–“God wants to use her.” Who are you talking about?–
Rahab… the harlot.
You see, Rahab wasn’t just your ordinary thot.
–Woah! Chill!–
Can I say that?
–Probably not.–
Let’s start again.
–Why not just delete it then…–
Rahab wasn’t just your ordinary harlot; she wasn’t sneaking out at night to go do her business and then running back to bed before the neighbours spot her. Pretty much anyone who knew Rahab also knew about her, how should I say it, hobby. This past-time activity wasn’t hidden in the Bible either, in fact it was highlighted.
Joshua 2:1 flat out tells us about “a harlot named Rahab”.
–A Harlot is like a prostitute, right?-
Yes, and it’d be a disservice to Rahab to not fully delve into it. She sold her body for money; letting men have full reign over her in exchange for some cash.
You might think that someone in her profession would eventually give up hopes of getting married, settling down and living a normal, yet holy life and to be honest I get it; after doing that day-in day-out, she could easily feel too far gone, as if there was no chance of God ever using her.
“Prostitution is the oldest side hustle in the world.” It’s even evolved. Whores, escorts, harlots, and prostitutes. Go to certain areas and you may even hear them being called hookers. Whatever the name, they all mean the same thing: they, like Rahab, made a career out of servicing others with “sexual favours.”
Also, this may be the time to clarify that these names do not apply to only a specific gender.
“Ah but guys can’t be whores; they’re called play-“
Anyways, one day someone was asked whether they’d sell themselves for one night for a million pounds, cash.
I don’t know why but putting cash afterwards makes everything sound better.
They said they’d have to think about it. The question was then changed. “Would you sell yourself for a tenner?”
“10 pounds. What do you think I am?”, they replied.
“We’ve already established what you are,” they answered. “Right now, I’m just trying gauge your price point.”
–Hmm, so what are you trying to say?–
I’m not trying to call anyone anything, largely because I don’t want to get myslef in trouble, but a lot of us look at Rahab and what she did as extremely different to what a lot of us, men and women, do.
–What do we do that’s even comparable to Rahab? Like I know I’m not out here in the brothels.-
Cool. Timeline example. One person takes another out to dinner and then pays for the meal, and the recipient offers repayment, whether overtly or not, through sexual gratification. It’s the same thing but simply with different terms of agreement.
Remember it’s not always about money. There are plenty of men who are pursuing women and giving themselves away in order to feel some sort of power or control. Enough guys are sleeping around for “respect” and props. You see it’s the same thing, they’re exchanging their body for some sort of social currency.
And of course, we can’t forget the relationships. If a woman gives herself to a man, she is not married to in order to feel secure or gain his attention, it’s the same thing, but with a different set of terms and conditions.
Now this isn’t to call everyone, including myself, whores and hoes, but rather to get rid of any idea that Rahab as a harlot was the worst of the worst. Sometimes it’s only when we begin to see similarities that we begin to truly understand or at least try to. And guess what, as we saw with Moses, Peter, David, Jonah, and others, it’s never too late, and you’re never too far gone for God to restore, redeem, and use.
Now that that’s been established, we can take a proper look at Rahab and not just her profession, in Joshua 2.
First things first, we must acknowledge that Rahab was a professional, and if you go to verse 15, you’d find out that her house was actually on the city walls.
–Why is this important?–
This just screams strategic positioning. Rahab knew that with her location, travellers going in and out would easily be able to locate her and may even be tempted to enter.
–Does this really have any relevancy outside showing her skill?-
Verse 1: Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So, they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab and lodged there.
I genuinely believe that Rahab’s location might be one of the reasons why the two spies chose Rahab’s house out of them all.
These spies went somewhere where strangers and travellers would often pass or visit: Rahab’s, a local brothel, and remember she was great at her job, so this was hardly uncommon and would not arise suspicion. Already, we’re seeing how Rahab’s specific circumstances and history is being used for the benefit of the two spies.
Before Rahab even met the men, she was already being prepped to be used by God. That’s the crazy thing, even when we don’t realise what is going on, God is always working and doing a new thing in our lives. Rahab was a harlot yes, but as we read on, we learn that it was this, er, tendency which allowed her to be used by God.
My Sunday Skl 