Having taken a look at the life of Abraham and how he was able to put his faith into action, we now move forward with our next example. This illustration of James is nowhere near as long as the four verses he used to describe Abraham, but this one is just as powerful in its one verse, if not more powerful than the sum total of Abraham's illustration. It is the faith of Rahab that we are looking at today, and we are going to see just how her faith was lived out in the midst of a hostile takeover. Let us begin our study by looking at the words of James in James 2:25 and we will do some Scripture walking from there.

James 2:25 (NASB) - In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

It is a very simple illustration that is used here, even to the point where a lot of people would tend to miss its significance. That is why I love the Scripture so much; we can very easily flip over to the Old Testament and read of the account of Rahab and have the full story. Her story is found in Joshua 2, and if you're not familiar with it, I suggest taking time to read it today so that you can fully appreciate what James is saying here. By way of this devotion, I will provide a brief overview of the events. The primary focus of the book of Joshua is to detail the conquest of the Israelites as they embark upon their quest to enter into the Promised Land which God had promised them upon their exodus from Egypt. They are now sitting outside the city of Jericho, a city surrounded by large walls; to scope out the city Joshua sends two spies who encounter the woman Rahab, who owns a place of lodging along the city wall. She is also a harlot (or a prostitute in modern terminology), but this was a great location for the spies to get information and to blend in. When word got around that there were spies in the city, Rahab hid the two men on her roof so that they would not be found out by the king's men.

So, how did Rahab's faith come into play in this? Well, when you look at Joshua 2:8-13 you will find that she makes a declaration to the two spies while hiding them, indicating that she knew that the Lord God had given the Israelites the land of Jericho, which is why she was willing to keep them in safety, instead of turning them over to the king. This was at a personal risk to her own life and the lives of her family, but she trusted the Word of the Lord that had been revealed to her concerning Israel's right to the city. So, she hid the men, and safely got them out of the city; and in turn, they spared her life, as well as her family. And this was fulfilled in Joshua 6:22-25, where her family is spared.

Now, even with all of the faith that Rahab had in the Lord and His giving the city over to Israel, she still made a mistake. In the process of hiding the men, she sinned by telling a lie to the king's men, telling them that the spies had already left the city, sending them in another direction. Yes, this helped to keep the men safe, but it was not necessary in the grand scheme of things. This was the work of the Lord, and the Lord would have kept her and them safe, even without her lie. Even with that, it still goes to show how God is able to work in the midst of our shortcomings and still receive the glory.

The last thing that I want to point out is how this, at least in my eyes, trumps what Abraham did (not that his is any less significant). What makes her so special and worthy of mention by James? Number one, she was a woman, in a society where woman did not play a prominent role. Secondly, she was a harlot, which put her even lower on the scales because of her despicable choice of occupation. And thirdly, she was a gentile, which means that she wasn't even a member of God's chosen people. To sum it all up, she was about as low of a person as you could possibly find in that society outside of probably being a leper, who would have been a complete outcast. Even with her low position, she is living proof that even lowly people can have a faith that is alive and capable of accomplishing great things for the glory of the Lord. If you look even deeper in Scripture, you will discover that as a result of her faith she became a member of the Messianic line by which Jesus Christ was born; what an awesome testimony for such a destitute person!

Just as God was able to use someone great like Abraham, He is just as perfectly capable of using someone like Rahab to accomplish His divine purposes. The key that joins the two together is a faith that is alive. Both were given a word from the Lord and it was up to both of them to act accordingly and put their faith in action. As a result of walking in obedience to the word of the Lord both are members of faith's hall of fame and are known throughout all time. What more, if neither one had put works of obedience behind their faith, they would have been holding onto a dead faith, and not one that is alive, mighty, and powerful. Let us remember though that God did not condone Rahab's sin, but He rewarded her anyway because of her living faith and willingness to walk in obedience to it (even though she slipped up in the process). Let that not be a license for us to sin, hoping that God will use it for His glory anyway; instead, let our faith be done in perfect obedience to the will of God.

With those two powerful examples, we are more than ready to conclude this section of James' letter, which we will do next time when we look at James 2:26. Until then, walk in the light and live out your faith by putting it to work. God bless!