My Sunday Skl

So, how was Rahab compensated for her act of faith?

“Now please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.” (Joshua 2:12‭-‬13 CSB)

She knew what was going on.

What do you mean?

It must’ve been clear to her that her people were about to get massacred, and so she wanted to cut a deal with God.

“When you come and tear down this place, can you at least give me a heads-up so me and my family can be saved, just like how I saved yours.”

But it was even deeper than that. Let’s look back at the verses prior. “You will also”, creates the sense that this a two-way arrangement, and exchange of sorts. Her history and her profession had taught her how to work with these kinds of arrangements. Furthermore, she asked for kindness. But this isn’t the kindness that we typically seek today. We hear kindness and we think of being friendly or nice, but in the Bible kindness more associated with faithfulness and loyalty.

How do you know that? Were you there? No

I’ll give you that, but let’s dive a little deeper.

We read kindness, but the Hebrew word commonly used is actually “chesed”, a word used hundreds of times across the Old Testament, especially when referring to a covenant between two parties. An example would be God’s covenantal covering despite Israel’s unfaithfulness. “Chesed” is less so about feelings but rather how an agreement should be approached attitudinally. When someone has God’s “chesed”, that person has the backing of a covenant.

Back to Rahab. Rahab said she wanted a covenant – a loyal love. She wanted an agreement that she could count on. But in the end, her desire stems from her act of faithfulness. An exchange of kindness for kindness.

Okay, so Rahab did a good thing and was repaid for it. But there must be more to it right?

Well don’t you think it is interesting that one of the greatest lessons in the Bible is given to us through a Harlot?

Can you stop calling her a Harlot now?

I’m simply following protocol, or should I say the scripture. Rahab is called a harlot nearly each and every time she’s mentioned in the Bible. Fast forward to James and even he notes her occupation in the New Testament when he talks about her as an example of faith.

Hmm, let’s see where we can go with this.

Despite her title as a harlot, what James says about Rahab is important for all Christians seeking to be used by God, due to the demonstration of the connection between faith and function.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.” (James 2:14‭-‬17CSB)

We already know, salvation for eternity comes by faith alone in Christ alone.

If you want to debate this, or want to see arguments for both, I can point you in the right direction.

I’ve always thought that getting to heaven shouldn’t be the only goal, or at least God still wants us to do more and wants to do more in us. See, there will be all kinds of people in heaven, some who have been serving their entire life and some who gave their life to Christ hours before they died.

And I think James knew that- God wants more for us than just making heaven.

There are many people who will make it to glory but have never experienced God’s glory on earth. Many who believed but never had a testimony of how God entered their life and turned things around supernaturally by His saving power, because they never let Him in.
There’s so many christians who look forward to heaven simply because they feel like that’s the only time, they’ll experience God.

I think this is what James is referring to. Many of us aren’t seeing God’s hand in our lives, not because of a lack of faith, but because of a lack of action. Too many of us read about the God of the Bible but have never experienced Him for ourselves. Why? Because we have faith but don’t live in it.

18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.

Remember what Rahab said. They all knew about God. They all knew what God was capable of. Yet they carried on as they were. Rahab “believed” in God, yet until that point had never experienced Him. She knew and feared his power, but it wasn’t until she stepped in faith and hid the spies, that the prostitute became righteous. This isn’t to say her works allowed her to experience God later in Heaven, but rather opened the door to her experiencing God on Earth.

Wow, but did you really have to throw “prostitute” in there?

No, but it’s provocative…it gets the people going!

25 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? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

PREVIOUS PART             NEXT PART