Rahab's rescue during the destruction of Jericho is only the beginning of her spiritual journey in this Biblical narrative. And she isn't the only Canaanite to make a deal with Hebrew spies, either. Two of her Canaanite acquaintances, merchant brothers from Gibeon and Bethel, plan their strategies for handling the Israelite invaders. And while Rahab adjusts to her new lifestyle, learns more about the Creator-God, and tries to win acceptance among God's people, a romance blossoms during the Israelites' early attempts to settle in the Promised Land. Judy Savoy enjoys reading, writing, teaching, making music, playing badminton, doing aqua-robics, and studying the Bible, not necessarily in that order. Formerly of Massachusetts, she and her husband Frank now live in Midlothian, VA, near three of their grown children.

Christianity Today 5-Star Review Publishers Weekly Review Foreword Reviews Indie Awards Finalist Gain a greater understanding of gender in the Bible through the eyes of a diverse group of evangelical scholars who assert that Christians have missed the point of some scriptural stories by assuming the women in them were "bad girls." Did the Samaritan woman really divorce five husbands in a world where women rarely divorced even one? Did Bathsheba seduce King David by bathing in the nude? Was Mary Magdalene really a reformed prostitute? While many have written studies of the women in the Bible, this is a new kind of book--one in which an international team of male and female scholars look afresh at vilified and neglected women in the Bible. The result is a new glimpse into God's heart for anyone, male or female, who has limited social power.

"Once, she was Rahab, the beautiful eldest daughter or a rug seller--and secret believer in her dead mother's cherished Judaism. But when her hateful stepmother accused her of witchery, Rahab was banished to live off the streets in Jericho. Now the girl known as Rahab the Outcast has no choice but to mingle with the city's untouchables--and join its ranks of prostitutes ... Even in the mire, Rahab keeps alive her faith in God. Then two Jewish spies for Joshua appear on her doorstep, begging her to hide them. Now, Rahab faces the biggest decision of her life: stay safe and slam the door in their faces--or help her fellow believers and transform herself from harlot to heroine ..."--Flyleaf.

Examines the dialectic relationship between the text, conceived as the vehicle of narrative communication, and the reader in an assemenent of the story of Rahab – the prostitute from Jericho – in Josuha 2. Toczyski uses his study to examine how this story has been read by various audiences across time, the different interpretive perspectives and methodologies that have thus been brought to the text and the influences this has had on the manner in which the story has been interpreted. In particular Toczyski focuses on internal literary analysis of Joshua 2 and the external historical approach and what this can say about the readers of the text. The purpose of such insight is to register how successive interpretations overlap and set the interpretative pattern for subsequent generations of readers. As a result of this conceptual framework, Toczyski presents the Rahab story in the broader context of the communicative process, which has been challenging the story's readers for centuries. This deep immersion into both internal and external contexts reveals the generally-overlooked thread within the Rahab story, namely “the power of storytelling”, which may prove relevant for contemporary readers by providing grounds for inter-cultural dialogue in the postmodern world.

Some biblical scholars maintain that Rahab, the woman who hid Joshua’s two spies, was a harlot or prostitute. So how did she become one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ? Wouldn’t the Father ensure a pure lineage for His Son? In this historical fiction, author Diana Wallis Taylor offers a beautiful story of intrigue that suggests Rahab was a descendent of Ephraim, one of the ten lost tribes of Israel. With no available Jewish men in her town, she marries Radames, a young Egyptian officer who is the new governor of Jericho. When the Israelites approach Canaan with their army, pharaoh sends word that he is withdrawing his troops. Radames fabricates a story to tell Jericho’s king, but Hammurabi doesn’t believe it…and he has his eye on the beautiful Rahab. What will happen to Rahab after the lecherous king poisons her husband? How can she save her family from the invading Israelites? God parted the waters of the Jordan River for them—will He likewise provide miracles and blessings to her Ephraimite clan if they can rejoin their people?

What do you do when you can relate more to Jezebel, Ahab, or Eve than Esther or Mary? To her surprise and joy, author Autumn Miles discovered most of the heroes of the Bible were plagued with the same problem. They were ordinary people who sinned, but God's love, mercy, and truth proved greater. I Am Rahab provides a better understanding of God, with a focus on the breadth of his reach to use and redeem all things for the good of his purposes, and for their benefit as his beloved children. You will find comfort in relating to Rahab and to Autumn's own raw story of surviving domestic abuse and will be encouraged to know you are not alone in a life disrupted by bad choices, nor are you meant to stay there. You can move forward from your past and have an abundant future.

Can a Canaanite harlot who made her living enticing men be a fitting wife for a leader of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible’s answer is yes. This 10th anniversary edition of Pearl in the Sand includes new features that will invite you into the untold story of Rahab’s journey from lowly outcast to redeemed child of God. Rahab’s home is built into a wall, a wall that fortifies and protects the City of Jericho. However, other walls surround her too, walls of fear, rejection, and unworthiness… Years of pain and betrayal have wounded Rahab’s heart—she doubts whether her dreams of experiencing true love will ever come true… A woman with a wrecked past—a man of success, of faith... of pride. A marriage only God would conceive! Through the heartaches of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another’s worth and find healing in God.

What do you do when you can relate more to Jezebel, Ahab, or Eve than Esther or Mary? To her surprise and joy, author Autumn Miles discovered most of the heroes of the Bible were plagued with the same problem. They were ordinary people who sinned, but God's love, mercy, and truth proved greater. I Am Rahab provides a better understanding of God, with a focus on the breadth of his reach to use and redeem all things for the good of his purposes, and for their benefit as his beloved children. You will find comfort in relating to Rahab and to Autumn's own raw story of surviving domestic abuse and will be encouraged to know you are not alone in a life disrupted by bad choices, nor are you meant to stay there. You can move forward from your past and have an abundant future.

Each devotional in The One Year Women of the Bible focuses on a woman in the Bible and a woman today. You'll hear the perspective of faithful women like Sarah, Elizabeth, and Abigail along with the less faithful women, such as Jezebel. You'll also read about everyday contemporary women struggling with busyness and commitment to God. Dianne Matthews masterfully transitions to the scriptural account of a woman in the Bible who faced a similar story or issue and brings readers the spiritual lessons and direction to apply to our own lives.