All her life, Rahab had been surrounded by darkness. Whether she had heard of Israel’s God since she was a child or her awareness of His reputation was recent, there was a point when Rahab responded in humble fear. Truly, it was God’s gracious character to bless any who turn to Him that Rahab was banking on to save her. This is quite remarkable given the fact that Rahab likely knew little of the compassionate, personal aspects of God’s nature—but that’s part of the beauty of her story. Rahab may have known very little about God, but God knew her.
Seeking God’s Refuge
God saw her reverent fear, her willingness to risk her life to protect two of His own, and her faith to believe that He would save her in the end.
“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” —Jeremiah 17:10
Talk about faith!
Even Rahab herself confessed that every person in the city was melting in fear of Israel’s army and their God. And they should have. The reality is that every human heart should fear God—one day, everyone will stand before Him. But there is a fear of God that strikes terror in one’s soul for the judgment that is coming and a fear of God that births faith leading to the joyous hope of salvation. It seems quite tragic that a lone Canaanite prostitute was the only person in the city who responded in faith. At the same time, how precious that God would see her, step in by sending the spies to her house, and deliver her from the coming judgment.
The beauty of God’s love and compassion is that He welcomes all who seek refuge in Him. (Gal. 3:28–29).
This excerpt is from Week 3 of RAHAB: Rediscovering the God Who Saves Me.
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Shadia is a passionate Bible teacher, award-winning author, and speaker who has a heart for seeing lives transformed by the power of God’s Word. She holds a master’s in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is the author of several books and Bible studies, including HAGAR, TAMAR, LEGION, Worthy of Love, and RAHAB: Rediscovering the God Who Saves Me!