IWD: Rahab Taught Me

So today is International Women’s Day, and I wanted to write a blog about a biblical woman who is often overlooked or very superficially talked about. We love hearing about Sarah’s faith, Ruth’s journey to Boaz, and this seemingly elusive Proverbs 31 woman, but rarely do we hear about Rahab.

Rahab is first introduced in the bible in Joshua where she hid soldiers who were secretly spying on Jericho for Joshua. God promised the Israelites the land of Jericho and the spies were basically doing some tactical research to get the land back. She hid the soldiers in her house and ended up protecting the men from the king of Jericho. She’d heard of all the great things God had done for the Israelites. So, in return, she asked that the spies wouldn’t kill her or her family. The spies agreed and, indeed, her family was saved from the attack. 

How amazing is that story right? Here’s the deal though….See, Rahab was a harlot. Put in today’s term, she was a prostitute. I know it sounds like a Tyler Perry movie, but it was actually a true story (read Joshua 2).

While we might not be able to learn “holiness” from Rahab, there’s a lot we can unpack from Rahab’s encounter with the spies. 

If we step back and look at the full picture, we see that Rahab was an imperfect women who understood, to a certain extent, the perfection of God and that what she had was good enough for what needed to happen. What she heard about God’s deeds for the Israelites caused her to realize that she needed to protect those 2 spies. She understood, whether consciously or subconsciously, that that moment was so much bigger than who she was, what she did, or how she identified herself. Rahab wasn’t an Israelite. She wasn’t a “man.” She wasn’t a part of what society called the “chosen” group. She was who she was, but God used her to protect his promise to his people. Not only did she protect herself and her own family, but she protected two people that she didn’t even know. 

WHAT A TASK!!!

It’s so interesting to know that in my own life as an imperfect woman, there will be moments where I have to protect, not just me or my family, but people that I don’t even know. See, Rahab understood to a certain extent that these weren’t just random spies. She looked beyond her own mess and understood that there was something greater at play.

As women, especially women of God with divine discernment, how much more should we be able to identify when moments are much bigger than what we feel or what we may be going through. 

I’ve literally been in moments where I’m like...”God, why should I be the person doing this. I’m a black woman in a room full of white men. Can someone else not do this?” Meanwhile, God’s like, “I called you for this. I made you a black woman. That is not new information to me. I called you for this.”

So, as women...especially in a very misogynistic and paternal society, it is important to understand that God is not calling you to be something that you are not.  He is not calling you to be a man. He is not calling you to put down your femininity. He did not make a mistake when he made you a woman. It is not a mistake that you are the only woman in your workspace. All of that was on purpose. God isn’t asking you to do something you are incapable of doing. He is not asking you to be who you are not. He created you for a special purpose and when you accept who you are, and who you are not, you will be able to more effectively use your space.

We have to understand that there will be moments that are so much greater than who we are and what we do. Even as imperfect women, God can use us to perfect his will. So, on this “International Women’s Day” understand that your womanhood is not defined by what you cannot do nor is it defined by the burning of bras. Our womanhood is sacred and divine. It is not a second class characteristic. It can be powerful and it is valuable to God. So, boom….