Rahab the Believer

Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute from Jericho, was a believer. She didn’t know much but she knew enough.

^{Joshua 2:8-11} Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof ⁹ and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, … for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

Rahab refers to God as LORD. Most Bibles use lord in all capital letters to indicate the personal name of God, Yahweh. Rahab called God by his personal name.

Second she identifies him as the God of the universe, “heaven and earth.” She said, “Yahweh is God.”

The writer of Hebrews includes Rahab in his great hall of faith, chapter 11. The names in Hebrews 11 appear in this order:

1. Abel
2. Enoch
3. Noah
4. Abraham
5. Sarah
6. Isaac
7. Jacob
8. Joseph
9. Moses
10. Rahab

Others are mentioned in Hebrews 11, the parents of Moses, for example. But they aren’t named. The last person named is Rahab.

The footnote section concludes Hebrews 11 in verses 32 – 40. Individuals like Gideon and David are mentioned. But their stories aren’t developed like the 10 people listed above.

The people in the great Hall of Faith are messy. Abraham lied about his relationship with Sarah and puts her and himself in mortal peril. Moses had an anger problem. Jacob was a shady business man all his life. Rahab carries the label “prostitute” right into the New Testament.

Rahab has another label, one she had even when a prostitute, Rahab the woman of faith.

Explore posts in the same categories: Faith, Freedom, Grace, Sin

Tags: Faith, Freedom, Grace, Hebrews 11, Rahab

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