She knew of His strength. She had heard of His great deeds. And she believed them. She trusted that He was all of the things the rumor mill had said about Him. She knew of His love for His people. She knew that He would take care of them. She was willing to risk everything in service to those who served this God she should have known so little about. What does this story have to do with Christmas? How does this connect to Advent? Rahab awaited the advent, or arrival, of God’s people there to take the Promised Land. The Promised Land was just that, promised by God. It was guaranteed because God had promised. It was proof of His love for His people. In faithfulness, and by following His commands, the people could stay in the land forever. God would not stop at that; the people were awaiting still more of God’s promises. A King and a Messiah was still to come. Rahab knew that this God, who loved His people, would give His people the land He had promised. She was awaiting the advent of this promise. She knew He could and would do it because she had heard what God had done for the people leading them out of Egypt. We, too, have the same hindsight, only better. We have seen God’s love made clear in the incarnation of His Son. We have seen that He loved us enough to give His life for our sins. And we await the final advent, the ultimate display of His love for us: the victorious return of Jesus. 25
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