Our Reputation Gets Redemption…
06.25.23
Imagine being Rahab. Your reputation is noteworthy for the wrong reasons and the brokenness you have endured has no real way to be articulated at the time. There is a growing sense of fear and urgency about the Israelite camp outside your walls. The reputation of the God of the Israelites proceeds this group of refugees. Everyone around you is terrified.
You share what is going on in your heart with these spies: You believe God has given the Israelites this land. He has provided for this nation of refugees all along the way and He would not stop now.
You need that kind of providence. You ask for mercy. What a mess Rahab’s world was in these moments. Thanks be to God it didn’t stay that way.
At some point after her rescue a man noticed Rahab, married her, and had kids. How do we know this? Because she has no husband or kids mentioned with her family being rescued. We also see that God’s intent to redeem the world is fulfilled in Rahab’s life when we read the lineage of Jesus in the book of Matthew. Rahab is mentioned as Boaz’s mom. Boaz (King David’s great grandpa) was the man who married Ruth (who was a refugee as well). We also see mention of Uriah’s wife (Bathsheeba) whom David had an affair with and then had Uriah murdered so he could marry her and have their unborn child without anyone knowing any better.
The reason all of this is so significant for me is to point out the overarching intent of God to redeem in the midst of our brokenness. Especially brokenness we may perceive as a permanent reality.
God’s end game has always been the same, redemption. His call is for us to participate in the redemption of the people around us. The only reason things don’t end up as God has called them to be is because we often choose not to embrace the grace that He has given us and put our faith in God’s ability to redeem. Rahab did this and she is part of the lineage of the Messiah. I’m sure she didn’t imagine that reality while speaking with two spies on her roof while living the life of a prostitute. But that is what happened! God is calling us out of our brokenness.
What makes it hard for us to embrace God’s call for redemption? Is it our own sense of justice? Is it our perception of ourselves? Do we trust Him to come through for us? Hard questions without easy answers for sure, but collectively we can start to answer them. We can testify to what God has done (as Rahab did) and embrace the grace offered to us. In embracing this call, we may see seasons we didn’t think were even possible. Generations from now there may be people who testify to God’s providence and faithfulness as seen in our lives!