Jesus said to the religious people of the day, “Drunkards and prostitutes will enter the Kingdom of Heaven before you”.Matt 21:32 

I wonder if he was remembering Rahab.                     See Joshua 2

• This is a story of a worldly girl/woman, who took her opportunity to escape destruction. leave her old life, join the people of God, save her household, marry an Israelite Prince, and become an ancestor of Jesus Christ.               

She hid the spies, tricked the King and hers was the only family to be saved when Jericho was destroyed.  She is spoken of three times in the New Testament.

• Matthew 1:5   Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
• She is mentioned in ‘Hall of Fame’
• Hebrews 11:31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
• James 2:25 “….in the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction”?

“RAHAB” A Wise Woman!

WHY WOULD I CALL HER WISE?

The bible says, “Wisdom is justified by her children”.Matt 11:19

That is by the results.

God led the spies to Rahab-the only person in Jericho that would help them.

Why? Rahab believed. Rahab had faith.  What is so amazing is that the inhabitants of Jericho had heard of the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites 40 years earlier and were terrified.

“I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below”.

Because of their unbelief when the spies in Numbers 13 brought back their report 10 of them gave a bad report.

“We were like grasshoppers in their sight “,they said .

How they were deceived ,the people of Jericho were already afraid ,but God’s people entered not in because of unbelief. The trip which could have taken eleven days extended to 40 years because of unnecessary fear .

A whole generation passed away except for Caleb and Joshua

Rahab knew all the exploits God had  wrought.

Rahab put her faith into action.

She made the wisest decision anyone can make, she put her faith in Almighty God.

She like Ruth was willing to forsake her people for Gods people.

‘Our lives for yours’. A deal was made. she must not report them and they must spare her .She let them down with a scarlet cord.This cord became her protection. She must keep it in the window at all times ,lest they come suddenly. 

2 Then Joshua sent two spies from the Israeli camp at Acacia to cross the river and check out the situation on the other side, especially at Jericho. They arrived at an inn operated by a woman named Rahab, who was a prostitute. They were planning to spend the night there, ² but someone informed the king of Jericho that two Israelis who were suspected of being spies had arrived in the city that evening. ³ He dispatched a police squadron to Rahab’s home, demanding that she surrender them.

“They are spies,” he explained. “They have been sent by the Israeli leaders to discover the best way to attack us”.

⁴ But she had hidden them, so she told the officer in charge, “The men were here earlier, but I didn’t know they were spies. ⁵ They left the city at dusk as the city gates were about to close, and I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them”!

⁶ But actually she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath piles of flax that were drying there. ⁷ So the constable and his men went all the way to the Jordan River looking for them; meanwhile, the city gates were kept shut. ⁸ Rahab went up to talk to the men before they retired for the night.

^12-13 Now I beg for this one thing: Swear to me by the sacred name of your God that when Jericho is conquered you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families. This is only fair after the way I have helped you.”

¹⁴ The men agreed. “If you won’t betray us, we’ll see to it that you and your family aren’t harmed,” they promised. ¹⁵ “We’ll defend you with our lives.” Then, since her house was on top of the city wall, she let them down by a rope from a window.

¹⁶ “Escape to the mountains,” she told them. “Hide there for three days until the men who are searching for you have returned; then go on your way.”

^17-18 But before they left, the men had said to her, “We cannot be responsible for what happens to you unless this rope is hanging from this window and unless all your relatives—your father, mother, brothers, and anyone else—are here inside the house. ²⁰ However, if you betray us, then this oath will no longer bind us in any way.”

²¹ “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she left the scarlet rope hanging from the window.

²² The spies went up into the mountains and stayed there three days, until the men who were chasing them had returned to the city after searching everywhere along the road without success. ²³ Then the two spies came down from the mountains and crossed the river and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them.

So, Rahab by faith acted as she was told. She placed the scarlet cord in the window and her family was saved.

Rahab was sick of the life she was living; she knew she needed to change.

  Rahab made a wise decision when she put her faith in God.

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ we are saved from the old life and destruction, we join with the people of God and become part of the

The scarlet cord that had protected her, was only the sign that she had faith and had risked everything because she knew she could have a better life. When we come to Christ, we trust not in a red cord to save us but we trust in Jesus blood that was shed to cleanse our sins. God looks at that and we are saved.

She became one of Gods people and married an Israelite Prince called Salmon and is part of the lineage of Christ. Matthew 1:5

When we come to Christ, we become part of the family of God.