Hanging by a Thread, Pt. 3

Hebrews 11:30-31 (NASB) says, “30By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.”

This reminds me of the story of the scapegoat. In Leviticus 16:7-10, 20-22, the Bible teaches that Aaron the high priest was to atone for the nation of Israel using two goats. He was commanded to cast lots before God by using the Urim and Thummim to decide which goat would be offered as a sacrifice and the other as a scapegoat, which means, “goat of departure”. Goats throughout scripture represent a sinful nature, and one of the goats would be offered as a sin offering while for the other the high priest would lay both of his hands upon the scapegoat, pray the sins of the nation of Israel into it, and then send it into an abandoned, uninhabited wilderness. According to Jewish culture, they would take a piece of red thread and let it hang from the top of the doorway of the temple. They knew that the scapegoat had died when the scarlet thread turned white miraculously, which is why Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” While the priesthood may or may have not understood why they did this, it foreshadowed Jesus Christ being numbered with the transgressors and becoming a sin offering even though He knew no sin. It was so that He took the place of Barabbas while he would become a scapegoat. As a result, through faith in this sacrifice, our sins will become as white as snow as we are washed in the blood of the Lamb.

The scarlet thread hanging in Rahab’s house was parallel to the red piece of thread hanging in the temple. Her sins were red as scarlet, but when she sent the spies back, her sins would become white as snow as she would be integrated into the culture and society of Israel. She became the way for Israel to overcome Jericho, and her legacy still lives on today! Joshua 6:17-25 says, “17And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. 20So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. 22But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 23And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. 24And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” She was protected, along with her family and possessions, because she hid the messengers of God. When we hide the Word of God in our hearts and refuse to let go of the Spirit of God upon our lives, He will preserve and protect us. When His judgment invades our land, His glory will saturate u. As long as we reverence God’s presence and honor His people, He will secure our integrity and faith in Him!

While Rahab had a horrible past, her legacy still lives onto this day. It was no accident that she was positioned in the land of Jericho for the time that she was in. Hebrews 11 is known as the “wall of faith”. It is filled with stories and legacies of people of faith, such as Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Noah, and Moses. However, in the midst of these incredible legacies, Rahab is mentioned among them. Hebrews 11:30-31 says, “30By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 31By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” Her legacy speaks volumes because even though she bore the label of harlot, she chose to risk her own life in Jericho by protecting the spies that Israel had sent. She could have died for treason if the government of Jericho had proven that she had kept these men in her home, but God spared and preserved her life and destiny. She did not perish with others in Jericho because she was a remnant of people who chose to secure her faith in God. God is looking for a remnant who will not compromise with status quo Christianity but will remain steadfast in their faith in the Word of God. He is searching for a remnant who is ready for an invasion of His glory, who wants more of Him than anything in this world! By being part of the remnant, your faith will speak volumes. You will not perish, but have life everlasting. It can only happen when you receive His message with peace and live out that very message. You have the opportunity to leave a legacy of faith, but you have to become willing to die to any label of this world and take upon yourself the label of Christian and God’s Child! 

God called Rahab from her life of prostitution and into His fold, positioning her to be a part of a powerful lineage by His grace and mercy. Matthew 1:5-6 says, “5And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias.” First of all, Rahab was the mother of Boaz. Boaz was the kinsmen redeemer for Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Naomi lost her husband and both sons, and she wanted her name changed to “Mara”, which means “bitterness.” She felt as though God dealt bitterly with her as a result of her sons and husband dying, but she had a Ruth, who said, “Wherever you go I will go, and wherever you lodge I will lodge.” She was sold out and completely dedicated to helping and supporting Naomi. It was in the harvest of Boaz, who was a wealthy man, that she found favor in his sight and became the kinsmen redeemer. They could have lost everything that they had, but he bought it all back and brought restoration to the entire family. None of this restoration and redemption would have taken place if it had not been Rahab preserving and protecting the spies on Jericho. Boaz would be the great-grandfather of King David, a man who was after God’s own heart. His kingdom would give leeway to Jesus Christ, whose kingdom there is of no end! So, Rahab, who is the harlot, is listed in the genealogy of Jesus in the book of Matthew. Here is the thing. Her name is just Rachab in scripture. When she is listed in the genealogy, she is not called the harlot. The reason is because when Christ is in the picture, He gives you a new name! He makes all things new! He transforms you into a new creation! 

Just as with Rahab, God can radically change your life and position you to leave a legacy that impacts others and future generations for the cause of Jesus Christ, but He cannot do it with where you are now. He needs you to be as clay submitted to the potter’s hand. He needs you to die to the flesh and these old labels so that you can become everything He wants you to be. The blood of Jesus will break every label off of your life. You may be in this room and feel like you are at the end of your rope, but now is the time to tie a knot at the end and hold onto God. Now is not the time to quit and be deceived to believe that others things are more important. God wants to set you free and deliver you from every old and bad label. He wants to put you on the wall of faith and give you a new name. Instead of being “Depressed”, He wants you to be “Joyful”. Instead of being “Bound”, He wants you to be “Delivered”. Instead of being “Fake”, He wants you to be “Real”. It is time to move up in God and realign our focus with what is most important: the blood of Jesus Christ!