Symbol Ten: Rahab's Scarlet Cord

By
Tenth Symbol of the Jesse Tree: Rahab's Scarlet Cord
(Moses led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery and into the desert where God took care of them. After 40 years, the next generation took over, led by Joshua who sent spies into the promised land. A prostitute named Rahab believed in God and allowed the spies to escape detection. When the Israelites entered the city, Rahab's tied a red cord to her window so they would recognize and save her family) 
Read Rahab's story in Joshua 2:1-18


Rahab--a prostitue--is an unlikely candidate to be used by a Holy God.  Yet, that is exactly why her story is so profound.
Rahab, according to the Jewish Midrash, likely entered into prostitution at roughly 10 years of age, at about the same time the Israelites escaped Egypt.  (This seems shocking, but even today, children as young as 4 years of age are sold into sexual slavery – but that’s another topic entirely.)
If the Rabbinical estimates are true, Rahab would’ve been a well-established prostitute of the age of about 50 by the time the Israeli spies arrived at her door.  She was, by all descriptions and assumptions, well-known and prosperous.  The flax on her roof and the red cord indicates that she was probably a manufacturer and dyer of cloth – not entirely unlike righteous Lydia, a wealthy woman mentioned by Paul in the New Testament.  
So why not Rahab? Why are we surprised to find that God used her?
Because she was a harlot?  A woman?  An idolatrous pagan?
God proves once again in the story of Rahab that God prefers the broken, the used, the unexpected, and the sinner. 
Rahab, in a godless place with a godless past, believes fully—and so lives fully. She steps out not in competence but in faith. She serves not her admirers but her adversaries.  
Rahab, the scarlet woman, flings a scarlet cord out her window—that one thread everything’s hanging on. And that scarlet cord is her identity—that scarlet line running from the animal sacrifice covering Adam and Eve’s nakedness in the Garden of Eden to the crimson markings of blood on the doorframes of the first Passover to the willing drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane—and Rahab is delivered by that singular scarlet cord and tied into the Jewish family. 
The great-grandmother of Christ many times removed— former prostitute, pagan, and profligate—Rahab finds herself the only other woman besides Sarah to be noted in the heroes’ hall of faith. Rahab, right there beside the fathers of the faith—Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, and Noah: “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace” (Hebrews 11:31, KJV).
Rahab knew of the God of Israel, and was in awe of Him, but she didn’t yet know Him.  Still, she risked her own life.   Rahab didn’t let her history, her sin, her past or her reputation stop her from doing what she knew was right, thereby standing before a Holy God so that he may redeem and save her.
When will we stop looking at everyone else’s mistakes, past, and shortcomings and instead see them as God does – redeemed, sanctified, and loved?
Oh and that scarlet cord Rahab threw out that window? In Hebrew, that cord is a tikvah. The same word in Hebrew that means “hope.” You think about that as you tie string around Christmas gifts. 
Today's devotion material taken from the fccdw  and an interview with Ann Voskamp.
 _________________________________________________________________________________

Kids corner

Read:  Joshua 2:1-18 (kid-friendly version)

Discuss: How do you think Rahab felt hiding God's people? How do you think the spies felt, having to trust their lives to this strange women they just met? 

Participate: (hide and seek with an object) Use a red string (or any red object) and take turns hiding it just like Rahab hid the spies while the other person finds it. After a few rounds, briefly talk about how we have to look for God in this season--and sometimes we find God in places or people we might not expect.

Pray: Lead your child in a prayer of commitment that their genuine faith will be shown by their actions. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel

By
Image
Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel And Israel (previously named Jacob) had 12 sons who didn't all get along (despite their Father's dying attempt to gather them together for blessing and peace...). These sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Genesis 49:1-28  God could have chosen any tribe or any family lineage--God could have skipped the family drama and tribal violence of the Old Testament tribes, but God chose to remain faithful to those ancient promises. God chose to root new  life and new  peace in a previously violent story. Praise be to God!  Just for fun: Which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel are you? (online personality quiz)  Tribe of Jesus: · Matthew 1:1–6 and Luke 3:31-34  describe Jesus as the tribe of Judah . ( “Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” ~Revelation 5:5) ·   Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also related to Elizabeth who came fr
Read more

Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's Clay Pitcher

By
Image
Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's clay pitcher The Israelites enter the promised land, but the next generation stops worshipping God. When enemy armies attack and conquer them, the  Israelites turn back to God and cry out. God--in grace--raises up a judges (like Gideon) who leads Israel back to victory.  Gideon 6:11-16, 7:19-23 (or all of 6-8 if you're feeling ambitious)   Gideon--Peace by Karlie Harper I love the story of Gideon because it is an underdog story. In this story we see a man who is so full of doubt of himself that he does not recognize the Spirit of the Lord sitting right in front of him. For someone like me who battles doubt and anxiety, this story is particularly meaningful.  In the verses we see the Lord trying to build up Gideon’s courage by calling him a “might warrior” and telling him “Peace, do not be afraid”. But Gideon, not unlike myself, doesn’t listen to his Lord right away. If we read the story we go on to learn how Gideon—the weakest
Read more

Twelfth Symbol of the Jesse tree: Ruth's wheat

By
Image
Jesse Tree Symbol #12: Ruth, shaft of wheat I n the days of the Judges, famine left an Israelite woman named Naomi widowed and without both her sons. As she moved back to her hometown, one daughter-in-law (Ruth) stayed with her. This  penniless  foreigner--this outsider--Ruth was cared for and brought in to the Israelite family tree... the roots of Christ  Ruth 1:6-9,15-18; 2:1-12 and 16 Matthew 1:1-5                                       Reflection b y Peg Powell After reading these passages in Ruth, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories. Long ago, there was a mayor who lived with his only son in the hills of China. None of them in this village owned a horse, but one day, out of the blue, a stallion appeared at the mayor’s home.  All of the people exclaimed, “How lucky you are.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A few days later, the stallion disappeared, and all of the town’s people said,” How sad.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A week later the stallion retu
Read more