Day Two – Joshua 2:1-20

Day 2 – Joshua 2:1-20

We are going to spend the next five days building a scaffolding on which to place the book of Ruth and the precious story within it. In order to understand this tiny little book, we need to get some background information. Today, we are looking at Boaz’s mother. Boaz is a main character in the story of Ruth and ends up (spoiler alert!) … marrying her. Did you know that Boaz had a famous mother as well as a famous wife? He did! Matthew 1:5 says this: “Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).” So … today we looked at Boaz’s unique mama! Oh my. What a beginning she had in life, right?

Rahab lived in the terribly wicked city of Jericho. It practiced horrible atrocities like child sacrifice and wild living with few morals. No little child was really safe in that corrupted city. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho, as you learned today in your reading. We don’t know why. But I am sure she had a sad story that led her into that particular lifestyle.

Did you notice her determined faith, though? She’s ready to change directions. She’s been paying attention to the God of Israel who rescued over a million people out of slavery and kept them safe in the desert – fed and clothed – for forty years. She openly declares her allegiance to the one true God in Joshua 2:11. “ … For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.” Whoa. That’s pretty clear. Rahab wants God in her own life and begs for mercy. She has a tender heart. She wants her family saved as well. She’s a wise one, figuring out how to keep spies safe from harm, and making sure they hear her plea. They work out a system whereby she and her family may be saved and she obviously was saved.

She married Salmon, an Israelite. We don’t know how many children they had, but we know they had Boaz. Rahab lived as a follower of the God of Israel for the rest of her life. Once you get to meet Boaz, you will also see that she raised her son well. Boaz is a fair and responsible man. Rahab is most definitely one of the women I want to meet in Heaven. I want to know her whole story. Our God saw a heart for Him in her and led those spies right to her house so He could rescue her. Then, He gave her the even greater honor of being in the direct line of Jesus, Messiah, His only Son! Yes. We definitely needed to meet Rahab in order to understand Boaz. I’m glad you were introduced to her today. Can’t wait to hear what verse you chose …

My verse: Joshua 2:12b-13 “ … Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”

My response: Rahab, unmarried, could have made the simpler request to just be saved herself. But her heart was for her family. She wanted her loved ones saved. She still had a conscience in a city whose sins were abysmal. She cared for others close to her. She must have been young. Her parents were still alive. And she must have really loved you Lord, and grown in her faith, because Boaz was such a kind man. I like Rahab.