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Can you believe we’re almost done with this study? I’m so grateful you’re checking in with me, and I hope you’ve had a chance to do a little digging on your own in this amazing story of Rahab. There is no better way to get to know our awesome God than to spend time in His Word!
Here’s the treasure I uncovered this past week.
Last Week’s Work
CROSS-REFERENCES
When I sat down to work through the cross-references for Joshua 2 this week, the Spirit first sent me in another direction: to search for other “biblical sightings” of Rahab. I knew from before she’s mentioned in Matthew 1:5 in the genealogy of Jesus. I felt like I’d encountered her name in other parts the New Testament at some point but couldn’t remember where or why.
Using her name to search cross-references, I saw she’s also included in the Hebrews 11 list of Jewish heroes (among them Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses) who demonstrated their faith in amazing ways. After the author extolls their faith, he adds one Gentile woman, Rahab, who “by faith … did not perish with those who were disobedient.” (Hebrews 11:31, emphasis mine) This is how amazing our God is!
By His own law, a prostitute was obviously disobedient, yet God chose to give her alone the opportunity to help the spies that night. And, even though she was afraid of them, by faith she leaned into that chance.
James also found her faith remarkable. In his argument that faith can’t be separated from works (James 2:19-26) he cites just two examples: Abraham—the Father of the faith—and Rahab—a woman whose exemplar work of faith was “a friendly welcome.”
But perhaps most interesting, I found six other cross-refs (Job 9:13 and 26:12, Psalms 87:4 and 89:10, and Isaiah 30:7, 51:9) containing the word rahab that didn’t refer to a woman at all. I dug into the interlinear tools for both words and discovered though spelled the same, there are separate entries in Strongs for each. Rahab the woman is H7343, and the other is H7293. In context, the latter refers to pride or strength, the opposite of how Rahab described herself and her countrymen in my treasure verses!
As I thought this through, the Spirit revealed a paradox: though Rahab acknowledged her weakness, God made her strong enough to lie to the king’s guard and negotiate with men representing a nation poised to wipe out her people. This reminded me of Paul’s telling the Corinthians about a conversation he had with the Lord: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 ESV (emphasis mine).”
OTHER TRANSLATIONS
I compared the ESV, AMP, NIV, and Good News translations, but didn’t find anything remarkable there. As previously noted, the inhabitants of Jericho and surrounding area were quite intimidated by the Israelites. This came from what they’d heard about the Lord giving His people victory over other fierce warriors in Canaan.
Dig-In Challenges
This week, let’s wrap up our study of Joshua 2 and align with what we’ve discovered in this passage:
- PRAY: Read the prayer created in Step 1.
- ALIGN: Review our study notes and other work, focusing specifically on what we’ve learned in this process.
- ALIGN: Then, considering those “lessons learned,” think about how the Spirit has convicted us through this study. In other words, where has He shown us misalignment between what we’ve discovered and how we practice our faith?
- ALIGN: Next, let’s look to God’s Word for guidance to correct that misalignment. This is often—but not always—a verse from the study text or from one of the cross-references.
- ALIGN: And finally, I’ll reflect on how I can change my thoughts or actions to align more closely with what I’ve discovered here. To really make this work, I commit to changing something and do my best to act on that commitment every day for at least three weeks.
That may seem like a lot to consider in one week. If you’re working with the Spirit, remember it’s okay to work at your own pace. Don’t worry about where you are—just do what you can when you can. I know the Lord will bless any time you spend in His Word!