Wadup family! How are you and how have you been? I am excited to inform you that I will be starting a new series today, #The Untold Stories of Great Icons and Personalities we have read about. It promises to be fun and impactful. So let the Journey begin…
It’s another beautiful day. Although I feel there is more about this day, I must not mention it to my siblings because they will ridicule me as usual. I have been pacing my room for no just cause so I decide to check myself out in the mirror. Hmmmmm, I know I look very pretty even at my age and considering the nature of my business. *Sighs. Many at times, I wish I wasn’t doing this. I believe somewhere deep in my heart that there has to be more to my life than all these I see. *double sigh*. But then again, if I don’t do this business, what will happen to my family? After all it was through this means I met the king and other high net worth individuals in Jericho. It is also how I got the family a big house by the country wall. Enough of these thoughts, it’s time to prepare for the customers.
I wore one of the dresses the king gave me at his last visit and the royal cologne. Honestly, I am not in the mood for Jericho men today, so I decide to sit by one of the windows in my house that faces the City gate. With a glass of wine in my hand, I was lost in thought – yes, that familiar thought of a very rich foreigner coming to marry me away from this city. I know I have a lot of things, but I can’t deny that something is missing. I am gradually getting tired of this life. I cannot help but think of the gist going round the city about the Children of Israel… Just when I snapped out of my thoughts, two men caught my eye. I looked away at first, but I really can’t keep my gaze off them. They do not look like the regular visitors. There is something about their eyes… Hmmmmmm.
I did not notice I was staring until one of the men looked at me and smiled. Oh my! I froze on the spot and all I could do was smile. Eventually, I was able to take my eyes off them. Why was I feeling like this? I looked out again. I could not find them. I was searching for them through my window post. I sighed. Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. I quickly used some perfume and ran to the door. Business was about to begin. On opening the door, I almost collapsed because standing right in front of me, were the two men I saw a few minutes ago. One of them had a killer smile. I did not move or say a word. I just stared, then my killer-smile friend spoke. “Hello, can we come in please? My name is Salmon,” he said. Then I realized I was holding the door. I was a bit embarrassed and I said, ”Sure, do come in”. There was something about them. During our conversation, I found out they were spies from Israel. I found them interesting, respectful and God fearing. I told them about myself and I wondered why they came to me. The one with the killer smile (Salmon) then said, ”We know who you are, Rahad and we were led to come to you. It only shows that there is something about you.” I was dazed because it was the first time a man ever saw more about me than my body. Before I knew it, we were gisting and laughing. I asked them about their god. I was thrilled the more by their response. For whatever reason, I looked out my window and I noticed some of the king’s guards coming towards my house and pointing to my house. At that instance, I took the men and hid them in my roof. Not long after, the guards came asking after them and I said, “They were here but they have gone. Look for them outside the city gates”. Later on, I let them down to escape and made them promise to save my household when they came to conquer the land and made a promise in return, not to reveal their secret to anyone.
From that day, I believe I stopped living like a prostitute. Something happened to me after my encounter with the Israelite spies. Everyone noticed the change in me; even the king! Then I left the scarlet thread that helped the spies escape by the window. Everyone thought I was up to some sort of re-branding. Suddenly, we saw the Israelites approach our City Walls. I was so excited and instructed everyone in my nuclear and extended family to come stay with me for the night. I tried to hide my excitement since I was the only one in the land that knew what was about to happen.
Trust me, it wasn’t easy getting my whole family in my house, especially because some of them felt they would rather be out protecting the city. I had to frame a story that I had a dream that something evil befell the land and only our household survived because we were indoors. For six days, the Israelites just kept going round the city, blasting musical instruments and saying nothing. I mean all they did was to go round the city wall. Are you kidding me? Is this the plan to take over a City that has never been defeated? Now I am the laughing stock of my family. In fact they deliberately leave the house just to prove that nothing will happen. Was I not daft to have believed these men? However, something inside of me still believes strongly that something will happen. On the seventh day, while I sat to watch them go round the City, again, I found myself praying and hoping something Will happen because even my grandma swore to leave my house that day. “After all, I am only a prostitute,” I thought. What did I know about prophecy? Just when I was about to give up, I heard a shout and felt something stronger than an earthquake. We all fell on the floor. Oh no! Some of my family members were not in the house. I crawled to the wall and behold, I saw the walls and buildings crumbling, people practically flying in the air. The whole city was polluted with noise. People were shouting and screaming. I was so dumbfounded that all I could say was, “God of the Israelites!”
After a while, I heard a knock on the door.
One of the spies, Salmon came in to lead us out of the destroyed City. I was so unstable that he had to hold me. It was more unbelievable when I found out my household (well the ones that stayed) and I were the only ones that survived in the whole of the city. I fell on my feet and wept and worshiped the God of Israel who saved a wretched prostitute like me and her family. I still can’t get over it. I was treated like a queen. Joshua and my two other spy friends would not allow anyone touch me or deny my household and me whatever we needed. How is it possible for people, especially men to love without a bad motive? I grew daily in love with the God of Israel. Salmon made it a point of duty to teach me and narrate stories about the wonders of this God I had come to love sooo much. Wow, so all we hear in Jericho is true!
I can’t believe it. Out of the blues, Salmon, a man every Hebrew lady would die to marry, asked for my hand in marriage. I think I passed out when he proposed. I got married in tears because I didn’t know why God chose to bless and favour a common foreigner like me. I was a prostitute and He loved me still and saved me. A year later, I gave birth to this handsome boy called BOAZ. Yeah, I am the mother of Boaz. I hear he is the standard or code name of singles in the world now, lol. Do you see now why I am eternally grateful to the God that chooses and qualifies the called? When God chooses you, He restores You. Trust me, we can never fully comprehend the Love of God. Make sure you respond to Him when He calls.
A Poem Written on behalf of Rahab.
The Love of God, oh how sweet, He sees you at that very corner of yours,
He certainly knows how to get to you, what you can learn from my story:
God is a divine strategist, the master cheese player, no one can play like Him.
When He sent the spies, He went ahead to prepare me to receive them,
Do you also wonder why me? Dear friends, wherever God has sent you,
He has gone ahead of you, just go with His flow.
You are qualified to be a vessel not by what you do but by what He DID,
Remember He chose you.
When God gives instructions, do not despise them because most times it might not make sense; ask the Israelites! Trust me, going round Jericho saying nothing did not look like a good plan initially.
You never fight your battle alone, all you need do is trust Him and obey, ask Joshua (Joshua5:13-15).
If He said something, hold on to it even when people laugh at you. It wasn’t funny waiting for seven days before Jericho fell down.
God loves to make a statement when He blesses you, He knows how to make you cry for Joy.
With God your past is inconsequential. If He can make a prostitute like me to be part of the lineage of the Messiah, He can turn your life around too if you surrender.
Obedience is the ultimate…One question for you, if you meet any Rahad today, will you show love like Christ did or will you be judgmental? #selah
Coming next… #the untold story of Joseph
Remember I love you all. Please follow @imisisulaiman or reach me on talktoimisi.gmail.com