It had been 40 long years of wandering. An entire generation delivered from the bondage of slavery, they witnessed a pillar of fire that stopped an army dead in their tracks and have seen the Red Sea split right in front of their eyes. They have witnessed miracle after miracle and now- are shackled in the desert. Anchored to the sand by the very chains they have forged from their sin and disobedience. Unable to enter the promised land.
All of this changed when Joshua succeeded Moses after his death. And it is noted in Deut. 34:10-11 how high Moses has set the bar as prophets go. Joshua now had some big shoes to fill in. When the Lord spoke to Joshua (vv. 1-9), He was basically saying, “Moses is dead. So get ready and cross the river to the other side. The Lord was making it clear that His promises to the people of Israel did not die with Moses. This was a promise that goes further back to what God told Abraham back in Genesis chapters 12 and 15.
This was a monumental challenge. And with like every change as big as this, there was fear. HOWEVER- God understands the fear that we feel in these situations. He understood the fear that was gripping the hearts of the people of Israel at that time which is why He gives assurance by reminding the people of His promise to them. Now if you’re a new leader and you hear the words “I will be with you. I will never forsake you. I will never leave you.” from no less than The Lord Himself, that’s assurance that is sure to set fire to any heart! God was already telling Joshua to get ready to cross the river and to trust Him in whatever they may encounter there.
So as Joshua was poised to lead the people across the river towards the promised land. He had the assurance from God and because of that, he too had the full support of the Israelites. The stage seemed to be perfectly set! But instead of the whole Israelite camp crossing into the river, Joshua sends 2 spies to cross and survey the place. In the face of uncertainty, he placed his trust in the information that the spies he sent would be able to bring instead of hanging on to what God had promised him earlier.
And as the Bible records, the spies went to the Land the Lord has promised to them: Jericho. It was here where the spies were hidden by the most unlikely of people; Rahab, a pagan prostitute. Ironically, it is made obvious that she was the one who really acted in trust to God’s promise than Joshua. Joshua, who had seen all the miracles of The Lord through Moses AND the person who received assurance from God, still needed that extra padding of security by sending spies TO A LAND THAT WAS ALREADY PROMISED TO THEM. Rahab on the other hand did not have such direct access to what God can do and who He really was, YET- she was the one who acted in faith – placing a complete trust in the Promises of The Lord.
At the end of the day, we are reminded through the faith of Rahab that THE LORD’S PROMISES NEVER CHANGE. Old normal, new normal and all the future ‘normals’ we may experience, God has given us that promise that He will never leave us. Always remember – even in this time where we feel everything is so uncertain – WHO GOD IS. The way we usually do things will certainly change – this truth remain constant: God’s love and His faithfulness to His promise to us. As a known speaker once said – ‘let us not doubt in the dark what God has promised in the light’.
