By faith Rahab: “What are you doing here?”

The Word for today:
Hebrews 13:1-8

mark this:
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. (Hebrews 11:31)

I once had a snooty girlfriend who herself had many snooty friends. So it came to pass that my snooty girlfriend invited me to a snooty party at her snooty friend’s home.

At the time I was working until 9:00 p.m. almost every night. So I told my girlfriend that I’d be arriving a little late.

I was careful to bring what I considered my preppiest clothes to change into after work. But it turns out they weren’t preppy enough.

Because when I rang the doorbell a very pretty smiling face opened, looked me over, turned her face back into the room and called out, “Did anybody order a pizza?”

For a second it was kind of funny. I actually glanced over my shoulder to see if there were a pizza delivery person, or a pizza delivery car in the driveway. There was not, so it dawned on me that Miss Snoot (who’d already had a snootful, I might add) was dissing me!

This was confirmed when, having ascertained that no one had ordered pizza, she turned back to me and asked, “What are you doing here?”

I was annoyed, and when I am annoyed I get quick-witted. “I’m here to raise the average IQ at this party by ten points,” I proclaimed as I strode past her and disappeared into the mix.

***

“What are you doing here?” Many people have the same question about some of the strange rangers who populate the pages of the Bible and, in some cases, have even been enshrined into the Bible’s Hall of Faith.

Who invited a con artist like Jacob to this party? Or a womanizer and vow-breaker like Samson? Or an adulterer like David? Or a prostitute like Rahab? Did anyone order a pizza?

There are many persons in the Bible who make us wonder what God sees in them. Our befuddlement is compounded when God commends them amongst the heroes of faith.

This is as it should be. God wants our presuppositions to be shaken to the core. He wants our sometimes spiritually snooty selves to understand that seeing all, he sees us all on the same basis — as sinners. Rahab had just been a more open sinner than some of us are.

But there’s never been a prayer meeting, or a pastor’s conference, or a church retreat where she wouldn’t raise the average Faith Quotient by 50 points — just by walking in the door.

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