Rahab: Obedience That Changed History

When we think of biblical heroes of faith, names like Abraham, Moses, and David often come to mind. However, behind the story of Jericho’s conquest is an unlikely hero whose faith and obedience transformed her future and the future of the world forever. It was Rahab, the prostitute.

Rahab’s story begins in Joshua 2, where she encounters two Israelite spies scouting Jericho before its destruction. Despite being a Canaanite living in a pagan city, Rahab had heard about the God of Israel and His mighty works. She proclaimed to the spies, “The Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). This wasn’t merely intellectual understanding and acknowledgment. It was a confession of faith that would cost her everything, including her life, if she was ever found out.

What makes Rahab’s faith remarkable is how quickly it moved from belief to action. She didn’t just believe in the God of Israel. She risked her life by hiding the spies and lying to the king’s men who came searching for them. Her obedience wasn’t passive compliance but a courageous action that put her at odds with her own people and culture.

Rahab’s obedience extended beyond the moment of crisis. When the spies gave her specific instructions for her family’s salvation—hang a scarlet cord from her window and gather everyone inside her house—she followed their directions precisely. She understood that her family’s deliverance depended entirely on her faithful obedience to God’s appointed method of salvation.

The results of Rahab’s faith were extraordinary. Not only was she spared when Jericho fell, but she was welcomed into the people of Israel. Even more remarkable, she became part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5), showing how God can use anyone—regardless of their past—for His redemptive purposes.