Rahab's Faith

Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. (Joshua 2:8-11 ESV).

 

“Doubt your doubts, not your faith.” While I have come to appreciate this modern proverb, I have also thought deeply about the process of trusting “faith.” Often it is no more difficult than reading the Scripture; however, there are other times when the Scripture does not speak directly to the questions that seem to rise and haunt my resolve in an issue. The key is in our “remembrance.” When Jesus had the Passover Meal with the disciples for the last time He instructed them to “remember” what He had said and done as they went forward without His physical presence (cf. Luke 22:14-23). I believe Jesus was helping them to understand the process of believing our faith. It is our personal knowledge and experience with the Lord that provides the facts of our faith. Since we know these things, we can know our faith is reliably placed.

 

When confronted by the king’s messengers Rahab said, in effect, “I don’t know where those guys came from, and I don’t know where they went.” Then Rahab went to the spies’ hiding place and confessed what she did know: “It’s over for Canaan. Our gods are incapable of dealing with the LORD your God, who rules over heaven and earth. I know we are as defeated as the kings your God defeated in the desert on the other side of the Jordan.”

 

Rahab’s words underscore her actions. Not only does she confess that Canaan’s future lies in God’s hands, but also, by making this confession, she’s become a traitor to her own people’s vision of the good life. Being a traitor is the right thing to do if it means turning from your sinful way of life and acknowledging the true God’s power to save and to bless. By her confession and actions, Rahab showed she knew that. It’s all about what and who you trust. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, to bring them to new birth by the power of the Spirit. We can trust Jesus because of what He has already done. Doubt your doubts, not your faith!