Joshua At Jericho

Spies In The city

Joshua sends two men secretly – A Secret Service

i. There is danger in getting ahead of God, and yet there is a certain amount of initiative that God expects us to have.

1. They were promised this land and victory, it was up to them to advance and take what was theirs. Sometimes we have to start moving and take what is ours.

a. Notice this wasn’t just a foolish move. Joshua used wisdom and probably had divine guidance in the matter. It was a secret mission and it was in the dark.

b. Why were they sent, hadn’t the spy thing not worked out so well the last time? It wasn’t to see if they could take the land, it was to see how they would take the land. There is a big difference.

i. Joshua 2:9

ii. Joshua 2:18

1. Notice only two spies were secretly spent, how many spies all those years ago said they could take the land with God’s help? Two

Go, view the Land – A Proper Perspective (Search out is the words the king of Jericho used in verse 2)

1. It was time to see the battle plans

a. Stayed at the Rahab Hotel

i. Not there for entertainment but for information

1. (Probably Rahab was not exactly what we think of when we see that word) However we know that her morals were a little off as she thought telling a little lie was okay.

ii. Adam Clarke “God never says to any, Do evil that good may come of it.”

iii. “her sin is understandable because she lacked a complete knowledge of the living God. That is, what she did was wrong, but she did not know any better. We must be careful to make a distinction between Rahab’s faith and the way Rahab expressed it. The Bible praises Rahab because of her faith in God, not because of her lying.” NKJV Study Bible

2. It was time to see the Promise Gained

a. Victory was so sure that even their enemies were expecting it.

3. The faith of the Gentile woman – Similar to that of Abraham

a. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe

b. Going only on what was said, didn’t have tv or internet in those days to pull up the footage of what people were saying to see if it was true or not.

i. Verse 9

ii. A beautiful picture of redemption as well. Strict instructions given

1. Scarlet thread must be put in the window

2. Only those in the house under the protection of the scarlet thread would be saved

3. the word translated “line” (here and in Joshua 2:21), which has its first occurrence in the Bible at this point, is never translated “line” anywhere else in the Bible. Its usual meaning is “hope.” For example, “thou art my hope, O Lord God” (Psalm 71:5). Defender’s Study Bible

c. Not only is her faith an inspiration her presence is an encouragement

i. It should inspire us to think that even though the whole city by God was condemned to death even the animals and property nothing was to be taken yet there was one family who wanted to follow God.

ii. So in the world around us there are people out there who really want to follow God. It is up to us to be in the place to point them to the scarlet thread to hang in their soul’s window. The Blood of Christ that alone is able to save.

The Spies Report – Fortified Deliverance 23-24

1. Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands

2. All the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us