DEVOTIONAL
“She tied the scarlet cord in the window.”
Joshua 2:21 NASBS
The sovereign Grace of God’s mercy can travel deeper and wider than anyone could ever expect it to. It can plumb the depths of those hearts in whom are the vilest of all sinners. But let us never forget that all sin is detestable to the living God and it had to be atoned for through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. May the royal law of love, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” always be upon our mind before we open our mouth and cast stones of judgment against someone, for as it is written, “Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
As we look briefly at the passage above, we must understand that Rahab was known as the harlot who lived in Jericho. She was a woman who practiced immorality, one who was given over to licentious behavior, and who worshiped the perverse god’s of Canaan. Jericho was one of the leading seats of idol worship, being especially devoted to Ashtaroth, the goddess of the moon. The center of this worship is considered to be the vilest and most degrading of all religious practices. From the lips of this adulteress woman dripped, what seemed to be the sweetness of honey, capturing men who were drawn in by her sensual misconduct while being led to the grave. She was by nature a child of wrath, held in the loins of Satan himself.
Oh, but the word of God cannot be contained, for just as small droplets of rain fall from heaven to the ground, causing torrents of raging water, so too, the word of God can reach the hardest of all hearts. The providence of God’s love for Rahab allowed the stories of Israel’s mighty victories to flood her heart, causing fear to strike her innermost affections. The Lord sent two messengers into her home to authenticate the reality of what she already knew was true. That is, The Lord was going to destroy the city and all that was in it by the hand of Joshua. With a heart longing for redemption, she risked her life to hide the messengers of the Lord from the men of the city who sought to do them harm. So out of a pledge of repentance and obedience she hung the scarlet cord out the window as an act of faith of her loyalty to the God of Israel. When the judgment fell upon Jericho, Rahab and all who were in her house were spared. This woman, whose reputation was despised among men, is now found in the genealogy of Christ as Rahab, and not Rahab the harlot.
Sinner, those who practice the wicked works of the flesh, will you take a brief moment and please listen to me. In this small devotion I make a solemn plea to you. Please, consider your ways!!! God is holy and will by no means let the wicked go unpunished. He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to absorb His wrath that is upon you. There are some who will laugh at me, and there are some who will mock me. There are even some who may call me a hater, but that is perfectly fine, for my heart is torn in two with love for you. I know the God in Whom I serve, and His love that saved me, the least deserving of all peoples. If He can take an uneducated, corrupt man as myself and change me, surely He can do the same for you. Today I, just like Rahab, trust in the sufficiency of God’s provision that he offered me through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Rest assured reader, the Judgement of God will come at the appointed time and it will not delay. Will you trust in Christ today? May God help you to do so.