In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?
There is a kind of shorthand that exists when it comes to the matter of the Bible. Certain people I hobnob with are prone to refer to Bible passages by their address only. Instead of reciting the passage they are thinking of they simply give the verse and chapter and assume that you will know what they are talking about. Usually, I am left to look up the verse on my own if I want to have a clue what is going on.
(Full disclosure: I occasionally do the same thing, but rarely. Mainly due to an abundance of ignorance about exact passage references. :- )
In this case, James is referring to a story in the Old Testament book of Joshua. (Joshua 2) In the story, Joshua has sent spies into the land of Canaan to scope out the territory God has promised them. It is a great story, full of adventure and intrigue. The two spies are almost caught but escape detection thanks to the help of a woman named Rahab.
She becomes an important figure in Biblical history. She is the mother of Boaz who appears in the book of Ruth, and she also appears in the genealogy of Jesus given by Matthew in the first chapter of his gospel.
So if you know your Bible, you know the story of Rahab and Ruth and Boaz and Jesus. You know that God values faith over one’s social position. Rahab was the lowest of the low, and yet she is the great grandmother (many times over) of Jesus. What sets her apart is her faith in God. Somehow she came to understand that God favored the Israelites and that if she wanted to live she needed to serve their God. Her faith saved her. We can learn a lot from her.
Application: James begins his letter with an admonition not to discriminate against the poor. Is there anyone we can discriminate against before a righteous God?
Food for Thought: Is James nuts? How can a prostitute be considered righteous?
By faith. The flip side of this question is how can I be considered righteous? I am certainly no better than a prostitute. I need a Savior just as much.
Good devotion and question brother.
Rich,
Thanks for the encouragement!
You remind me of the post titled, “You Break It You Buy It.” (James 2: 10) We talked about the law and how breaking one little part of it effectively breaks the who thing. By this standard we are indeed “unrighteous.”
You see over and over in the bible that God uses people of humble position. The disciples, David, and many others. It seems to me to be harder to find a person of high position who God considers faithful and uses as a servant. God really does give grace to the humble.
Good point
Paul,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! You are so right about God giving grace to the humble.
👍🏻
I find God constantly using the bottom of the barrel, what most consider the worst of the worst. Saul/paul, Mathew, Timothy Neal. He does miraculously things with these people so never underestimate what he can do through you.