Michael Rauls
Joshua, part 3
Rahab the Prostitute
It is almost painful to read the story of Rahab and then read Hebrews and James call her Rahab the prostitute. Yes, that was her occupation when she was redeemed. However, they are not talking about her past, rather her saving faith. She is recognized as the ancestor of King David and King Jesus, but she is still called Rahab the prostitute.
What does a girl have to do to make people forget about her past?
But that is just it. We cannot simply forget our past. Knowing, naming, and understanding our past sin helps us to understand the brokenness that lives within our flesh. Yes, Christians are made new creations, but that new creation must now put to death the things of the flesh.
So when Rahab is called, named Rahab the Prostitute, she gains an understanding and grasp of what she is capable. We must not believe the lie that “I am not capable of ____.” “The heart is deceitful above all.” Jeremiah 17:9. Rahab takes the name of prostitute for all of biblical history. What would your name be? If you were to wear the label of your lowest moment in life what would we call you? Would you be _____ the Liar, _____ the Cheater, _____ the Drunk, _____ the Abuser, _____ the Addict, _____ the Adulterer, _____ the Murderer?
But recognizing who we are (read what we are capable of) is only part of our growth in grace.
The story of Rahab encapsulates the nature of God that we see in the book of Joshua. A significant portion of the book is about battle and destroying those evil people who dwell in the land. And it is in this book that we get one of our clearest depictions of God as a Warrior as he fights for his people. But God is not only a warrior, and in this story of Rahab, we see God as a Warrior of Mercy.
It may seem strange to hold those two attributes together, but that is exactly who God reveals himself to be. He is both a God who is punishing wickedness and at the same time redeeming the penitent (literally as God knocks down the walls of Jericho to destroying wicked people, he also holds up the portion where Rahab and her people are). God amazes us as we see his wrath and mercy side by side.
The church has struggled to properly present God as both just and merciful. Either we have overemphasized “fire and brimstone” or “Jesus loves you.” But what we see in Joshua is a God who is both Warrior and Merciful at the same time! This expanded understanding of God is the second part of our growth in grace.
The Gospel-Centered Life says it like this: a growing awareness of God’s holiness combined with a growing awareness of my flesh and sinfulness brings a growing awareness of the work of the cross in our salvation. In other words, the more you see how high God is and how low you are, the more you realize how much it took to redeem you. Therefore, you are compelled to worship your savior through obedience.
The most beautiful place we see God revealing himself as a Warrior of Mercy is on the cross. It is there on the cross that God makes his greatest war destroying sin and death and at the same time he is extending his greatest mercy by making war on his son instead of us.
My prayer is that as we look further into Joshua we will see our Warrior God and not cower in fear but fall down in worship. I pray that we will not try to push away the Warrior as “something from the Old Testament” but take hold of the full revealed God of the Bible and be engulfed by him
peace,
michael
