Joshua 2: New Spies, New Spirit

They said to Joshua, "The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

On the surface, not much had changed in 40 years. The band of refugees amassing beside the Jordan River greatly resembled a similar horde from four decades before. They had panicked once. Would they again? The Israelites still faced overwhelming odds. They had no chariots or even horses. They had only primitive arms, an untested new leader, and long-delayed marching orders from God.

Yet, an entirely new spirit characterizes this group, and the spy story in this chapter expresses that difference clearly. After a reconnaissance mission 40 years before, only two of twelve spies had held out any optimism. But Joshua, one of the two original optimists, now leads this new generation of Israelites. And this time, he handpicks his own scouts, and their report makes a sharp contrast with the earlier spy report in Numbers 13:31-33. The new scouts conclude that God has given the land of Canaan into the Israelites' hands; indeed, they report that the Canaanites tremble at the Israelites' approach.

The heroine of this chapter, Rahab the pagan prostitute, becomes a favorite figure in Jewish stories. She offers proof that God honors true faith from anyone, regardless of race or religious background. Rahab saw things differently from everyone else in her community, and she gambled her future on that vision. Even though her people of Jericho were determined to dig in and fight God's chosen people, Rahab took the opposite course: She chose to join the opposition. Concluding that Israel's God was the real God, she took a stand against her own people and followed the God of the Israelites. In fact, Rahab, survivor of Jericho, becomes a direct ancestor of Jesus.

Life Question: Moses' spies and Joshua's spies surveyed the same land, but they brought back radically different reports. As you confront obstacles, are you more likely to see them as problems or as opportunities?
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For me, I guess it depends on the "prize." If it's something of great value, then yes...most folks I imagine would tend to look at obstacles as opportunities. For example, this morning's sound check problems/ "obstacles" provided us all with the "opportunity" to chat about the Cavs' big win over the weekend, gaze at the beautiful new carpet that's up on the platform, memorize the 50 million new cuts/ key changes from the charts, and simply enjoy fellowship with everyone in the praise band...right, Greg?