Title: Rahab's Faith/Hebrews 11:31
Content Ⅰ. entry
II. text observation
Rahab's faith (Hebrews 11:31; Joshua 6:
☞ Text: By faith... Received in peace.
Identity - Parasite (Prostitute LXX)
(1) Faith created by hearing (Joshua 2:8-14)
At that time, Jericho was a land of unbelievers. It was something to be destroyed. And they depended on the strong city they had built, and heard rumors about the people of Israel. But to them, this message meant nothing more than the meaning of the living God. So they locked the gates and prepared to go to war with them. However, when Rahab heard the news about the God of the Israelites, the meaning was different. Let's look at some passages that testify to his faith. Verse 9 - I know that the LORD has given you this land. We are very afraid of you, and all the people of the land melt away before you. Verse 10 - This is because the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and Sihon, the two kings of the Amorites, who are beyond the Jordan. For we have heard of what he did to Gu and Og, to destroy them. 11- As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and people lost their minds because of you. The LORD your God is the God of heaven and earth.
We can see here that Rahab gained faith after hearing the news about God in a special situation called Jericho, where no one wanted to believe in the God of Israel.
(2) But faith in action (Joshua 2:4-6; 12-13; 16)
Even in a situation where no one supported his decision, they had an advantage in an objective battlefield, but what Rahab saw was the power of God. So Rahab risked her life to hide the spies from Israel. At that time, Jericho was in a state of war, and if it was discovered that he had hidden the spies, he had no choice but to be killed. Still, Rahab hid the spies and met them. The writer of Hebrews expressed this fact as {Rahab by faith}. Also, the writer of James does not hesitate to list Rahab as a man of faith in action. James 2:25 says, "In this way, was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different way?" The writer of Hebrews testifies that Rahab was a man of faith, saying, "By faith Rahab came." Being justified by works is the same thing as by faith as James speaks. Normal faith is accompanied by works. That is why Elder James emphasized, "In this way, faith without works is dead."
⑶ The result of faith (Joshua 6:17, 22-23)
It turned out that Rahab had made the right choice. So Rahab and her family are saved from the pit of destruction that Jericho suffered. This meaning of salvation means that he becomes a member of the people of Israel. So he enjoyed the blessing of becoming a saved people, but the blessing does not end there. He became one of two women (Sarah and Rahab) among the heroes of faith selected by the writer of Hebrews. But more important than that, as the genealogy of Matthew 1:5 testifies, he married an Israeli named Salmon and formed a genealogy that continued the lineage of the Messiah. Could there be any more blessings from the despised person who is called a gisaeng?
Ⅲ. Conclusion and application
2. For Rahab, if the meaning of action was to hide the spies, how can we show action? Those who have recently received an atrium must feel a considerable burden. It hurts my heart to say that what I used to go over in moderation without going over it. But it is the foundation among the foundations that are difficult to be included in the works! Jesus Christ asked for tithes and said to love your neighbor as yourself. However, we should feel the burden of reading the Bible, praying, keeping Sundays, and tithing. Can we really have works in the true sense of such things? We should keep in mind that Rahab was blessed after the spies incident. ( * )