or her life to God.
Decision of the Day
I see that God is the God of transformation. He is the God of mercy. He is not bothered about my past or the place I dwell now. If I can dare put my faith in him, he'll change everything and use me for his glory. I chose to entrust myself to him today.
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