What do You think about Unashamed: Rahab (2000)?
This was probably my favorite in the five novellas that make up Francine Rivers "Lineage of Grace" series. My favorite because I have always been encouraged that if God loved and saved Rahab and allowed her to get her family safely out of Jericho, then there is hope for those I love who do not believe in God or are on the run from Him. Rivers outdid herself in weaving the story with details about how it would have been in Rahab's home when she crowded her family in with their children to await the attack by Joshua and his men---lots of arguing, complaining, etc and still Rehab held firm in her faith. My favorite description was when Rahab destroyed all the idols that her family had in their possessions. The description of the walls of Jericho falling with millions of men shouting when Joshua gave them the go ahead was also pretty amazing.
—L
I have been intending to read this series of novellas for several years now, but as I read them this summer I realize that I may not have been ready earlier for all God is now teaching me. I have been learning much in recent years about the times of the patriarchs, and these small books focusing on the five women noted in the genealogy of Christ have given me greater insight than I ever imagined. From Tamar’s desperate attempts to awaken Judah’s sense of obligation, to Rahab’s great faith in the midst of an approaching war, to my current read of Ruth and Naomi and the unbreakable bond between them, the Lineage of Grace series is enlightening and provocative and filled with historical context that somehow previously escaped me. Completion of each book brings an urgency to dive into the next one, and that’s my hope for every book I read.
—Jules Q
You know, as a Christian, I know that Jesus would have died for me even if I was the only one that needed him to. But that's also an impossible event as everyone sins. That thought is beautiful but I can't wrap my head around it because of the impossibility. It's hard for that to be real to me. But this story about Rahab depicts how God help up the entire army of Israel for one single woman. I realized things that I never realized before. How God told Joshua what his plan was before the spies even came back from Jericho. Sending spies into the city was unnecessary. The plan was to march around the city. There was very little hand to hand fighting that was necessary, and only after the walls fell and the Jericho army was already weak and afraid. Why did they need to know about the army if they were going to defeat the city without even entering the city? They didn't need to know those details. The spies had to go in for the purpose of securing Rahab. If that one woman, and a prostitute at that, was that important to God, how important must I be to him? This book really did change my relationship with God. Profound effect.
—Rhonda Smallwood
