Episode Details

In this devotional from the Joshua series, Pastor Mike Woodruff pauses the march toward Jericho to spotlight one of the most surprising figures in the entire Bible — Rahab.

She is, by every outward measure, an unlikely candidate for anything. A Canaanite. A Gentile. A prostitute. An outsider in just about every conceivable way — ethnically, morally, and geographically. And yet when Joshua's two spies slip into Jericho, it's Rahab who hides them, protects them, and makes one of the most striking confessions of faith in the Old Testament: I know God is on your side. I know He is going to give you this land.

While Israel's own history is littered with doubt and delay, Rahab — the ultimate outsider — simply believes and acts on it.

And God doesn't forget her for it. The New Testament mentions her by name three times. Hebrews lists her among the heroes of faith. James holds her up as a prime example of genuine belief producing real action. And Matthew includes her in the genealogy of Jesus himself.

As Tim Keller once observed, the gospel is so remarkable — so scandalous — that God doesn't just use the weak. He uses the wicked, if they will turn to Him and trust. That's not a footnote. That's the whole point.

Pastor Mike closes with two pointed questions worth sitting with: Who have you written off as beyond the reach of God's plan? And have you written off yourself because of something in your past?

Rahab's story answers both. God's grace is bigger than our history, and His mission has always included people nobody expected.

📖 Series: Joshua — A Devotional Study 🎙️ Pastor: Mike Woodruff 📌 Scripture Focus: Joshua 2 | Hebrews 11 | James 2 | Matthew 1

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