OCTOBER 26, 2012
Even
Her?
Read: Joshua 2:1-14
Was not
Rahab the harlot also justified? —James 2:25
Imagine
looking through your family tree and finding this description of
your ancestor:
“A prostitute, she harbored enemies of the government in
her house. When she
was confronted by the authorities, she lied about it.”
What
would you do about her? Hide her story from anyone inquiring about
your family?
Or spotlight and praise her in the legends of your family’s story?
Meet
Rahab. If what we read about her in Joshua 2 were all we knew, we
might lump
her in with all of the other renegades and bad examples in the
Bible. But her
story doesn’t stop there. Matthew 1:5-6 reveals that she was
King David’s
great-great grandmother—and that she was in the lineage of
our Savior, Jesus.
And there’s more. Hebrews 11:31 names Rahab as a woman
of faith who was saved
from the fall of Jericho (see Josh. 6:17). And in
James 2:25, her works of
rescue were given as evidence of her righteous faith.
God’s
love is amazing that way. He can take people with a bad reputation,
transform
their lives, and turn them into examples of His love and forgiveness.
If you
think you’re too bad to be forgiven or if you know someone else who
feels that
way, read about Rahab and rejoice. If God can turn her into a beacon
of
righteousness, there’s hope for all of us.
Redemption’s price our Savior paid
When all our sins on Him were laid;
He took our guilt, He bore our shame
That we may glorify His name. —D. DeHaan
Whether our sins are great or small, Jesus is able to forgive
them all.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
