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“Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).”  Matthew 1:5 (NLT)

Hebrews chapter 11 is commonly referred to as the Hall of Faith for those who believe in Jesus. It lists the amazing feats of Moses, Noah, and Abraham, the giants of our faith. This chapter reads as a pep rally for those of us who have come behind to strengthen our faith, remind us of our future, and keep our focus on Him.

The book of James has several themes that run through it including faith and works, perseverance through trials, and how to find wisdom.

Joshua is a book about how God gave the Israelites their land, their home. It is a book of war and God’s faithfulness and how He keeps His promises.

What do these three powerful books have in common? A woman named Rahab is in all three of them.

She is also listed in Matthew 1:5, as an ancestor in the family tree of Jesus!

She must be such a woman of faithfulness and character, and God was able to trust her. She absolutely was. God used her mightily and admired her faith, mentioned her in THE Hall of Faith chapter, recognized her faith caused her to act, made her the Great Great Great…..Grandmother of the King of Kings, and put a whole book of the Bible about her son and his wife in scripture.

She is definitely a woman I want to emulate. She is a woman that ranked high in God’s kingdom and changed the course of History.

Where did she get her start? Where was it that she probably heard the stories of the faithfulness and great feats of Jehovah-God? How was a woman in her day so knowledgeable about the rest of the world?

Did I forget to mention? Rahab was a prostitute. She lived in the walls of her city, Jericho. Her reputation was such that when the king could not find the two Israelite spies, he sent His advisors to Rahab’s house, because he was sure she would know where they were. His men did not flinch when she answered them with a lie, because they had no reason to doubt her from the past. Rahab most likely heard about all of these accomplishments of God from those who paid her to stay the night. Rahab was also the one who took care of her family, including her father, mother, brothers and their families. This was not the cultural norm during this time. Truly there was nothing “normal”  about the life of Rahab and yet, God saw her where she was and He saw her faith. She was not only acceptable in His eyes, she was also elevated. It does not matter what others see in us or think about our past. God is the only audience that matters.

No matter our past, God always offers hope, redemption, and a future we cannot imagine.

“Father, thank you for loving us to always give us hope.”

For His Glory

Terrie Tollerson
TerrieTollerson.com/@TerrieTollerson
TRBC Women’s Life