The scarlet cord of transforming grace
The following article was written by Ruth - a dear friend of Red Community. As someone who loves Jesus and also works with women who have suffered exploitation she has a unique perspective on the hope of the gospel for seeing lives restored.
The scarlet cord of transforming grace
Read: Joshua 2v1-24, Matthew 1v5, Hebrews 11v31
Rahab. Kind of an obscure story in the Old Testament right? A prostitute that gets a mention in the Hall of Faith in the book of Hebrews.
And that’s as much as most people know about Rahab. But if you are willing to delve a little deeper, her story is an amazing one of the transforming grace of God.
The background
Rahab was a Canaanite woman living in a pagan city, Jericho. She was a prostitute living in the city wall.
We don’t know how Rahab would have been described back then, but if we were to meet her today she would likely be described by professionals as a woman exhibiting ‘risky sexual behaviour’. A woman with ‘complex needs’, ‘challenging behaviour’, ‘a chaotic lifestyle’, with a full spectrum of childhood ACEs* and mental health issues.
If Rahab were to walk into church today she may be substance dependant and her children may be in the care system.
We are introduced to Rahab in Joshua chapter 2. Israelite spies visit Canaan ahead of the capture and fall of Jericho.
Why did the spies end up staying with a prostitute? We are not given a reason but it is likely that the house was a good location being in the city wall and two young men entering this particular house would not have raised undue suspicions.
However, in this depraved city ripe for judgement, God was working in one women’s heart.
The story
The Israelite spies end up at Rahab’s house but it is soon reported that the men were indeed Israelite spies and the King sends message for Rahab to bring out the men. However Rahab hides the spies and helps them to escape.
In short, Rahab risks her life for the Israelite spies.
What motivated Rahab?
In verse 11 Rahab declares ‘the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below’. The Lord refers to Yahweh, the God of Israel. Amazingly, Rahab seems to have some understanding of the one true God-you could even say this is a statement of faith.
God seems to have been weaving his cord of redemption in her life way before the spies turn up.
Indeed, Rahab tells the spies that she like all the Canaanites have heard of how God has acted in great power for the Israelites and that ‘our hearts sank and everyone’s courage failed because of you’ (v 11).Yet whilst her fellow Canaanites’ courage failed we see Rahab’s courage and faith rising ‘I know God has given this land to you.’(v8)
Isn’t this an amazing thing? What an amazing picture of the grace of God -that despite this woman’s chaotic, immoral, complex life, God chooses to reveal himself to her as the one true saving God.
As Nancy Leigh Demoss says, ‘God is working in places you may not imagine, God is at work in the most corrupt settings putting faith into the hearts of those that he has chosen’.
This is such an encouragement. The same Spirit working in Rahab’s life all those years ago is still working in people’s lives today, acting in unlikely people, in unlikely places:
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” John 3v 8.
The scarlet cord
Rahab was a sinner who deserved Gods judgement. She knows judgment is coming and she asks for protection from the spies as she knows she cannot save herself.
The spies tell Rahab to hang a scarlet cord outside her window and while the city is destroyed Rahab and her family’s life will be spared.
A scarlet cord. A reminder of her sin, but like the blood on the door posts of the Israelites at the Passover , like the blood of Christ covering us, a means of her salvation.
‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow’ Isaiah 1 v18.
The transformation
So what happened to Rahab? This is the part of the story that blows my mind!
Ultimately, Rahab’s life is spared. However, in Matthew 1 v5 we read that ‘Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).’
Remember Boaz? The compassionate man we find in the book of Ruth, a man full of generosity and integrity. His mum was Rahab!
Rahab, the plucky ex sex worker has now become a woman of faith raising faithful children. It makes sense why Boaz looks with compassion on Ruth, a foreign woman in the land –his mum had also once been a foreigner in the land.
Rahab wasn’t just grafted into the family of Israel, the Jewish community. No! Her life was utterly transformed by the grace of God. Rahab became a new creation.
Was this an instant or a slow process involving some heavy 1:2:1 discipleship? We don’t know but we simply see that in Rahab there is true evidence of a clear gospel change. So much so that her faith is commended in Hebrews 11.
The challenge
‘Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God’ 1 Corinthians 6 v9-11.
‘For the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost’ Luke 19 v 10
I work with vulnerable women. Some who come from horrendous childhood abuse. Some who display challenging behaviour and are addicted to substances. Some whose children are in care.
Women that often lie to me, don’t attend appointments and who face weekly crises.
Women who, at times, I can’t imagine what their life would look like if God were to transform it.
But in Christ there IS hope of a transformed life. We see that time and time again in the bible.
As we pray and reach out to others let’s remember that the same God who worked in the heart of Rahab, the same Jesus who went to Samaria to speak to one woman (another woman with a complex relationship history), is the same God seeking the unlikely and transforming lives today.
There was hope for Rahab. There is hope for complex, sinful men and women.
So, praise God, there is hope for me.
* Adverse Childhood Experience
[Caveat- readers should note that while both sex work and sex trafficking involve prostitution, by definition, sex work entails a willing engagement in commercial sex while sex trafficking involves force, coercion, or deceit. Some enter the industry willingly as sex workers but may eventually become victims of trafficking.]
Much of this article has been inspired and condensed from the Revive our hearts podcast series on Rahab