Bible Question: Nolan - I know that she believed. She was a woman of great faith! But how did she come to that faith? Did someone witness to her about God or did she come to that faith herself? How did she learn that there was a Yahweh? Somebody must of told her about Him. prayon |
Bible Answer: Hello prayon!! I'm back from church now... :) You ask, "how did Rahab the harlot come to her faith?" Good question. The passages in the Bible that mention Rahab (Joshua 2:1-24; 6:17-25; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25) do not specifically state exactly how or who introduced her to the faith. Because of this, I have to offer my own opinion or interpretation of how she came to the faith in order to answer your question.. If you notice that Rahab and her family were the only survivors (v. 21) of the city, and Rahab was saved because of her faith (Heb. 11:31), then we could come to the conclusion that if there were any other people in the city that were Jews, believers, or 'ones' who had faith, then they would also be saved. Because of the fact that there is no one else who is saved (v. 21), then we have to come to the conclusion that either Rahab came to the faith herself or someone in her family was an influence to her. Since we do not know whether her family shared in her genuine faith or not, then it would be only speculative to assume that someone influenced her to come to the faith. The fact is- she had faith! So I come to the conclusion, based on the textual evidence, that she came to the faith herself, based on the messages or communication that was known to the citizens of Jericho about the Israelites (which was a great deal); a faith that began as the citizens of Jericho heard about the crossing of the Red Sea, and slowly grew within her as she heard more and more about the pursuits of the Israelites and their God. My conclusion is that she came to the faith on her own by God's grace through the reports of the Israelite activity in the land. I do not believe that anyone could have told her unless it was someone in her own family. And if it was someone in her family, then I don't see why the Bible failed to mention that. This is my own conclusion and I do not expect you to agree with me, but this is my interpretation for what its worth. :) Nolan |