Rahab’s story is one of those that should remind us that God will really use anything or anyone to accomplish His purpose. Rahab helps achieve an immediate goal of delivering Jericho into the hands of the Israelites, but she is also part of bringing about God’s fuller plan – deliverance for all of us through Christ. Rahab is one of the only women listed in Christ’s genealogy, and yet she’s also a non-Jew. It’s amazing to realize that bringing in Gentiles had been on God’s heart all along. We can be tempted to think of God’s love expanding in the New Testament, but Rahab’s story reminds us that this was His character from the beginning. He doesn’t simply tolerate the non-Jew; He intentionally draws them into His purposes.

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Another thing that makes Rahab’s story interesting is the contrast between who Israel (and we!) would expect God to work through and who He actually chose. There was probably no shortage of “good” people in Israel, like priests, warriors, leaders, or elders. However, God highlights a marginalized woman whose life didn’t fit their expectations of holiness. Over and over in Scripture, God surprises His people by raising up the overlooked. He works through foreign widows, shepherds, a teenage girl, and a prostitute. Rahab is part of this long pattern of God choosing what doesn’t make sense in our eyes to accomplish what is eternal.

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On Rahab’s part, she had no reason to help these guys. She could have handed them over and found favor with the king, and probably her neighbors and community. That’s not a bad thing to have for anyone, but I would imagine it especially nice if you are in a vice-based line of work. Prostitution in Jericho was tolerated but not celebrated. There would have been temple prostitutes for different types of fertility worship, but she was running her own thing in her own home. No husband is mentioned, and her father and extended family live somewhere else in town. Rahab is essentially on her own in what she is doing. Prostitutes were on the fringes of society; just because someone would come to you at night for services would not mean they greeted you during the day at the market.  

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Hiding the spies wasn’t simply a small act of kindness. It was treason. If she were caught, Rahab wouldn’t have been quietly dismissed. She would have been executed. She risked her life on a God she had only heard stories about. That’s not casual belief. That is faith with a cost. Rahab had “read the room,” and maybe she had already encountered God in some way. One thing is for certain: she had decided the Israelite God was the real deal. Rahab mentions further in chapter 2 that she has heard of all God has done for the Israelites and that He was the God of Heaven and Earth. Rahab didn’t have the full story. She didn’t have the Law of Moses and teachings or the priests, or even personal experience, as far as we know. She had only rumors and stories passed from traveler to traveler, yet she responds with belief. In exchange for her help, she asks that they keep her safe when they conquer the city. Notice how she doesn’t say if.

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Rahab is saved during the conquest of Jericho, and she goes on to marry the equivalent of a prince in the tribe of Judah. We can make an educated guess that she changed her whole life by joining the Israelites, turning from prostitution and following the one true God. Otherwise, they would have stoned her according to the law. Rahab goes from “Rahab the prostitute” to “Rahab the mother of kings” or “Rahab the great-great-great-(you get the idea)-grandmother of Jesus.”  

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God is in the business of rewriting names and reframing stories. I think it’s worth noticing that while God worked through Rahab right where and how she was, He still desired restoration for her, too. God could have handed over Jericho without her story at all. But He chose to work through Rahab and bring about her deliverance at the same time. Her life is changed after she decides to follow God. What shame once defined becomes a testimony of God’s mercy and power.

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God can work through your imperfect circumstances, broken background, or previous mess-ups. But He is holy and good, and He loves us too much to leave us in those places. Both can be true at the same time. Your story does not have too many wrong turns in it to be useful to God. When you trust Him with what you have and where you are today, He can use it to build something beautiful and eternal. He can build legacy even from rubble.

Do you feel disqualified because of parts of your story? Friend, in Christ, you are a new creation. Shame does not define you. If this is where you find yourself today, spend some time in prayer and ask God to help you see yourself as Christ sees you.  

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It is important to mention that there is a difference between shame and conviction. If you’re struggling with an ongoing sin issue, let today be the day you embrace freedom. Bring whatever it is into the light with God. Confess, repent, and take steps to change today. As uncomfortable as it can feel, sometimes this is easier with a friend to provide accountability or encouragement. Get real with someone by sharing what’s going on, asking them to pray for you and with you, and maybe even check in to see how it’s going the next few weeks as you take steps to walk in freedom. Don’t have people yet? It’s never too late to jump into a small group. Check them out on the website.