Joshua 2:1-13 | Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, “Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there. The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land.” Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from. At nightfall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!” But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof. The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the city gate was shut. Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of 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 Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed across the Jordan. When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below. Now please swear to me by the LORD that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.”
By faith . . . Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. -Hebrews 11:31
One evening at a fast-food restaurant, my four-year-old nephew and I were looking for a table. There was one beside a group of tough-looking men, but their appearance and raucous laughter made me hesitate. Since there was no other table, however, Caleb and I sat beside them.
Minutes later, the men bowed their heads and prayed, then brought out Bibles. They were a Bible study group!
The discovery filled me with shame. I’d seen the men as unsafe. But God showed me how prejudiced I was toward them.
This experience made me think of people God used for His kingdom, people many of us would perhaps view with prejudice. One such person was Rahab. The two Israelite spies chose to hide in her home (Joshua 2:1)—a surprising choice given her occupation.
Yet, because of Rahab’s faith in God (vv. 9−11), she and her family were “not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God” (Hebrews 11:31). Not only that, but the former prostitute from Canaan became an ancestor of Jesus Himself (Matthew 1:5).
Rahab’s story—and my experience—reminds me that God sees people differently. In His eyes, we’re all the same—sinners in need of His grace. And when we respond in faith to Him, He can use us for His glory, no matter what our past might be.
Karen Huang
What prejudices might you have against others? How can you change your thoughts and attitudes with God’s help?
Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I’ve been prejudiced against others.