By JMathis

Rahab is my homegirl.

For real.

You ask me what my favorite love story is, and I’ll give you Rahab everytime.

I know, I know. She’s not your traditional love story heroine…no glass slippers, no kiss from Prince Charming to wake her up.

Heck, even though the Bible goes out of its way to remind you each time that she’s the town whore, her story is definitely not from Pretty Woman.

And, that’s why she’s my favorite love story.

She’s a slut.

She’s a foreigner.

No Israelite was supposed to even touch her with a ten-foot pole.

After all, no one wanted to admit that they broke God’s rules to sleep with a prostitute of another race who was probably teeming with STDs.

But clearly someone did.

The Bible never even suggests that she gave up a life of whoring, or that she was ever embraced or accepted into the Israelite community.

Once an outcast, always an outcast.

No one loved her in the traditional Cinderella-sense. She never became someone’s Sleeping Beauty.

But God loved her. He truly did.

She’s mentioned by Joshua, Paul and James as the savior of the Israelite race, and Matthew specifically references her as being part of the kingly, priestly lineage that led to the birth of God’s pure, sinless, only Son–the Savior of all humankind.

God loved her. He truly did.

He wasn’t ashamed of her. He wasn’t embarrassed by her. He didn’t revise history to cut her story out of the Good Book.

God loved her. He truly did.

He loved that she didn’t know a lick about Him, but that she trusted Him anyway.

She heard one rumor about how He parted the Red Sea, and she immediately believed in Him–no questions asked. She commits treason, risks her life and acts as a spy for Him–sight unseen.

God loved her. He truly did.

In fact, I think He just melts every time He thinks of her. If He could pepper the Bible with more stories, poems and songs about her, I think He would.

We hear all the time that faith touches the heart of God. Well, I think Rahab’s faith floored Him. Made Him do a double-take. Made Him determined that all of humanity deserves a Savior–not just the Israelites.

God loved her. He truly did.

And, that’s why she’s my favorite love story.

Rahab is my homegirl.

For real.