However, Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
When we celebrate Mother’s Day, we are often reminded of the sacrifices mothers have made for their children from the first moments of life to the sacrifices of caretaking in childhood and even through adulthood. We celebrate mothers because they have done so much to care for us when we needed it, and they served us when we could care for ourselves. Many people take advantage of weakness or lord their power over others, but a good mother does the opposite. She helps those who are vulnerable and weak and nurtures them until they are strong.
When Rahab helped the Israelites, she put all she had on the line to help them in their vulnerable state. She could have used their vulnerability against them by exposing them to the authorities, yet she honored God by protecting them. Her service was full of risk and sacrificial love. This is the kind of love we have been called to in Christ. First John 3:16-18 says, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” It is appropriate that Rahab showed this sacrificial love that pointed to Christ because God would use her as part of the family line that led to the birth of Jesus. True love is more than an expression of words; it’s a life that is lived sacrificially. This kind of love is not just for mothers or for the spiritual elite; it is a call that we can all take up in response to the extravagant love God has shown us.
- When has loving someone been inconvenient for you? What is challenging about that?
- How does God equip us to love people sacrificially?
- Pray and ask God to show you whom you can love more sacrificially.
