Rahab's Faith Part 2

by John Lowe
(Laurens SC, USA)

The thing is to believe personally in an issue as firmly as if a thousand witnesses lined up on your side.
A man can never be said to be strong-minded unless he is willing to be singular.
Now Rahab’s faith, even though she was a sinner, was great in this respect; that she stood alone, one faithful woman among thousands of the faithless.
And why shouldn’t God promise the same faith to you?
Here in this Nursing Home, there may be some who are not religious.

They may tempt you to sin, but if you have God’s Spirit within, you will do the right things.
You may have family members who like to tease you about your faith, but don’t be afraid of them go to them and dare them to come to Devotions and learn about the Savior who loved them and died for them.
See if you can do it, because if you’re afraid of them, you may come to regret that you ignored their need for Christ, and that will be your sin.

Keep in mind, the chief of sinners can make the greatest saints; the worst men in the devil’s army, after they come to Christ, make the greatest soldiers for Jesus.
Some of the greatest workers for Christ have been men and women who were once great sinners.
So go on and don’t be afraid to stand alone for Christ and He will give you that high and singular faith.

Now, Rahab’s faith was not only saving faith and singular faith; it was also AN UNWAVERING FAITH which stood firm in the midst of danger.
For many of us, it is easy to pray for something that is likely to happen anyway.
But we find it hard to pray for something which is unlikely to happen.
For example, after having been told by a doctor that my father was going to die from cancer, my prayers went from praying for his recovery to asking God to remove the pain and give him comfort.

My faith in God’s healing power wavered because by human standards it was unlikely that he could recover.
There are many who have this type of faith: they believe just as far as the probabilities go along with them.
When the promises of God and the probabilities are in conflict, they go with the probability.
They say, “It is most likely going to happen, so I believe it.”
But that is not faith; that’s living by sight.
True faith exclaims, “It’s very unlikely, but I believe it.”
Faith allows a person to see through the clouds, not with the eyes, but with faith, and to say, “I trust Him, even though I can only see Him with the eye of faith.”
The faith of Rahab was the right sort of faith because it was firm and lasting.

Now, I want to talk to Rahab just like I suppose that old Unbelief would talk to her.
Why Rahab, can’t you see how absurd this whole thing is?
The people of Israel are on the other side of the Jordan River, and there are no bridges: how can they get over?
They will have to go far to the north to cross and we will be safe for a long time.
And they will probably take other cities before coming to Jericho.

Besides, the Canaanites are mighty and the Israelites are only a bunch of disorganized slaves.
They will soon be cut to pieces, and that will be all of them, therefore don’t hide the spies.
But Rahab would answer, “I don’t care about the Jordan, my faith reaches across the Jordan.”
Eventually, the Israelites marched across the Jordan on dry ground and her faith got stronger.
Now she says to her neighbors, “Won’t you believe me now? Won’t you ask for mercy now?”
“No,” they say; “the walls of Jericho are strong, and they are weak.”

And then the next day the army of Israel is at the gates, but what do they do?
They just blow some ramshorns.
Her neighbors say, “Why, Rahab, do you mean to say that you still believe? These people only march around the city without saying a word, except for a few priests blowing rams horns. It’s ridiculous. Is it some new type of warfare where men can take a city by blowing rams horns?”
That was the first day.
Probably, Rahab thought that tomorrow they will bring scaling-ladders and come over the walls; but that didn’t happen.

Instead, they came again with ram’s horns.
And that’s what happened right up to the seventh day, and this woman kept the scarlet cord in the window all the time.
And she kept her father and mother, brothers and sisters, with her inside her house, and would not let them go out.
Then on the seventh day, the Israelites gave a great shout and the walls of the city fell flat on the ground.
The only safe place to be that day was in her house and next to the section of the wall where her house was built.
Rahab’s house stood alone upon the wall, surrounded by a total wreck.

She and her family were saved.
Would you have thought that such a strong faith could grow in such a sinful heart?
It is only because Christ grows great faith where ever He wants; He can make great faith spring up in the most unlikely hearts.
The greatest sinner may become a person of great faith.
If you are a lost sinner, take heart, because if you repent, you will not be the least in the family of God.
No, your name may be written beside the mightiest Christians, and you may stand as a reminder to others of the power of faith.

Rahab’s faith was also A SELF-DENYING FAITH.
She was willing to risk her life for the sake of the spies.
She knew that if they were found in her house that she would be put to death.
It’s a good thing to be able to deny ourselves.
I have heard some say, “I love Him so much that I could give Him all that I have.”
To that I answer, “Would you really because you are not doing it, you are not giving Him your all?”

This woman said, “If I must die for these men, I will. Even though I may be called a traitor to my country, I will take in these spies, because I know it is God’s will.”
I believe that as Christians, we should check our faith to see if it has self-denial in it.
Faith and self-denial are born together and must live together like Siamese twins.
But this woman, even though she was a sinner, was willing to deny herself.
She brought her life to God; just like that other woman, who was also a sinner, brought the alabaster box of precious ointment, and poured it on the head of Christ.

Another point is that this woman’s faith was A SYMPATHISING FAITH.
She didn’t desire salvation for herself only; she wanted mercy for her family too.
I think that a man or woman who doesn’t want salvation for his or her family can’t give much evidence of being a child of God.
If your faith is real, you will want others to have what you have.
This woman had such a great faith, that her whole family was saved from destruction.
You may have children and grandchildren who reject Christ.
Pray for them.

Some of you, I would bet may owe much to a mother who prayed for you and took you to church and talked to you about the Savior who loves you and died for you.
Can you ever thank her enough?
I remember the time that I sat at the kitchen table with my father.
I showed him in the Bible how a person is saved.
I have never cried any harder than I did on that day, and he cried too.
We loved each other and he came to love Jesus, but he died a short time later.
I know that we will be together someday because he is in heaven.

If someone in your family is lost, don’t give up; keep on telling them about Jesus.
You love them so much; don’t leave this world as long as there is a chance for them to come to Christ.
One more point and then we are done: Rahab’s faith was A SANCTIFYING FAITH.
Did Rahab continue to be a prostitute after she was saved?
No, she did not.
I don’t believe she was a prostitute by the time that the spies went to her house, even though that name stuck with her like bad names often do.
But I am sure she was not afterward, because Salmon the prince of Judah married her, and her name is listed among the ancestors of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe she became a woman noted for holiness and that she lived in fear of God.
That faith that saves a soul is real faith, and real faith sanctifies a man.
It makes them say, “Lord you have forgiven me my sins; I will not sin anymore.”
You cannot have faith and live in sin.
The faith that lives in sin is a dead faith.
Rahab was a sanctified woman.
I pray that everyone here is sanctified.

The world has tried all manner of processes to reform men and women, but the only thing that will ever reform them is faith in the preached gospel.
By the preaching of God’s word, even though it seems foolish to some, prostitutes are reformed, thieves are made honest, and the very worst of people are brought to the Savior.
Your sins will be forgiven and forgotten, and God will care for you until the end if you will believe in Christ.
Amen.