Today’s reading: Joshua 2, Psalm 121

God had assigned land on the east side of the Jordan River to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, calling it their place of rest. But He instructed them to send their strong warriors, fully armed, with the other tribes to help them conquer the territory they had been given. Their response was one of obedience and community: “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us…So be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:16)

What a beautiful way for the people to let their new leader know that they supported him and would be with him through the battles ahead. They acknowledged the amount of strength and courage this leadership assignment would require, and they assured him of their loyalty.

Joshua sent two spies ahead of them to scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially the walled city of Jericho. When they arrived, they stayed at the house of a prostitute named Rahab. But word got back to the king and he ordered Rahab to bring the two men to him. She deceived the king and told him the men had already left, so he sent his men out to find them and shut the gates of the city. Then Rahab went up to the roof where she had hidden the two Israelite spies.

“I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.” — Joshua 2:9-11

The reputation of God’s people had arrived in Canaan way before they did. The people of Jericho knew how God had rescued them from the Egyptians; they knew how He had parted the Red Sea so that they could cross safely on dry ground. They had heard how the Israelites had already conquered and destroyed Sihon and Og, and were afraid of what would happen if they arrived at the gates of Jericho.

Two things jump out at me in this passage that remind me of scriptures we read in Deuteronomy and Numbers. First of all, in his final speech to the twelve tribes of Israel, Moses had encouraged the people that God was not only with them, He was before them. God had promised to be where He was sending them; He had promised to subdue the Canaanites so that they would be easier to conquer.

“Today you are about to cross the Jordan River…But recognize today that the Lord your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the Lord has promised.” — Deuteronomy 9:1,3

Our God is so amazing! He struck fear in the hearts of the people of Jericho. He started fighting the battle for His people even before they took their first step of obedience into the land God had promised them. He did this for the Israelites and He does the same thing for us today. He is the God who goes before us — who crosses over, prepares the way, and gives us strength and courage to respond in obedience to all He is asking us to do.

This passage also reminds me of the first time the Israelites had sent spies into Canaan. For 40 days, twelve spies had explored the beautiful land God was giving them. Ten of the twelve spies responded in fear to what it would require to follow God in obedience, and this fear spread throughout the people.

“We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!…We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!…Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” — Numbers 13:27-28,31,33

Fear is contagious and can become a distraction to all God’s blessings, and perhaps this is why God reminded Joshua over and over again to be strong and courageous. This former response of fear had caused their ancestors to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, and their absence on this day was a reminder of the consequence of choosing fear over faith. They had been convinced that they would appear small in the eyes of the people of Canaan, but they forgot how big their God was. This whole journey was not about what they were capable of, but about their God for whom nothing was impossible!

The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned without success. Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan River, and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them. “The Lord has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.” — Joshua 2:21-24

God, we look to you this morning for a reminder that you are powerful and capable. Nothing is impossible for you, and you are our help in the middle of life’s struggles. Thank you for watching over us as we come and as we go. We pray for you to give us the kind of faith that recognizes your presence and steps confidently into whatever you are asking us to do.

I look up to the mountains — does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.
The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever. — Psalm 121