Stress Test Devotional May 4
May 04, 2024
JAMES 2:25 | 25Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road?
HEBREWS 11:31 | 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
MATTHEW1:1-6 | An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.
What a shock Jesus’ genealogy is! Male, Jewish names are expected, a litany of fathers and sons, suggesting purity. Jesus’ genealogy, and King David’s, has four foreign women; Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Rahab was a prostitute who helped the Israelite spies in the conquest of Canaan. She trusted in God’s promise while many Israelites doubted.
This same woman is listed in the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews chapter 11, among the people of faith, who trusted God in situations requiring courage. James points her out as well, suggesting her faith is demonstrated in her behavior, risking her life despite the pressure of a Canaanite King.
The possibilities and power of faith are disruptive, going beyond the expected heroes to include the marginal, the outsider, and even the victim. When faith and action align, the world changes!
In present-day Israel, Jewishness is determined solely by the mother’s ancestry. That makes Solomon a non-Jew and casts doubt on David too! God’s purposes are always wider and more surprising than we expect.
When have you been surprised by someone’s faith?
