The Tupelo journal., 1906-11-30
Sc RMONETTE.

Rahab, the outcast, the wom-
an of the town, has won a place
among the heroes of faith OF
the eleventh of Hebrews. Paul
in his enumeration of the tri-
umphs which faith had won
tells how "the harIot Rahab
persisted not with them that be-
lieved not, when she had re-
ceived the spies with peace.
And James, who emphasizes
works as an evidence of a liv-
ing faith, turns to this same in
cident and declares: "AIso was
not Rahab the harIot justified
by works, when she had re-
ceived the messengers and had
sent them out another way?"
Thus then we see in this in
cident the flashing forth of a
faith which lifts the sinner out
of his sin and links him with
the Creator, whose will it is
that "none should perish, but
all should come to a knowledge
of the truth"
Let us look first at the les
sons of faith to be learned by
this Old Testament incident,
and then consider the marvel
Gus mercy of God which could
lift out of the degradation of
heathenism and elevate to the
exalted position of n of the
ancestors of David and Jesus,
for Rahab became the wife of Sal
mon, perhaps n of the spies
whose life she had saved, and
the mother of 5oaz, the grand
father of Jesse, who was the
father of David. See Matt. 1:5.
There were perhaps three
stages to the faith of Rahab.
First, the awakening period,
wherein the thought of a living
but invisible God was allowed
to expand under the growing
knowledge of Gods dealings
with his people. Then there
was the period of active, work.
ing faith, wherein we find the
conviction bearing fruit in the
outward life, and then there
was the period of enduring
faith, the faith that could wait
for the contamination of that
which the heart believed should
come to pass.
In reference to the first peri
cd of faith, that of the awaken
ing of Rahab's heart to a con-
seriousness of God, we can say
briefly: There is in every hu-
man heart, even of the most be-
nighted heather, a hidden germ
of belief in the true God. And
just IS the stories borne to Ra-
hab of the strange people and
their wonderful God called into
life this germ, so as knowledge
comes to every soul of the true
God, this germ is quickened in
to life and, unless will
fitness and the choosing of the
evil rather than the good des-
troys the life of that germ, it
will grow.
We find here the beginnings
of a faith which will lead to a
transformed life, which marks
the second period, as exempIi-
fled in Rahab's receiving the
spies, even at the danger of her
w life, for had the king
known of her treachery he
would have made short shift of
her. But Rahab's faith not
only placed her on the side of
Gods people, but it called forth
that sacrifice and devotion of
which both Paul and James
speak.
And Rahab had that quality
of faith which could endure.
Perhaps the most severe test
ing which came to this woman
was when, the excitement Of
saving the lives of the spies
over, and her own family gath
cred about her, she had to wait
day after day, day after day, I'M
til the very walls crumbIed
about her and her habitation
was swallowed up in the ruins.
But faith just chung to the
promise, the eye was kept
steadfast on that scarlet cord,
and at last faith earned its re-
ward.
And now, as to the marvellous
mercy and grace of God as set
forth in this incident of Rahab,
we cannot do better than direct
attention to the 81, % and 29th
verses of the first chapter of
First Corinthians.