A God of Unlikely People, Situations, and Lengths

God Uses Unlikely People

When I think of people, situations, and lengths that are unlikely, I am reminded of the story of Rahab recorded in Joshua 2. 

If you're unfamiliar with her story, let me fill you in on a few of the more interesting details. ​Rahab was an innkeeper in the City of Jericho. Her inn was actually located within the wall of the city. But Rahab was more than just an innkeeper, she was also a prostitute. The Bible calls Rahab a harlot. Even more interesting than the fact that she was an innkeeper and a prostitute is the fact that she was in the lineage of Jesus. ​

Rahab became a poster child for hospitality, mercy, faith, patience, and repentance through her dealings with Joshua's spies. Thus, the harlot of Jericho became the unlikely picture of virtue.

“Our God is a God of the unlikely. He uses unlikely people. He redeems unlikely situations. He goes to unlikely lengths for us.” —Caroline Harrington

God Redeems Unlikely Situations

When we open the book of Joshua, we find the Hebrews encamped in the Jordan valley opposite the city of Jericho. They are ready to cross over the river Jordan and into the Promised Land. Only Jericho stood in their way.

​Joshua sends out two spies to investigate the military fortitude of Jericho. While in the city, the spies take refuge in Rahab's inn. Rahab hid them, under bundles of flax on the roof, from the soldiers sent to capture them.

​It was the time of the barley harvest. Flax and barley are ripe at the same time in the Jordan valley. Bundles of flax stalks would have been expected to be drying at that time, and the roof was a good place for this. So the roof turned out to be a great place to hide a couple of spies. ​Rahab told the spies:

"I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear 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 that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no courage left in any of us because of you. The LORD your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below. Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the LORD that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." Joshua 2:9-13

After escaping the soldier's search, the spies promised to spare the lives of Rahab and her family when the Hebrews took the city. She would need to make her house visible by hanging a scarlet cord out of the window. ​The scarlet cord made it possible for Rahab to be saved, just as the blood of Jesus makes possible the way of salvation for you and me.​

God Goes to Unlikely Lengths

"​By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies." Hebrew 11:31

You may be surprised to find the New Testament (Matthew 1:1-16) begins with genealogy. You may be even more surprised to find women like Rahab in that lineage. She is however not the only surprise. There are other women in Jesus' lineage like Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. It's a lineage of grace, and this is good news for you and me.

Rahab was not only a prostitute. She was more than that. Rahab was also a Canaanite and the Canaanite people were hated enemies of the Hebrew. When the soldiers came knocking on the door of Rahab's inn seeking the spies she lied and told them they had left the city.

​So, let's just process this. Rahab was not only a prostitute, she was also a Canaanite and a liar! You would think she wouldn't have much of a chance of making the list of Jesus' genealogy, but there she is. A lineage of grace! (Read more about Rahab in Joshua 2-6.)

There are so many lessons for us, tucked away in the story of Rahab, but I think the biggest lesson is that she was a woman of faith! Despite her way of living, despite her heritage, despite her lying tongue, she was a woman of grace and faith.

When I was in the third grade I memorized Hebrews 11. I specifically remember verse 31. As a nine-year-old girl, it impacted my life. Hebrews 11 is sometimes referred to as the Hall of Faith. Its verses memorialize great acts and people of faith. There's Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, ​Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets. All those men of faith and only two women mentioned, Sarah and Rahab. Sarah and Rahab and in good company and they stand out among women in the Bible.

​I love that the genealogy of Jesus is listed for us in the Bible. It lets us know that He had a background that could of been yours or mine. He called Himself a friend of sinners, and He said He did not come to seek the righteous, but sinners—people like us. He calls them to repentance, just as He calls us.

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save....” Luke 19:10

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I came across the book A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers while I was studying Rahab. The book is Christian fiction, but I just love how she keeps pointing back to the Bible through her storytelling.

A Lineage of Grace is a compilation of five books in the best-selling A Lineage of Grace series. The series shares the stories of five unlikely women, all in the lineage of Jesus Christ, who changed the course of history.

1. Tamar, betrayed by men who controlled her future, fought for her right to believe a loving God.
2. Rahab, a woman with a past, was given a future through her faithfulness.
3. Ruth, who gave up everything expecting nothing in return, was rewarded for it.
4. Bathsheba, her beauty stirred the lust of a king. Her pain moved the heart of God.​​​
5. Mary, eternity waited for this moment and she responded in simple obedience to God’s call. 

Each of these courageous, faithful women were faced with extraordinary, even scandalous challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

A Lineage of Grace is a historical fiction book, loosely based off of stories in the Bible. The theme of each story aligns with that of the Bible. Many of the characters are the same, with some additional characters and events added. Rivers' storytelling puts you right in the center of each story. It's riveting and hard to put down.

When I read the stories of these five women I am constantly reminded how AMAZING our God is! If He can use a child, a prostitute, foreigner, adulterous, and a poor woman, then He can certainly use you and me!

“And the answers had always come down to trusting God, obeying Him, accepting His will, knowing there was a purpose in what was happening even if they couldn’t see it. But sometimes the pain seemed unbearable.” ― Francine Rivers, A Lineage of Grace

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That same grace that Rahab experienced is offered freely to you today. If you want to know more about that grace, head on over to our Explore Christianity page. What are your thoughts on Rahab and the other women listed here in the lineage of Jesus?