However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

                                                                                                                   Joshua 6:25 

Read: Joshua 6

Another lesson that we see in the Joshua account comes from the actions of a Gentile woman…and a harlot at that. Her name was Rahab and she was living in the city of Jericho. This city would be destroyed but for Rahab and her family, they would be spared.

We know that the people of Israel had sent spies into the land and it was during their time in Jericho that the assignment became rather dangerous. The men of this city had gotten wind that the spies were nearby and there was a search for them. What we see in scripture is that Rahab recognized these Israelite men as being God’s men. And because of this, she was willing to assist them rather than turn them over to her own countrymen. So she hid the spies and covered for them so that they would not be captured. They later escaped without notice and made it safely back to the camp of the Israelites outside the city of Jericho.

What we learn from this is nothing short of remarkable. As we look into the New Testament book of Hebrews, we see a list. It is a list of some of the men and women of old that displayed faithfulness to God. They each have a remarkable story and there are a variety of reasons why each of them are on this most illustrious list. But the one thing that they all have in common is that they were, in one way or another, faithful to God in their actions. And guess who is on that list of faithful men and women? You guessed it, Rahab. Consider this testimony: 

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

                                                                                                                   Hebrews 11:31 

Scripture doesn’t go on and on about her life of sin. And she certainly was living in sin in that she was a harlot. (This is where I need to point out that all of us are as guilty before God as she…we do not need to take on harlot status for that to be the case, James 2:10). But here she is…a harlot in Jericho acting on her knowledge that these men were from God and her one act of hiding them away lands her on the list of the faithful. Remarkable!

Jesus discussed this same concept with His disciples at a time when they were concerned about “others” doing the work of ministry. Listen to His words: 

For he who is not against us is for us. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

                                                                                                                     Mark 9:40-41 

Jesus addressed the disciples’ concern by speaking to them a tremendous truth that each of us should always keep in mind: “The one who is not against us is for us.” This is difficult for some in the church to accept because we are creatures of habit and sinful at that. We tend to think that if it doesn’t look that way we would do it than it must be wrong.

We live in an ever increasingly hostile world where even some who claim the name of Jesus spend most of their time pointing fingers, hurling accusations, and espousing dogmatic positions (even when they are not warranted). Can you imagine the scandal that would surround a church giving out an award for the faithfulness of a known harlot in the community I’m quite sure that many would choose to focus on her life of sin rather than on her faithfulness.

Jesus reminded His disciples that those “other” people doing ministry were to be left alone because they were not actively against them. They too were working on behalf of the kingdom and demonstrating faithfulness in their actions. Rahab demonstrated that she was not against God and the Israelites as she hid the spies from her own countrymen.

Finally, we see this idea displayed in John’s first letter. Consider the following:

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 

                                                                                                                        1 John 4:15 

When we confess the name of Jesus (from our hearts), we are demonstrating that God abides with us and that we abide with God. We may go to a different church than another, cling to a different denomination, and even hold varying doctrinal views, but the one thing that unites all of us as believers is the salvation that we have received through Jesus Christ.

As we continue being faithful to what God has called us to do, let us also recognize the faithfulness of others who are in the same spiritual family as we.