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Beautiful Messes: Rahab

“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?”¹

“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”²

Image plays a large part in today’s society. People who are generous might be known as Altruistic. People who extend a hand to the less-fortunate like to be known as Humanitarian. Those who see the positive in everything are Optimistic. But imagine having to go through life known by your greatest sin - Moses the Murderer, David the Adulterer, Jacob the Deceiver. Letting others know what our struggles are can be humbling, or maybe even humiliating.  For the most part we like to keep our ugly covered and not put on display for others to judge. And when it comes to spiritual matters we hide behind past sins and think: “God could never use someone like me”. But God has shown us throughout scripture that He will use those who are willing to be used by Him to do great things for God’s Kingdom. In the book of Joshua, in the Old Testament, we meet Rahab, better known as Rahab the Prostitute. A woman known in the city for the Inn she kept and the services she offered there. It was not unusual for her to receive male guests, but it was this very situation that God chose to turn around and use for His glory. God’s people, the Israelites, needed to place two spies within the city walls and Rahab, despite her colorful reputation, was ready and willing to be used by God. She aided the men by providing them refuge, and in return God protected her and her entire family when the city fell.

Rahab’s station in life and the fact that it is referenced several times in the Bible, reminds us that God offers His salvation to sinners and not only to those whom society classifies as “good”. Our past does not define us, rather it is the choices we make when we come to Christ that define who we are in Him. It was Rahab’s choice, rather than her past, that defined her for us today. Her faith in God placed her among the great in Faith’s Hall of Fame found in Hebrews 11. And even more, she had the privilege and honor to be a part of Jesus’ ancestry! So, you see, we don’t have to be perfect and sinless for God to use us in great and significant ways. He will meet us where we are for, He sees right past the ugly and into our hearts where he finds our worth.

Suggested Prayer:

Dear Loving, Heavenly Father, you have seen me at my worst and loved me. I am humbled at the very thought that you would choose to take an ugly sinner like me and transform me for your glory. Lord, today I am determined to be used by you to share your love with others. I want to be defined by the choices I make, by faith, in you. In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

1. James 2:25.

2. Hebrews 11:31.