Rahab: Not Who She Used To Be (Part 2)

RAHAB AND HER SPIRITUAL FREEDOM (Joshua 2:9-11).

1. v. 10-11 What Rahab Acknowledged – Rahab tells the spies that she and the people in Jericho have heard the stories of what happened in Egypt, and of the kings they have defeated along the way. Notice the language she uses. In verse 9 she says, “I know.” In verses 10 and 11 she says, “we…know.”

Over the 40 years since Israel had left Egypt, the news about Israel, their progress, and the power of their God had reached the ears of the people of Jericho. Perhaps travelers, or people who were fleeing the advance of Israel, passed through Jericho and told them about Israel and their God. The people of Jericho had heard that Israel was coming and that the God of Israel was alive and powerful. Rahab heard about the God of Israel. It was a message of judgment, but it introduced her to the true and living God. In the end, the message that came to her Rahab was a message of life!

Q: Why is it that some sinners know (or have heard) about the coming judgment of God, but they do nothing about it?

God still has a message that is being proclaimed around the world today. It is the only message that can take the vilest sinner and make him a new creation. That message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This message tells us about a God who loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins on a cross, John 3:16. The Son of God suffered in terrible agony and shed His blood that our sin debt might be paid. Three days later the same man who died on the cross arose from the dead to bring eternal life to everyone who will call on His Name, 1 Cor. 15:3-4. It is this message that you need to hear today. It is the only message that will bring eternal life to a person dead in sin! Romans 1:16.

Q: What can we as evangelists do/improve upon to make the message accepted and believed by people (without obviously watering down the message).

1. v. 9-11 What Rahab Accepted – Not only did Rahab hear the message of Israel’s God; she heeded that message as well. This message produced a response of faith in the heart of Rahab. The fact that she believed the message is proven by what she says about God. In verse 9, she calls Him “the LORD”, using His covenant name “Jehovah.” In verse 11, she expresses her faith in Him as the “God of Heaven and of earth.” In verse 12, she again expresses her faith in God as she calls Him to witness the pact she is about to make with the spies. Even the great Hall of the Faithful, in Heb. 11:31 tells us of the faith of Rahab. She heard the message and she acted on it in belief. She put her faith in the God of Israel!

This is exactly what must happen in the life of the lost person to bring them to Jesus. They must hear the message and then they must act on that message by accepting Jesus as their Savior by faith. The Bible tells us in Rom. 10:17 that “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

 Q: According to the Bible, what are the fruits of genuine repentance and salvation?

The message of salvation is preached to the sinner. They hear the Gospel and are convicted of the truth of the Gospel by the Holy Spirit, John 6:44. When they believe the Gospel, they are saved by the grace of God. Let me remind you today that salvation cannot be yours as long as your faith is in anything else but Jesus Christ and in His finished work. If you trust the sinner’s prayer to save you, you are lost. If you are trusting church membership, baptism or anything else in this world, you are lost and need to be born again.

Stop for a moment and think about all that Rahab did not have. She did not have a Bible. She did not have a church. She had never met a missionary. She had never heard a Gospel sermon, sung a Gospel song, or read a Gospel tract. She was living in the heart of a pagan city, living a wicked life with no knowledge of God. But, God in His grace opened her heart and allowed her to hear something about Him. She believed what she heard, and she was saved.

Look at all you have. You have the Bible, the church, Gospel preaching, singing, books, etc. God has given you so much light. What is it that keeps you from coming to Him? Why do you delay? You have heard about Jesus. You have heard about what He did on Calvary. You have heard about the empty tomb. You have heard about His love. You have heard His call. You know you need to be saved. You have so much more than Rahab, you merely need to act on it and come to Jesus Christ for salvation. We will give an account of what we do with the light we are given, Luke 12:48.