Which wall?

Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?

James 2:24

When James links faith and action, his example is, of all people, Rahab the prostitute!

Why Rahab?

She lived in the wall of Jericho when Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land. That wall was thick enough to contain a home and probably was wide enough for a chariot path at the top. The people of Jericho had trusted that wall to keep them safe for many years.

Remember that Rahab did not know how God would conquer the land, but she had heard about his power in the wilderness and she believed. She put herself at odds with her own people because her faith was rock-solid (unlike the wall, as it turned out). She housed strangers who could have taken advantage of her for their own gain. She made herself vulnerable because she trusted God.

She saved herself and her family by her actions – and is a honored member of the line of Jesus.

Rahab had heard about God’s power and she acted. That’s James’ point. Believe and act. If we concoct backup plans or analyze escape routes, our faith is in our wall. Rahab saw a wall but believed the all-powerful God. And her actions proved it.

Was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

James 2:25-26 (NIV)