"So the men said to her: 'We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father's household to your own home" ~Josh 2:17-18~
This is the story of Rahab. And oh what a powerful story it is! Our pastor preached an awesome message on it recently and the Lord led me back there tonight.
Joshua was the new leader of the Israelite people. God promised him that they could overtake the land as an inheritance. So, Joshua sends two spies into the land. He wanted man's opinion to be sure it could be done!
You have to remember, this is the same promised land that Moses led the children of Israel searching for in the wilderness for 40 years--40 years searching! Now, with Moses passed away, and a new leader in command, God reinforces the promise. I can certainly understand the hesitation!
So, the spies go to the home of Rahab the harlot. She recognizes that these men belong to the God of Israel. She takes them in, hides them, and bargains with them to spare her family in the process.
Up to this point, Rahab was not a child of God. But she was a believer! She had heard how God's hand of protection was always with the children of Israel. She knew their God to be all powerful, always victorious. Something in her spirit was drawn toward God. She knew He had the power to save her and her entire family. And she was willing to step out in faith to request salvation. The story of the scarlet cord she tied in the window would forever be a symbol of her faith. That faith transformed her life forever, so much that she would become the great-great grandmother to a king named David, a man after God's own heart.
God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, because she was so pure, so humble. Yet He chose Rahab to be in the lineage of Christ too(Matt 1:5-6)...a harlot, saved by faith. God chooses you, God chooses me. We can be used by Him at any stage of life, regardless what state our life is in. The moment He can begin using us is the moment we surrender to let Him take over.
