“So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; AND THEY BROUGHT OUT all her relatives and PUT THEM OUTSIDE THE CAMP OF ISRAEL” (Josh 6:23).

The author of Joshua clearly borrowed words from the story of Lot’s rescue in Genesis 19:16 to tell the story of Rahab’s deliverance along with her entire family. “But he [Lot] hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; AND THEY BROUGHT HIM OUT, AND PUT HIM OUTSIDE THE CITY.”

By drawing a parallel between Rahab and Lot, Rahab’s deliverance from Jericho is depicted as the long-term fruit of Abraham’s intercessory prayer for a remnant of righteous people living in Sodom and Gomorrah (see Gen 18:22-33). Even more amazing is that fact that both people who are rescued through Abraham’s prayer find their way into the genealogy of our Savior. Lot’s incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter results in the birth of Moab (Gen 19:37), from whom descended David’s great grandmother Ruth (Ruth 4:18-22; Matt 1:5). And according to the Gospel of Matthew, Boaz’s mother just so happens to be none other than Rahab the prostitute (Matt 1:5).

 May the God of Abraham use our prayers to bring salvation, deliverance, and life to many generations of people to come!

Only on the other side of eternity did Abraham come to realize just how powerful his intercessory prayer in Genesis 18 really was. Not only did God use that prayer to rescue Lot and Rahab; because our Savior descended from Lot and Rahab, God also used Abraham’s intercessory prayer to rescue us as well.

Let us take Abraham’s mantle by becoming intercessors for the cities of this world, even those cities which appear to be farthest away from God. And may the God of Abraham use our prayers to bring salvation, deliverance, and life to many generations of people to come! And when we’re finally on the other side of eternity, we will also be just as surprised as Abraham to learn how powerfully God worked through our intercessory prayers! “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).