Joshua: Kingdom Conquest (3)

In Chapter 1 Joshua instructed the people of Isreal to make preparations for war. Chapter 2 records those preparations. Although the word Faith doesn’t show up in this chapter we need to understand the faith it takes to prepare for battle.

Joshua 2:1 ESV

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.

Then it wasn’t uncommon for travelers to bunk at a prostitutes work place. If she was a temple prostitute she would have been held in high regard and probably owned a hotel. So they spies, trying to hide go to Rehabs.

One question might be: didn’t Joshua already see the land, however that was 38 years ago. And another is: Shouldn’t he have just operated in faith and went in blind?

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

It is important to plan, but also important to sty open minded enough to change.

Joshua 2:3–5 ESV

Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.”

One of the biggest questions I get when reading this verse is why did God reward Rehab for lying? In fact it’s a question I have asked myself. There is no direct answer in the bible but here are things we can safely assume with the text that we have.

She was still in basic sin:-She lied. Christianity 101 do not lie.

Rehab wasn’t ignorant of who God was: God had already been working on her heart. She may not have made a life changing commitment, but I often find people who newly accept God don’t shed all their sins at once. She may have had enough knowledge to have faith-and maybe even be what we would call saved, but not enough to make a life change. Until now...

Joshua 2:8–11 ESV

Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

We are told that they heard stories. Often times at a low point in our life fear can come before salvation. She hears about the power and NOW she has first hand experience of a fulfilled prophecy. You can see her life begin to change. You can see her dedication shrink from that which she knew-Her king and gods- and grow in dedication to God.

Could God had saved them without rehab lying? Yes. I believe whole heartedly. Does God know the heart? Yes.

Think o f it this way. IF you young child attempts to make you breakfast on your birthday and starts a fire while making breakfast.

Will you yell at them for starting a fire, or will you take care of the fire and praise them for their attempt to show love?

All though it may have been the wrong way for their age bracket a good parent will look at the heart and not outcome.

God looks at the heart-not the act. He has more to forgive than one tiny lie.

Joshua 2:12–14 ESV

Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

Look at the difference between the two sets of spies. The first set minus two men were afraid of the inhabitant of the promised land.

These spies don’t use might or if when it comes down to returning to the land. They say when and make promises on that faith. Their faith has them getting back to Israel safely and overtaking Jericho safely.

There is something powerful about declaring promises of God before their fulfillment.

Joshua 2:15–16 ESV

Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.”

I firmly believe salvation happened, not just phyiscal, but spiritual salvation happened, when the spies showed up at Rehabs. And task after task Rehab protected the men of God. You can see she her listening and moving to the direction of God. I have no doubt that the Spirit of God was giving her real time commands as to how to best deal with the situation. It’s important to plan our steps-the spies did—although their plan failed as they were the worst spies in history, but we aren’t reliant on our plans. We are reliant on our obedience to God.

Our plans are needed- I believe it’s poor stewardship to just wing it, but it’s faith when God changes the plan and you respond to it.

2 Corinthians 4:13 ESV

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak,

It isn’t usually God show me then I will do, it’s typically take the step and faith and then God will open the doors. You have to be sensitive to his words and movement of his Spirit.

It’s been an ongoing theme that God has been speaking to me that we must walk out his blessing in our life. Just like we walk through the valleys, we must walk thought the mountain tops. It’s not a place to sit and rest. Many times we get into the blessings of God and stop. We don’t push into the fullness of the blessing. We get comfortable on the outskirts.

Joshua 2:17–24 ESV

The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”

You see the theme of the blood of Christ within the scarlet cloth. Could have been any other color, but the color of Christ’s blood and salvation.

And then this time the spies sing a different story. They are ready for what God desires to give them and they are willing to put themselves into the position to obtain it.