BIBLICAL HERO OF THE WEEK: RAHAB

The second chapter of the Book of Joshua tells the tale of a brazen woman; a harlot named Rahab. A woman who gave no second thought to seizing a “blue moon” opportunity for deliverance.

Little is said of this daring woman who demonstrated her faith in a God she scarcely knew – and this too, at the expense of her existence. Let’s take a look at some attributes she possessed that coloured her differently.

1. MERCY: A woman who offered the benevolence she had never received in her lifetime. Rahab was most probably sold into harlotry by her family for money. She was ostracized and scorned by the ones she called her people. The Bible also mentions that her house was situated by the city wall. Hence she would have been one of the first set of people to be attacked if war ravaged the city of Jericho. Yet, in spite of all these, Rahab never lost a kind heart. She generously received into her home men she had never known before and took responsibility for them till their departure.

2. WISDOM: Rahab was not just bold, she was also astute. We see this play out in how cleverly she hid the spies and how calmly she misdirected the men of Jericho into a wild goose chase. We also see her prudence illustrated in the way she bargained with the spies for her freedom and that of her household.

3. FAITH: A major property she possessed that distinguished her was her faith. Rahab had only heard stories about the God of Israel and the mighty wonders He wrought through and for His people. She had never met this “God”, neither had she met an Israelite. Yet, she demonstrated an almost absurd faith in this “God of Israel”.

Also Read: Biblical Hero of the Week: JOSIAH

The 10th and 11th verses read: “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.”

4. THE FEAR OF GOD: Rahab was a woman who feared God. She believed that a God she had only heard about could utterly destroy the city of Jericho as opposed to how dauntless she was in deceiving the king of her people.

In conclusion, with the aforementioned qualities, we can depict that Rahab was a woman who did not define her destiny within the confines of her circumstances. She was a woman who was able to discern the times and did what ought to be done during those times. And despite all life had dealt her, she remained compassionate, wise and dauntless in the face of great adversity and uncertainty.