BaptistWay Bible Series for Sept. 11: Perfection isn’t necessary for service

Posted: 8/30/05

BaptistWay Bible Series for Sept. 11

Perfection isn’t necessary for service

• Joshua 2:1-14; 6:22-25

By Ronnie Prevost

Logsdon Seminary, Abilene

We have all heard it before. And maybe—sometimes—we have even said it or something like it. “Better watch that one. Bad family. Bad seed. You know how it is: The apple never falls far from the tree.”

Rahab probably had heard similar or worse countless times in and around Jericho. She was … well … you know. One of them. A woman of ill repute, a prostitute. The Hebrew word used for her in this text is zanah. That word usually denoted a “common prostitute.”

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But the two Israelite spies sent from Joshua decided to stay at her house. She was not an Israelite. And she was of a questionable profession. Perhaps they (correctly) assumed no one in Jericho would notice anyone frequenting the house of a prostitute.

Rahab almost certainly knew the risk she was taking. In Joshua 2:8-13, we read that somehow Rahab was aware of the mighty things God had done in bringing Israel to the gates of Jericho. Whether from fear, respect or a new-found devotion, she knew this was a God worth serving. However, the reality of Rahab’s situation became stark when messengers from the king of Jericho and “pursuers” came seeking the Israelite spies she had hidden.

After the pursuers had departed, Rahab made a deal with the spies of Israel. She had “shown kindness” to them and, in return, asked for the same for her family. (The Hebrew used here is chesed, which can be translated “mercy,” “grace” or “loving kindness.”) So, after the fall of Jericho, she and her family were preserved.

In faith, Rahab played an important part in serving God by serving God’s people. The connection may not be clear, but she was a part of God’s victory at Jericho. And her faith was honored. It is interesting that Hebrews 11:30-31 refers to the fall of Jericho. And it mentions Rahab—not Joshua—as the great person of faith.

Rahab’s story does not end with Jericho in ruins. Matthew 1:5 lists Rahab as the mother of Boaz. That puts her smack dab in the middle of the ancestry of Jesus! She could not know that among her descendents would be the Son of God.

As he was growing up, Jesus had read and heard the story of Rahab. He probably knew this prostitute was a part of his lineage. That may have been one of the many reasons he had such a heart for prostitutes.

In Matthew 21:23 and the verses following, we read of a discussion Jesus had with the religious leaders of the Jews. Verse 31 records that Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Jesus’ disciples were once questioned why Jesus associated with sinners. Jesus’ response was, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9:12).

Jesus calls us to treat all sinners the same. In Matthew 7:1, Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” The truth is that all sinners are why God came as his Son. According to Luke 19:10, Jesus “came to seek and save what was lost.” Of course, according to Romans 3:23, that includes all of us. But we often forget.

In our (appropriate) desire to live holy, moral lives as followers of Jesus, we easily fall into the sin of consigning people to the trash heap of life. Especially others. The sad truth is that two of the great sins of Christians today are these: We don’t love sinners enough; and we don’t hate sin enough.

Oh, we love our kind of sinners. And we hate the sins of others. We don’t love enough those whose sins are not like ours—those whose sins we would never do. Nor do we hate the “little” sins we commit on such a regular basis that we have become numb to their reality.

Despite our imperfections and those of others, God loves us all. To God, all we sinners are of infinite worth. That is the great truth of John 3:16. Further, God can and still does use imperfect people to do his work. That included Rahab. That includes you and me.

James 2:25 cites Rahab as an example of faith in action. And in verse 26, James reminds us, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” Just as Rahab was used by God to protect his people, God calls us to reach out to and serve other sinners.

According to Jesus’ parable of separating the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), we serve by meeting diverse physical needs. The Great Commission we find in Matthew 28:19-20 calls us to serve by “making disciples.” That means we also are to serve by meeting spiritual needs.

As Rahab was imperfect, so are we. And as Rahab saw the fall of Jericho, we may see some immediate results from what we do. But also as Rahab, we may never know the ultimate results of our service and our influence. That is why our walk with and service for God is not only one of obedience; it is one of faith.

Discussion question

• How do/can our imperfections or those of others prevent us from serving them in God’s name?

• What can we do to break down those barriers to be more obedient servants?