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The Faith of an Outsider - The Word About Women

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Getting Started...

The Ministry of Motherhood

  • Feb 25, 2021

The Ministry of Motherhood

Women’s Work

  • Feb 23, 2021

Women’s Work

The Truth About Mary Magdalene

  • Feb 18, 2021

The Truth About Mary Magdalene

The Good News Girls

  • Feb 16, 2021

The Good News Girls

Compassion for Women

  • Feb 11, 2021

Compassion for Women

Distracted with Much Serving

  • Feb 9, 2021

Distracted with Much Serving

No Throwing Stones

  • Feb 4, 2021

No Throwing Stones

She Was a Sinner

  • Feb 2, 2021

She Was a Sinner

The Eternal Thirst Quencher

  • Jan 28, 2021

The Eternal Thirst Quencher

The Laws of Love

  • Jan 26, 2021

The Laws of Love

Follow Him

  • Jan 21, 2021

Follow Him

Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You

  • Jan 19, 2021

Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You

In His Service

  • Jan 14, 2021

In His Service

Share in Their Joy

  • Jan 12, 2021

Share in Their Joy

Highly Favored One

  • Jan 7, 2021

Highly Favored One

The Value of a Woman

  • Jan 5, 2021

The Value of a Woman

See You in 2021

  • Nov 20, 2020

See You in 2021

In God’s Hands

  • Nov 19, 2020

In God’s Hands

A Disposable Woman?

  • Nov 17, 2020

A Disposable Woman?

A Bearer of Bad News

  • Nov 12, 2020

A Bearer of Bad News

A Wicked Queen Mother vs A Godly Princess

  • Nov 10, 2020

A Wicked Queen Mother vs A Godly Princess

A Heart for Hospitality

  • Nov 6, 2020

A Heart for Hospitality

The Willing Widow

  • Nov 4, 2020

The Willing Widow

A Wretched Woman

  • Nov 2, 2020

A Wretched Woman

Wicked Women

  • Oct 30, 2020

Wicked Women

Missed Opportunity

  • Oct 28, 2020

Missed Opportunity

How To Spot A Mother

  • Oct 26, 2020

How To Spot A Mother

A Wicked Thing

  • Oct 23, 2020

A Wicked Thing

Grace in the Genealogy

  • Oct 21, 2020

Grace in the Genealogy

Victim or Adulteress?

  • Oct 19, 2020

Victim or Adulteress?

A Relationship Ruined By Resentment

  • Oct 16, 2020

A Relationship Ruined By Resentment

Beauty, Brains, and a Blessing

  • Oct 14, 2020

Beauty, Brains, and a Blessing

Giving Back To God

  • Oct 12, 2020

Giving Back To God

Crimes Against Women

  • Oct 9, 2020

Crimes Against Women

When Women Are His Weakness

  • Oct 7, 2020

When Women Are His Weakness

Raising A Leader

  • Oct 5, 2020

Raising A Leader

A Redeemer

  • Oct 2, 2020

A Redeemer

A Dedicated Daughter-in-Law

  • Sep 30, 2020

A Dedicated Daughter-in-Law

A Woman With a Weapon

  • Sep 28, 2020

A Woman With a Weapon

The Leader of a Nation

  • Sep 25, 2020

The Leader of a Nation

The Faith of an Outsider

  • Sep 23, 2020

The Faith of an Outsider

The Daughters of Zelophehad

  • Sep 21, 2020

The Daughters of Zelophehad

The Prophetess

  • Sep 18, 2020

The Prophetess

A River Rescue

  • Sep 16, 2020

A River Rescue

The Temptress

  • Sep 14, 2020

The Temptress

The Double Standard

  • Sep 11, 2020

The Double Standard

A Daughter Defiled

  • Sep 9, 2020

A Daughter Defiled

Stolen Statues

  • Sep 7, 2020

Stolen Statues

The Unloved Wife

  • Sep 4, 2020

The Unloved Wife

A Meddling Matriarch

  • Sep 2, 2020

A Meddling Matriarch

Beyond Redemption?

  • Aug 31, 2020

Beyond Redemption?

A Salty Warning

  • Aug 28, 2020

A Salty Warning

Oppressed Yet Blessed

  • Aug 26, 2020

Oppressed Yet Blessed

The Mother of a Nation

  • Aug 24, 2020

The Mother of a Nation

The God Who Sees

  • Aug 21, 2020

The God Who Sees

Beautiful but Barren

  • Aug 19, 2020

Beautiful but Barren

Past Messages
BTBAplatform+ShannonLenz
ShannonSep 23, 2020 1:00 pm GMT
The Faith of an Outsider

I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Joshua 2:9-11

For context, read all of Joshua 2

Once again, we are presented with the story of a prostitute. At this point in history, Joshua had taken over the leadership of Israel from Moses and was preparing to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. He sent two spies to look over the land. The place they chose to stop? A prostitute's house in Jericho.

Why would the men stop there? The Bible doesn’t explicitly say. We know from Scripture that her house was located on the city wall so that it would be easily accessible to get in and would also make for a quick escape. It is also possible that they would be able to obtain intel on the city from the people who frequent that type of establishment while they remained fairly inconspicuous. Unfortunately, they were somehow found out. Someone informed the king that Israelite spies came into the city so he sent a message to Rahab commanding her to bring them out.

Here is the pivotal moment. Consider all of the factors. She was a pagan and an enemy of Israel. These men were planning to annihilate her entire city. Why wouldn’t she do as the king commanded? And yet, she didn’t. She hid the men and claimed that they had already fled.

Why did she protect her enemies? Because she had heard stories of His power and might and she believed in their God. In exchange for hiding them, she boldly asked them to provide protection for herself and her family during the raid.

Remember that an entire generation of Israelites had just died and did not get to possess the Promised Land because of a lack of faith in the might of God. And yet a woman, who did not personally know God and had never seen with her own eyes any of the miracles that she had heard about, believed in His power. As a pagan, Canaanite, prostitute, she had more faith in the omnipotence of God than an entire generation of Jews.

And God took notice. Not only was her family protected when Jericho was ransacked but she went from being an outsider to an insider. Joshua 6:25 says, “...and she lives among the Israelites to this day.” A pagan, Canaanite, prostitute, lived among the Israelites.

But that’s not all. In Hebrews 11:31, we see Rahab’s name listed in the Hall of Faith as one who “was not killed with those who were disobedient”. Despite her sinful lifestyle, she was saved because of her faith.

And perhaps the greatest proof that she was no longer an outsider is the honor that we discover bestowed on her in Matthew 1. Rahab, one of only four women, listed in the genealogy of Jesus.

The WORD about women in Rahab’s story is that God is and always has been drawing those from the outside in. Sister, you are not an outsider in His eyes.

Reflect
Have you ever felt like an outsider as a woman? How has God shown you that you are valuable and that you belong?

Pray
Father, I thank You for being a God that loves the outcast. A God who loves the outsiders enough to bring them in. A God who sees our heart of faith despite our sin. Amen.

We look forward to your comments and questions below!

If you want to share this Bible reading plan with friends and family, here is the link:
https://bttb.org/word-about-women
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