By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace.
Into the Text
From an outside perspective, Rahab is the last person one would expect to be in a study on obedience. She was a prostitute. She was a Canaanite. She was a resident of Jericho, the city God was about to destroy because of their opposition to Israel.
Despite all of that, Rahab obeyed God. Rather than implement the commands of the King of Jericho to turn over the spies, Rahab hid them. Such actions put her in grave danger. If found out, she would have been killed. But she feared God more than man and welcomed the spies, doing exactly what they commanded her to do.
Rahab professed to the spies her faith in and fear of their God. Without actions to follow her faith, she would have died with the disobedient citizens of Jericho. In James 2, Rahab is set up as the example of faith expressed by works. Verse 2:26 says that “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
We can have faith in God and profess to love Him, but true faith and love must move from our lips to our hands. The true test if our faith is real is whether or not it is followed by action. And remember, no matter what you have done, God wants to rescue you. He wants to give you real life. He wants you to know Him, and He wants to give you a hope and a future.
Prayer
Father God, you are my Rescuer and Deliverer. My hope is in you alone. Help me to show my faith in you through obedience. Thank you for removing my past and giving me a future. Amen.