Unashamed (17 page)
Authors: Francine Rivers
What is God’s rescue plan for the world?
Why does He want to rescue you?
STOP AND PONDERWhom have you chosen to rescue you?
SEEK GOD’S WORD FOR TRUTH
Read the following passage:
So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.
J
OSHUA
6:25
OSHUA
6:25
Of those rescued, how many made their home in the midst of Israel?
What reason is given?
The story does not end here. We are not told what happened to Rahab’s family members, but we do know what happened to Rahab. She married an Israelite named Salmon and bore him a son. Rahab is considered a woman of great faith, and she is held in high esteem in the Bible. The following passage about Rahab was written centuries after her death:
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. . . . It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
H
EBREWS
11:1, 31
EBREWS
11:1, 31
Based upon what you’ve learned about Rahab, how does this definition of faith apply to her?
How did she demonstrate her faith?
The apostle Paul wrote: “God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
From this, what else do you learn about faith?
The apostle Paul also wrote: “I did this so that you might trust the power of God rather than human wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:5).
Upon whom did Rahab base her faith?
And finally, the outcome of Rahab’s story is the honor given to her in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, where she is listed in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Messiah (see chapter three).
FIND GOD’S WAYS FOR YOUYour story does not end here, either. What have you learned about yourself from this study?
What changes, if any, have you made?
How would you describe your relationship with God and why?
How do you choose to live out your life?
STOP AND PONDERHow have God’s ways become your ways?
THIS
is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of King David and of Abraham:
is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of King David and of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was
Tamar
).
Tamar
).
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Hezron was the father of Ram.
Ram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.
Salmon was the father of Boaz (his mother was
Rahab
).
Rahab
).
Boaz was the father of Obed (his mother was
Ruth
).
Ruth
).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (his mother was
Bathsheba,
the widow of Uriah).
Bathsheba,
the widow of Uriah).
Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asaph.
Asaph was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.
Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was the father of Amos.
Amos was the father of Josiah.
Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).
After the Babylonian exile:
Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor.
Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Akim.
Akim was the father of Eliud.
Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary
was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
MATTHEW 1:1-16
FRANCINE RIVERS
has been writing for more than twenty years. From 1976 to 1985 she had a successful writing career in the general market and won numerous awards. After becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote
Redeeming Love
as her statement of faith.
has been writing for more than twenty years. From 1976 to 1985 she had a successful writing career in the general market and won numerous awards. After becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote
Redeeming Love
as her statement of faith.
Since then, Francine has published numerous books in the CBA market and has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty. Her novel
The Last Sin Eater
won the ECPA Gold Medallion, and three of her books have won the prestigious Romance Writers of America Rita Award.
The Last Sin Eater
won the ECPA Gold Medallion, and three of her books have won the prestigious Romance Writers of America Rita Award.
Francine says she uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all he has done and is doing in her life.
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