Reflection on Rahab

Recently I have been reflecting on the book of Joshua in the Bible, specifically when the two spies are sent into Jericho and go into the house of Rahab the sex worker. As I was reflecting on this I feel it relates to how God consistently works beyond our expectations, and how this is happening with our work now.

In the story Joshua sends two scouts into Jericho, and in the VERY NEXT SENTENCE the scouts go into “the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab.” As a reader you’d be forgiven for thinking that the scouts are going off the rails, spending time in the house of a sex worker, and as the story progresses it appears that the plans of the scouts is really falling apart as the King of Jericho became aware of the presence of these scouts in the house of Rahab – if these scouts were to have a performance review they would need to be put on a Performance Improvement Plan! In a dramatic turn of events, when Rahab is given the option to reveal the spies or betray the king of Jericho, she protects the Israelite spies, recognising that the Israelites are chosen by God, asking that she and her household would be protected by the Israelites.

Skip to the end of this event, and Rahab and her household is protected from the fall of Jericho, and they are then brought into the people of Israel. In a sense the victory that the Israelites had in Jericho wouldn’t have happened without the help of Rahab the sex worker, a most unexpected source of deliverance and another example of how God works through unexpected sources. In yet another twist of God’s providence in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, Rahab is listed as a direct ancestor of David, and therefore Jesus. I find this such an inspiring story in the Bible, so rich in imagery that I haven’t gone into here.