A Canaanite woman living in Jericho, a city fortified against God. She was part of a culture marked for destruction because of its wickedness. She lived "in the wall"—on the edge, literally and socially.

Scripture unflinchingly calls her "Rahab the Harlot" (Zonah). She was defined by her sin and her profession. She was the person no "religious" person would associate with.

She was formed by Rumor. She heard the stories of the Red Sea and the defeat of the Amorite kings. Unlike her king, who melted in fear, Rahab melted in awe: "For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below" (Josh 2:11).

She was shaped by the Scarlet Cord. She had to tie it in her window and wait. She had to gather her family inside and keep them there while the walls crumbled around her. Her house was the only safe place in the city.

1. The Hearing (Faith comes by hearing).
2. The Hiding (Works proving faith).
3. The Cord (The Covenant).
4. The Rescue (Coming out).

The Gatekeeper. She was the door through which Israel entered the city (intelligence) and the door through which her family entered salvation. She became a mother in Israel.

She provided Refuge. Her house on the wall became an embassy of heaven in a city of hell.

The spies (for safety) and her entire extended family (for salvation). Also, the line of Christ depended on her womb.

She breaks the idea that lineage must be "pure." She injects Gentile blood and the grace of forgiveness into the veins of the Messiah.

She broke with her Culture. She betrayed her king and her city to side with God. This was a "break" from her past allegiance. She chose to be a traitor to Jericho to be faithful to Yahweh.

She held fast to the Oath. Even when the earth shook and the walls fell flat, she stayed inside the house with the scarlet cord. She trusted the word of the spies completely.