There are some pretty colorful characters sprinkled throughout the pages of Scripture. Have you ever thought about it? Murderers, thieves, prostitutes – not the kind of people you and I are looking to emulate. But something happened in each person’s life that made him/her a hero in spite of a sullied background. 

How is that possible? When faced with the truth of their condition, each of these people made an important decision that changed the course of their lives forever. They recognized their sin, and put their trust in God. No longer defined by a checkered past, these men and women are remembered as heroes of faith. Incredible.

When we meet Rahab in the book of Joshua, we come face to face with her occupation:

Rahab was a prostitute. Somehow even the king of Jericho knew about her. When he was informed that Israelite spies were in the land, he wasted no time in sending word to Rahab:

Rahab’s response? Instead of turning the men over to the king, Rahab chose to hide them in the piles of flax that were drying on her rooftop. If they were found, Rahab could easily lose her life. What motivated her unusual behavior?

She had heard stories of the Lord – how He had performed a miracle so the Israelites could cross the Red Sea on dry land; how He had helped them soundly defeat the kings of the Amorites. A seed of faith had been planted in the life of Rahab and she professed to the spies:

Rahab had faith in the God of the Israelites!

I can only imagine the apprehension Rahab must have felt as the Israelites began their march around Jericho that first day. Could she trust the spies to keep their word? 

For six days the Israelites marched around Jericho. How long before they would attack? On the morning of the seventh day, the marching started; but instead of circling the city once, the Israelites went around a total of seven times. The priests began blowing their trumpets and the people shouted. A rumble and quaking began that continued until the walls of Jericho collapsed. Clearly it was the hand of God.

Rahab’s faith was not in vain:

Although we aren’t given many more details of Rahab’s life, she is included in the direct lineage of Christ. She married a man named Salmon, and had a son named Boaz – yes, the very Boaz who married Ruth. You know the rest of the story: a few generations later, David is born, from whose line the Messiah came.

The seed of faith that had been planted when Rahab heard about the Lord was now full-grown. ‘Harlot’ no longer identified who she was – she was a woman of great faith.