Imagine, You’re a Prostitute!

How did you end up in this lifestyle? It probably wasn’t your childhood dream. But now that you’re in this line of work, you don’t have much hope for the rest of your life. You’re stuck in an abusive, self-destructing place.

I Imagine that that was how Rahab the harlot felt. But then one day everything changed for her. You know the story. She hid the Israelites spies before the destruction of Jericho. That one act of righteousness changed her life.

She hid the spies without any promise of favor. She put her faith in the God of Israel. Listen to what she said after the spies were safe:

“Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” (Joshua 2:8-13)

She put her faith in God, and then she interceded for her family! And God changed her whole life.

That is the power of the favor of God. Before we expound on that, let me show you how powerful that favor is.

In Matthew chapter 1 we have some of the most boring reading in all of scripture. The genealogies. But yet there is some revelation there!

There are only four women mentioned by name in these genealogies, and one of them is Rahab the former harlot!

Two of the others are Miriam the mother of Yeshua and Ruth—not bad company.  Though not even born Jewish, Rahab ends up being in the line of the ancestors of King Yeshua, God incarnate.

“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.” (Matt. 5-6)

I want you to think about that. Her one act of loyalty to the God of Israel resulted not only in her being rescued from a life of immorality and certain death, but also being so honored as to become the great, great, great, great… grandmother of Yeshua the Messiah.

So where are you in life right now? You’re probably not a prostitute. But you may feel down and out, broken and defeated. Maybe you lost your job or income because of Corona. You may feel that there’s no way out for you. You may feel that you’ve made so many bad decisions that even God can’t fix your life.

Just remain loyal to the God of Israel and you never know what kind of miracle or blessing may overtake you. If God can do this for a Canaanite prostitute, imagine what he can do for you, one of his children.