Joshua 2: (MSG)
1  Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out from Shittim two men as spies: “Go. Look over the land. Check out Jericho.” They left and arrived at the house of a harlot named Rahab and stayed there.
2  The king of Jericho was told, “We’ve just learned that men arrived tonight to spy out the land. They’re from the People of Israel.”
3  The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you to stay the night in your house. They’re spies; they’ve come to spy out the whole country.”
4  The woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, two men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they’d come from.
5  At dark, when the gate was about to be shut, the men left. But I have no idea where they went. Hurry up! Chase them—you can still catch them!”
6  (She had actually taken them up on the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax that were spread out for her on the roof.)
7  So the men set chase down the Jordan road toward the fords. As soon as they were gone, the gate was shut.
8  Before the spies were down for the night, the woman came up to them on the roof
9  and said, “I know that GOD has given you the land. We’re all afraid. Everyone in the country feels hopeless.
10  We heard how GOD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you put under a holy curse and destroyed.
11  We heard it and our hearts sank. We all had the wind knocked out of us. And all because of you, you and GOD, your God, God of the heavens above and God of the earth below.
12  “Now promise me by GOD. I showed you mercy; now show my family mercy. And give me some tangible proof, a guarantee
13  of life for my father and mother, my brothers and sisters—everyone connected with my family. Save our souls from death!”
14  “Our lives for yours!” said the men. “But don’t tell anyone our business. When GOD turns this land over to us, we’ll do right by you in loyal mercy.”
15  She lowered them down out a window with a rope because her house was on the city wall to the outside.
16  She told them, “Run for the hills so your pursuers won’t find you. Hide out for three days and give your pursuers time to return. Then get on your way.”
17  The men told her, “In order to keep this oath you made us swear,
18  here is what you must do: Hang this red rope out the window through which you let us down and gather your entire family with you in your house—father, mother, brothers, and sisters.
19  Anyone who goes out the doors of your house into the street and is killed, it’s his own fault—we aren’t responsible. But for everyone within the house we take full responsibility. If anyone lays a hand on one of them, it’s our fault.
20  But if you tell anyone of our business here, the oath you made us swear is cancelled—we’re no longer responsible.”
21  She said, “If that’s what you say, that’s the way it is,” and sent them off. They left and she hung the red rope out the window.
22  They headed for the hills and stayed there for three days until the pursuers had returned. The pursuers had looked high and low but found nothing.

If I were to choose someone to be my messenger for God I doubt I would pick the harlot, Rahab.  Definitely not a model citizen of the community.  Not a person you would hold up to your children as someone to be like when they grow up.  Rahab probably was looked down upon.  Someone who was involved in what has been called, ‘the oldest profession in the world’.

Jericho is about to fall to the children of Israel.  Joshua though decides to have some spies go into the city, to learn its secrets of their defence systems.  The key areas that would have the weakest points that would allow an enemy to enter through.

Somehow the leadership of Jericho learns about the spies in their city and the word is given to hunt down these men and brought to justice.

The two spies are looking to hide, not knowing the city or its inhabitants, they arrive at the house of Rahab.  She lets them in the army not far behind start knocking at her door.  They enter the house looking for the spies, but before they arrive Rahab hides the spies on one condition, that when the children of Israel overtake Jericho that her house would be spared.  Rahab takes them up on the roof and hides them between the layers of the rooftop.

The spies did agree to the condition that Rahab had asked for but they tell her that she cannot tell one single person.

Long story short, when Jericho falls the house of Rahab is spared.

I cannot state why God would pick an imperfect person to use to fulfill His purpose, but I do know there is not one perfect person on earth.  The one perfect vessel was the only the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am one who can say that I do have my flaws, I am not perfect nor claim to be.  Yet, I do have a heart that wants God’s perfect will for my life.  I battle every day with my imperfections in my life.

I have met many men and women over the past forty years of my fifty-five year old life.  All of those when you dug beneath the surface of their character were also flawed.  Somehow though, God used them to bring glory to Himself.

Please find courage in knowing that God is not looking for perfection, but rather, a life that is willing to submit to  fulfill His will in their life.

God does not want you to wait until you are perfect, He just wants you as even with all your flaws and imperfections.