Rahab

Rahab

Hello everyone. We will be doing a short study on Rahab for this month. Rahab is first mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 2. Remember the two men who were sent by Joshua to spy the land of Jericho? Yhup, it was Rahab’s place they lodged. Okay, I know you knew that already. I hope we also remember it was around the same time the Lord was about sending His children into the Promised Land.

Rahab is a name which means broad, spacious or vast. It is believed the first part of her name(Ra) might have been from the Egyptian god Ra. She dwelt on the city wall in Jericho. Jericho was a pagan environment where almost every  tom, dick and harry that dwelt there participated in idol worship. She dwelt there with her father,mother, brothers and sisters. She was a prostitute(or harlot). We can also see that she had some knowledge about the God of Israel(Joshua 2:10,11).
She is one of the only four women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Chris(Matt 1:5). She is the only woman mentioned by name in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11.
Lessons to be learnt from Rahab

• Rahab was a thinker!
  The first thing that strikes me about Rahab is her ability to think and act. And I see this in various acts of hers. For instance;
  The way she responded when she was asked about the men. Oh yeah…..she did lie. But we are not bent on highlighting any weakness of hers. She gave them an answer(and with bravery) which they had no reason to doubt for a second. The men didn’t even consider searching her room for the spies just in case she had lied.

• And thinkers observe and strategise…
  We see her in Joshua 2:16 advising the spies on what to do so they are not discovered by their pursuers. I believe this advice stemmed from the fact that she had observed and understood the way things worked in her community. So now, I want you to pause. Is there any aspect of your life you can apply the principle of observing and strategizing. You see, phenomenal women( and men too) make their society better. They are proble. To be a problem solver and an agent of positive change in your society, you should learn to observe and plan. It shouldn’t end with just thinking and planning, let’s learn to take action. Let’s learn to take initiative.

• The concern she had for her family
  From our introduction, we understand that Rahab’s family also lived in Jericho. We’re not too sure why she wasn’t living with them in the same house. Some have attributed it to the fact that she may have been estranged from her family because of her profession. Nevertheless, we see a woman who wasn’t selfish and secured safety for her family. So firstly, I just want to encourage you to create strong bonds of unity and love in your family. Let your family know you care and that God gave you to them for a reason. It honestly feels good to know that you have a family supporting you.
  And also as the old adage goes, “Charity begins at home.” Showing love to people around you isn’t fruitful if you can’t show love to the wonderful family God has given you (and family is not always blood). In a similar vein, if you want to be a difference in society, start being a difference in your family, right where you are.

• Faith
  For someone who had been exposed to idol worship right from birth, she demonstrated a very admirable degree of faith. And her consciousness of the power and might of God is amazing.(Joshua 2:10,11) It is no surprise then that we find her name in the Hall of faith. I believe her faith in God also prompted her to make such a great request of her family being spared(Josh 2:12,13). And we see from Joshua 6 that this faith was rewarded.

So to conclude, I want to say I get excited when I see Rahab, who was once a prostitute appear in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. It reminds me that I have a God who can take the foolishness of this world to confound the wise. It also encourages me not to look down on myself or allow myself to be held mentally captive by my past. God is good. I can be a great shining star no matter how darkened my life may has once been.
God richly bless you for reading.

beautifully written by Arbie Marfoa Marfo  ( team member of the Phenomenal Woman)