Aug 2

Written by:
8/2/2010 8:43 AM 

For the last few weeks at NVM, we’ve been taking a look at various people from the Bible and seeing how their story relates to our own lives today.  It’s been really interesting to me how these people that lived in times so removed from our own, could still experience many of the same emotions and struggles that we do. 

Yesterday we were looking at Ruth.  Ruth was an admirable girl, staying with a depressed mother-in-law instead of going home to where she would be more comfortable.  Ruth, to me, is someone I would probably secretly not like very much because (at least from what we read) she did EVERYTHING right.  I mean really.  Who can live up to that sort of example?  Well…like I said…she’s admirable, but I have a hard time relating to her.

 

You know who I do like?  Rahab!  No, Rahab isn’t really a key part in the story of Ruth, but she is mentioned in lineages and in earlier stories written in the book of Judges.  I like Rahab.  I can relate to Rahab.  Rahab was no goody-two-shoes.  She was a prostitute, a working girl, a flawed individual.  Rahab lived a life that earned her a lot of judgmental glances and hurtful assumptions.  I imagine that Rahab spent a lot of time dealing with self-worth and guilt.  She may have felt anger—that she had to make the choices she did and perhaps anger that other people couldn’t understand why.  She knew what it was like to be an outsider. 

 

Rahab, if you were here today, I’d totally understand you.  Not that I’ve lived your life, but I know what it feels like to be that outsider.  I know what it feels like to carry guilt and shame.  I know what it feels like to make choices that others don’t understand and then condemn you for it.  I understand the feeling of messing up, and wondering if anyone would ever look past it to see the real person underneath the mess. 

 

I have a friend who told me once that if he ever walked into a church, the roof would probably cave in on him because of the life he’s led.  All I could say was, “If that were true, I wouldn’t be here either.  But so far…no roofs have caved in on me.”  You see, what’s awesome about Rahab is that even though she was this woman with a past, God saw that she was worth loving.  He saw that she was valuable enough to be a part of so many great things!  Without Rahab’s help the two Israelite spies would have been toast.  Without Rahab’s help, the whole Israelite camp would have not been able to eventually move into Canaan.  Without Rahab…the story of Ruth would have been totally different.  (Side note: Rahab was Ruth’s other mother-in-law, after marrying Boaz.  Poor Ruth.  She did everything right but ended up with quite some interesting in-laws, didn’t she?)  Without Rahab, the lineage of Jesus would have not been so relatable to me. I believe Rahab is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus, so that we can see that those of us who cannot measure up to Ruth, are still valued.  Even though we screw up here and there, we’re still valuable to God, and we can still effectively serve Him. 

 

So, you know that thing in your life that you can’t live down?  That thing that other people look down on you for?  That thing that continually echoes in your ear, reminding you of how much you screwed things up?  It doesn’t matter.  God loves you and He wants to show you that other people can love you too.