Light second purple candle - The Peace Candle
I imagine that some of you have read the title of today’s devotion and already begun thumbing back through the previous pages, certain that you accidentally skipped a story or two. Yesterday’s ancestral character was Judah and today’s is Rahab? How could that be? How can we skip over Moses and the Exodus or the Israelites’ 40 years in the wilderness? I know, I know, it’s disappointing, but I’m wanting to dig deeper into some of the lesser known characters in Jesus’ family tree. Rahab is definitely one of those characters.
But before we dive into this harlot-turned-heroine’s story, let’s do a quick catch-up on the Israelites’ 400+ years of captivity in Egypt, God’s rescue plan through Moses and the community’s wanderings in the wilderness. After Jacob (also known as Israel) died, his children and grandchildren remained in Egypt. They had their own land, an area called Goshen, and were farmers and ranchers. As time passed, the Pharaoh who had loved Joseph and his family died and eventually a king came into power who did not know or respect the children of Israel. Instead, he decided to enlist these foreign-looking and behaving people into building his kingdom. Eventually they were enslaved by the Egyptians and did the backbreaking work of constructing palaces and pyramids. But Yahweh continued to bless His people with strength, close-knit community and many beautiful children.
In an effort to control the slave population, Pharaoh instructed that all Hebrew baby boys should be killed, but at least one baby, Moses, was secretly spared, adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised as Egyptian royalty. After many missteps, including murder, Moses found himself far from Egypt, shepherding his father-in-law’s sheep and listening to God call to him from a burning bush. Yahweh uses Moses to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt through a series of profound signs and plagues which challenge and overturn each of Egypt’s gods, but it isn’t until Pharaoh’s own son is killed that he lets God’s people go. The huge Israelite family crosses the Red Sea on dry ground when God pushes back the waves and is finally free and heading to the Promised Land!
But it is hard to live as free people, fully dependent on your Father God, when you’ve lived all of your life as a slave to a harsh and ruthless king. The Hebrews’ instinct was to question, to doubt, to hoard and hide, rather than trust Yahweh to provide everything they needed. Moses sent 12 spies into the land of Canaan to discover the way in and what to expect when they got there. Ten of the men came back gripped with fear, advising that they stay put. To enter the land would be suicide. But two spies, Caleb and Joshua, believed that if this was God’s gift to their people, He would be with them and they would be victorious. Unfortunately, the people sided with the ten and so they continued their wanderings.
It wasn’t until Moses died and was buried by God Himself that Joshua was tapped as the new leader of the Israelites. Following the transition of leadership and God’s reminders of His plan for the people, He assures Joshua, “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh 1:9) And this is where we pick up our Advent reading for today:
Read Joshua 2
“Let it be as you say.” (Josh 2:21) These were the last words Rahab said to the two Israelite men who had come to her for information and protection within the city walls of Jericho. While Scripture is clear about Rahab’s occupation as a prostitute, the narrative carefully avoids any suggestion of a sexual encounter between her and the spies. Rahab’s house was more likely an inn, a logical place to stay and to gather information. As we’ve learned from other biblical accounts, Scripture writers do not shy away from detailing exact specifics of blatant sin, which leads me to conclude that Rahab was not exchanging sexual favors for salvation.
Rahab confidently confides to the spies, “I know that the LORD has given you this land.” (v 9) indicating a remarkable awareness of Israel’s history and God’s plan to give Israel the land of Canaan. In fact, her confession echoes the language and theology of God’s original promise to Abraham. Of course, her confession does not in and of itself imply spiritual conversion and could have been an educated recognition of Israel’s great and mighty God. However, her later integration into the nation of Israel favors genuine conversion. As we read in Joshua 6, when the walls of Jericho begin tumbling down, Joshua sends the two spies to the window with a scarlet cord to collect Rahab and her family. They are taken outside the camp for a period of time, most likely because of their uncleanness, but eventually brought into the family after Jericho was completely destroyed. “Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.” (Josh 6:25)
Rahab protected her family, helped pull off a vital reconnaissance mission, had faith that empowered a nation and became a matriarch in the most famous royal lineage in Scripture. Rahab was the mother, or perhaps great grandmother of Boaz, the man who would one day redeem and marry Ruth, the Moabite widow, together becoming the great-grandparents of King David, who we’ll highlight tomorrow. But this connection is more than genealogical.
The character and experience of Rahab is evident in her descendants. We know for a fact that Boaz was compassionate, willing to welcome an outsider like Ruth into the community of Israel. He ardently cared for his family and was mindful of Ruth’s reputation, provision and physical safety. I have to believe that Boaz’ gentle and godly character was formed through hearing the story of Rahab’s entry into the family of God. And it should shape ours as well, as Rahab’s story is an archetype within a much larger pattern. Over and over again, God uses the most unlikely of characters - even a foreign prostitute - to accomplish His plan of redemption.
Sing O Day of Peace (see page 38 for lyrics)
Reflect
Was there anything about Rahab’s story that was new to you in today’s devotion?
Are there individuals, people groups or occupations that you believe are too far gone for God to choose to redeem and transform?
Pray for the Lord to give you eyes to see those who seem far from God - those unlikely characters - from His perspective, as those Jesus died to save.
