Last week, when I started reading the Gospel of Mathews in the Bible I came across the name of Rahab in the first chapter. I may have read this Gospel many a times, but it was the first time I took notice of Rahab's name in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
I knew that Rahab was the prostitute who hid the two Israelite spies in her house in Jericho, and made them escape the king's men. I also knew that as a reward for saving the spies, she and her family were spared from being killed, when the highly fortified walls of Jericho fell down and the Israelites rushed in to kill and destroy the city. I've read all about it in the second chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament.
But now, it does seem to me that Rahab's story didn't begin and end within that single chapter. I see her name re-emerge in the first chapter of the Gospel of Mathews in the New Testament. I couldn't understand how a former prostitute and idol worshipper like Rahab's name be included in the genealogy of Christ Jesus? How could that happen? No human mind could ever think of linking her blood line with that of any royal . For that matter, in the ancestry line of King David and Jesus.
But God did. With Him nothing is impossible. In His great plan, no one is exempt. History would tell that in the story He crafts, He uses paupers, princes, priests, prisoners, prostitutes, fishermen, tax collectors and so forth to fulfill His purpose. He surprises us in His unique ways. He could make a mere shepherd boy with a sling and five smooth stones to bring down a giant like Goliath and later make him a great king of Israel. He also could make Saul, the devout Jewish rabbi and persecutor of Christ followers to transform into Paul-the Christ lover, preacher and writer of the most epistles in the New Testament.
Yes, God chose Rahab, when she was living in Jericho as a prostitute and as an idol worshipper. He used her to shelter the Israelite spies in her house and help them to escape from the hands of the king of Jericho. In return for her help, God spared Rahab and her family's life and made them enter the promised land along with the Israelites.
We don't know what made Rahab to choose the profession. The Bible doesn't mention about her family background or her growing up years. We don't know whether poverty, divorce, abuse, or the tradition handed down from her grandma to her mom drove Rahab to become a prostitute.
As I mentioned earlier, we come to know about her in the second chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Bible. By this time, Moses, the Israelites leader is dead and Joshua has become their new leader to lead them to the promised land. Israelites had to cross the Jordan river and take down the fortified city of Jericho to reach the land God had promised them. In order to evaluate the land and strength of the city, Joshua sent two spies to Jericho. To avoid suspicion from the people in city, the two men chose Rahab's house for their visit. However, the king of Jericho had somehow been alerted that two Israelites had entered the city to spy on the land and they're staying in Rahab's place. The king immediately summoned Rahab to handover the two Israelites at her place to him as they were considered to be spies.
Rahab could have easily done that and got on with her business. But she didn't. She put her life at risk to save the two Israelites. She was also wise enough to make a deal with the two spies. She told them that she would help them to escape, but they had to assure her that they would spare her and her family from being killed when the Israelites take over Jericho. Rahab didn't seem to be a prostitute who was keen on making money out of her profession. She was someone who was also interested in knowing what was going around in her country as well as in the nations around.
It was her inquisitive nature that helped her to learn about Israelites and their God. From the mouths of the travelers who came across the Jordan river to visit her house, Rahab had come to know how the God of Israelites had dried up the water of the Red Sea for Israelites to walk through and escape from Egypt. She also had heard of how their God helped them to overthrow the two kings in East of Jordan and completely destroy the place. She knew that at any time these Israelites whom even the courageous men in her country dread, may walk in and take over the entire Jericho for themselves. She knew for well, neither her king's men nor the high and fortified walls of Jericho, nor her gods could protect her and her family from a nation backed by a powerful God.
Probably, Rahab must have been tired of the life she was living in her land and was looking for an escape. So, when the opportunity knocked at her door, she was wise enough to grab it without delay. Thus a verbal agreement was made between her and the two Israelites spies that if she helped the spies to escape from Jericho, they in turn would spare her along with her parents and siblings when the Israelites walk in to fight and take over the city. To identify and spare her household, the spies requested Rahab to tie a scarlet cord in her window and get her entire family to be inside her house at the time of the attack.
As agreed, the Israelites honored the spies' oath and rescued Rahab and family during their attack on Jericho. It might have been painful for Rahab to see her city ruined and her people killed when she left Jericho and joined the Israelites in their journey toward the promised land.
When Rahab left Jericho, she must have left her past behind and started a new chapter in her life in the promised land. By embracing the God of Israelites and following His ways, she must have found hope and redemption. Gladly Rahab's story didn't start and end within the second chapter of Joshua in the Old Testament. We see her name emerge in the New Testament too.
Do you know that the same Rahab later became the mother- in -law of Ruth, the loving and honorable Ruth for whom an entire book is named after in the Bible. But, wasn't Naomi ...Ruth's mother-in-law? you might ask. Yes, Naomi was Ruth's mother-in-law by her first marriage;Rahab was Ruth's mother-in-law by her second marriage.
In the Book of Ruth, we read that Ruth, a Moabite woman got married to Naomi's son Kilion, a Benjamite in Moab. But he died leaving Ruth childless. When Naomi decided to go back to her land Judah, Ruth was determined to accompany her mother -in -law and take care of her. In the new land, Ruth not only embraces the God Naomi worshipped, but she also get married to Boaz, a relative of Naomi.. Boaz was found to be a kind and highly respected man in the community. And his mother was none other than Rahab.
No doubt, when Rahab left Jericho, she must have left her past behind and started a new chapter in her life in the promised land. By embracing the God of Israelites and following His ways, she must have found hope and redemption.
In the course of time, she got married to an Israelite named Salmon and gave birth to Boaz. Rahab must have done a great job as a mother in raising a highly respected man like Boaz.
Ruth and Boaz named their son Obed, who became the father of Jesse. David, the shepherd boy who killed the giant like Goliath and later became the King of Israel was the youngest son of Jesse.
Down the royal line of King David, after twenty eight generation came Christ, the King of kings and the Lion of Judah. If you in doubt, check out the first chapter of Mathew to verify the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Yes, God gave a place for Rahab in His story ( history) to play an important role and revealed to the generations to come that He, the Almighty God, the Alpha and Omega is far beyond any barriers. By making His only Son to be born in the blood line of former prostitute, He declared that His ways are far superior and righteous than ours. Prejudice doesn't fit into His equation to thwart His plans. He sees things which we human beings cannot foresee, and incorporate people and events into his plan without the need to ask permission from anyone of us.
Rahab might have been a prostitute and an idol worshipper in the past in Jericho. But she was wise and courageous enough to leave her land and past behind and walk towards the promised land and embrace the worship of true God. The new found life gave her hope to emerge as a good wife, great mother and a great, great grand mother of a great king like David. Rahab's wisdom helped her to spot an opportunity and grab it to help her escape from destruction. God's grace gave her redemption. Rest is history with her name in Jesus' genealogy. Isn't that amazing?***
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