Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Rahab

Intro: Stepping out of my comfort zone, preaching in a completely different format than I’m used to.

Expository preaching is usually verse by verse through the text, but today I want to give you a sermon about a woman from the Old Testament we only sometimes talk about.

Usually she only gets brought up when it comes to her occupation, or her place in the genealogies of the kings and of Jesus.

Of course if you’re looking at the Title slide on the screen - or looked in your bulletin - you know we’re talking about Rahab.

Now, most of you will know what Rahab’s profession was, but as we have kids in the sanctuary, we’re going to keep it G rated, and just say that at the time we are first introduced to her, Rahab was a woman of low social responsibility.

While we do have a main text, this is the part of the different format I’m referring to, before we get to our main text, our main story from the book of Joshua, I want us to examine all the Bible has to tell us about her.

And to be frank, what it tells us isn’t that much, but what it does say should give us pause, it should challenge us, it should encourage us, and as it always is with Scripture, it should draw us to Christ.

As I said, we already know she is in the genealogy of Jesus, as Matthew 1:5 tells us “Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab,” but we should know that Rahab lived in the time of Joshua, Boaz was the great-grandfather to David and lived during the time of the Judges.

So there’s a time gap there, and we must understand that the Biblical genealogies are often selective in their frame of time , to help their readers understand a theological point, or to help the reader better memorize the data given.

In other words, Salmon was likely a grandfather of sorts to Boaz - and in Hebrew it’s important to also know there wasn’t a for Grandmother or Grandfather.

There’s a Hebrew word now: “saba” which sounds similar to “Abba”, which means “Father”, but there’s not really a Biblical Hebrew word for Grandpa.

This is why, for instance, in Exodus 10:6, most translations may read “Grandfather” but it is actually translated that way from “father’s father”, or “awv awv”.

So, Rahab is likely a great-great grandmother to Boaz, with maybe even a few more greats tossed in there.

How many “greats” would, of course, depend on her age when the events of Joshua take place, and the age of Boaz in the time of Ruth’s book, but you get the idea.

So what else do we know about her?

What else can we understand from the context of Scripture?

Well, Luke’s genealogy doesn’t mention her, but does mention Salmon - the man who would be her husband.

So who was that guy?

Not much is told about him, other than he was married to Rahab, he’s the son of a man named Nashon, says the book of Ruth, and he was a descendent of Judah.

All of this sounds boring until we find out Salmon is also known by another name - Salma.

And there’s a little throw away verse - or so we often treat it - in 1 Chronicles 2, which tells us more: 1 Chronicles 2:51 “Salma fathered Bethlehem,...”

Seems there’s a pretty important town named after that guy… but there’s more to it than that...

If we skip down to verses 54-55 and look who we see pop up: 1 Chronicles 2:54-55 “Salma’s descendants: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites, and the families of scribes who lived in Jabez—the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites.

These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of Rechab’s family.”

That’s another way of spelling “Rahab”.

So not only is Rahab an ancestor to Jesus, she is the mother of the guy who builds the town Jesus is born in.

All those other guys, the “Netophathites,” for example, that’s s a village about 3 miles south of Jerusalem.

Atroth-beth—Joab “the crowns of the house of Joab”, these are all families and heavy hitters in the time of David the king.

From this woman of low moral standard, this woman in a city full of pagans, not only comes the line of kings, not only comes the families, the cities, the areas that will produce the kings, comes our Savior.

For a woman to be named in this Genealogy is a big deal, women didn’t have that sort of status, so what’s so special about her?

To be even attributed a place in this Old Testament genealogy?

Why should we care about Rahab?

The writer of Hebrews tells us, Hebrews 11:31 “By faith Rahab ... welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.”

James, the brother of Jesus, he writes, James 2:25 “In the same way, wasn’t Rahab ... also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?”

Rahab, according to James, didn’t just have a faith that accepted the truth, she had a faith that put her into action - James is making the point that faith without works is dead, and who does he appeal to?

His own ancestor, Rahab.

She’s a woman of faith!

She’s a woman who is incredibly vital to the history of Israel, and to our history as she is an ancestor to Christ.

So who is she?

What’s her origin story?

What made her this great woman of faith?

What can we learn from that story?

Most of all, how does she point us towards Christ?

While her story actually begins long before she is introduced in Scripture, all we can do is pick up where Scripture does.

That begins in Joshua 2:1, when some spies are sent to go search out the land, and especially the city of Jericho.

So she saves the lives of these two spies.

A little background before we read on, though.

Jericho was a city that was fortified by a double ring of walls, the outside wall was at least 6 feet thick and the inner wall was twelve feet thick.

This wasn’t just a city, it was a fortress.

In between the walls, there were great pieces of timber laid between the walls, where people would build their houses, which we’ll soon see.

But Joshua sends these men to scope out this city because it’s probably one of the biggest powerhouses in the region.

To take down Jerusalem would be a big ordeal.

And it will be.

In fact, Joshua’s attack on Jericho is going to be something miraculous, something that will display God’s power, His faithfulness, and the mercy shown to Rahab.... but these spies have to make it back to Joshua first.

Now, as our main text goes, that’s where we’ll leave off but we’re not done examining all that happens with her.

We’re just getting started.

But the main thing I hope you take away from this is this:

Thesis: Rahab is an example for us to see how faith saves.

As Paul told the Ephesians, Ephesians 2:8-9 “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.”

She’s not saved by her works, she’s saved by her faith - but her faith, as James said, produced works - and her and her whole household not only are saved from the wrath of God, they are grafted in to God’s chosen people.

If you’ve ever read Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see a lot of Romans within the life of Rahab.

The first thing we observe about Rahab is her faith.

Now, yes, Rahab lies.

Let’s get that out of the way.

Rahab “bears false witness.”

First and foremost, let’s acknowledge that and understand, never is she commended for lying.

Ever.

She could have been truthful, sure.

She could have lied by omitting the truth “I saw some men yes, but I don’t see them right now” as she looks at the ceiling.

Some variation of that sort of thing.

Rahab’s lie is not an excuse to lie for us - we have to understand that.

No more is her being a woman of the night, an excuse for us to take up that profession.

She’s not commended for her sinful behavior, she’s commended because of her faith.

She’s spared because of her faith.

She’s remembered because of her faith.

She hides two spies from a wicked king, who rules over a wicked city.

Which is truly ironic and shows us God’s sense of humor when you understand the name “Rahab” and where it comes from.

It actually comes up twice in the book of Job, which takes place long before Joshua is born, or Jericho even has a few bricks around it, much less a wall.

The name pops up in

Job 9:13 “God does not hold back his anger; Rahab’s assistants cringe in fear beneath him!”

and Job 26:12 “By his power he stirred the sea, and by his understanding he crushed Rahab.”

Now, God’s not crushing Rahab the woman from Jericho… this is in reference to a Sea Serpent, similar to the creature Leviathan.

In other passages, that name is used to refer to Egypt.

Psalm 87:4 ““I will make a record of those who know me: Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush— each one was born there.”

Rahab is also a name for Egypt - Psalm 87:4, Psalm 89:10; Isaiah 30:7; Isaiah 51:9