Oil on canvas
18″x24″
Rahab Remembers
I’ve finished a new painting in the series about encounters with God. The title is Rahab Remembers. I’ve imagined that, after the fall of Jericho, Rahab’s life with the Israelites is long and satisfying. Perhaps, one day her son Boaz brings his son Obed to sit at her feet and hear Grandma Rahab tell the story about God’s miraculous delivery of their family.
This all started when Gayle, a friend of my Mom’s and now my friend, challenged me to paint Rahab in my series (Encounters with Jesus). I thought about it for about 3 seconds, and said “I don’t think so, I don’t see how it makes sense in the series.” But Gayle did not give up and every time I ran into her, she asked me again, ‘are you going to paint Rahab?’.
Finally, one day I said ‘Well Gayle, sure, I’ll paint Rahab. Will you be my model?” She laughed, and hesitated, and finally said she would. In the back of my mind, I expected her to say “Yes!”, because she is so full of life and joy, and adventurous. Later, when we were invited to her home to take reference pictures, Gayle asked me, “Should I be smiling? Looking off in the distance? Or what?” I said, “How about you pretend you are Rahab, and I’m your son, and just tell me the story of what happened to you at Jericho so long ago.” Gayle lit up and launched into a lovely and passionate retelling of ‘her’ history and what happened in Jericho.
As I was looking through the pictures later, it occurred to me that Gayle was acting out Rahab Remembering her miracle from God, and that immediately became the title.
The Story of Rahab
Rahab’s story is long and contains many fascinating details recorded in the book of Joshua, chapters 2 and 6. I urge you to read the whole biblical story, there is so much there. Here are the major elements.
Rahab lived in Jericho, a city-kingdom in Canaan. News had reached Jericho that neighboring kingdoms had been conquered and decimated by an army of foreigners – the Israelites. And everything seemed to point to the fact that Jericho was next. Now Rahab was a prostitute, as well as an innkeeper in Jericho. Both of her professions show that she was connected and immersed in the culture of Jericho. Her home and lodgings were in the wall of the city, and – this is very important – she had a window in the wall, to see anyone and everyone who came and went from Jericho.
One day, there was a knock at her door. The scriptures state that Rahab “welcomed the spies”. She knew who they were and what they were about, perhaps observing them from her window as they approached the city.
And she welcomed them into her home and gave them refuge. Word about the spies in Rahab’s house reached the king. He sent messengers demanding that she give them over. But instead, she hid the spies on her roof and tricked the king’s messengers into leaving and chasing after them even though they were still in her home.
Rahab then arranged an escape for the spies, letting them down from her window in the wall. But, before she let them go, she asked for a deal. She said “Since I’ve been kind to you, you return that kindness and save me and my family. And give me a ‘truth token’ to seal the deal.” So, the spies considered and agreed. And they gave Rahab that ‘truth token’, a red cord (in the painting), with instructions to bring her family into her home to save them. Bind this red cord to your window, and when we return, if the red cord is in your window, then everyone you’ve brought into your home will be saved.
The spies did return with the whole Israelite army. And they followed God’s command by walking around the city one time for 6 straight days. And on the 7th day they walked around the city 7 times, and then the priests blew their ram’s horn trumpets, and the army gave a great shout, and the walls of Jericho fell – all except Rahab’s home in the wall, because she had bound the red cord in her window. And she had brought her father, mother, brothers, and sisters into her home, and they were spared.
What is it about Rahab?
Rahab inspires many different responses from different people.
Some people are entirely put off by her profession as a prostitute. I think it’s an indication that God chooses whom He chooses. And we can be thankful for that.
Others, including two of the New Testament writers, hold Rahab in extremely high esteem. She is included twice as an example for us of great faith, due to her “welcoming the spies”, and “sending them off in a different direction”.
As I’ve been thinking about Rahab over the last year, I continually come back to the fact that Rahab had an opportunity to welcome the spies (God’s people). She responded with kindness, and hid them from the King’s men, and sent them off in a different direction to keep them from being captured.
Even though her knowledge of God was extremely limited by our standards, she chose to accept the people of God into her home, and in so doing showed her faith in God. And she was rewarded with an opportunity to save herself and all her family.
I think of how immersed we are in our own culture, certainly I feel immersed in it. I’m struck by this idea: God’s lesson for me may be to follow Rahab’s lead, accept the opportunity to be kind to God’s people wherever I find them, provide them safety if needed, and in so doing align myself with God’s purposes.