In Joshua 2, Joshua sent two spies to inspect Jericho. At this time, there must be a lot of struggling in Joshua. 40 years ago, Moses sent twelve spies to check the situations in Canaan, and Joshua was one of the spies. After their inspection, 10 of the spies became afraid, and they told the Israelis that people in Canaan were giants, and that “we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” Joshua and Caleb were the only who held different attitudes from the other spies. They said to the Israelis that they should not be afraid, because God had already given the land to them, and they sure would win the victory. This event is recorded in Numbers 13. Faith is the most important thing. If we have faith, we would be able to walk fast and straight. If we do not have faith, our road would be winding. Ten of the faithless spies affected the morale of the Israelis and caused them to spend 40 more years in the wilderness.
In the previous chapter, God told Joshua to be strong and courageous, because “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you.” God gives us promises, but we need to take actions so as to realize those promises. The two spies sent by Joshua went to Jericho at once, and they came to Rahab’s house. Who was Rahab? It is commonly believed that Rahab was a prostitute, but according to a historian, Joseph, Rahab was actually a hostess of an inn. No matter if Rahab was a prostitute or a hostess, it is certain that she was a sinner, but God had chosen her. In Matthew, there are four women recorded in Jesus’s genealogy, Rahab, Ruth, the wife of Uriah, and Mary. Rahab is recorded in the Bible, which shows that she is influential.
Because of her faith in God, Rahab courageously helped the two spies, and asked them to save her and her family. The spies told her that all her families must hide in a house with a scarlet thread binding on the window. The night before the Israelis where led out of Egypt, God also told them to put the blood of sheep on the doorframe of their houses so that God will pass over that house without taking any life in their families. Not all people in those houses were good or even Israelis, but the lives were saved because of the power of the Holy Blood.
Today, we are saved in the same way. It doesn’t matter who we are, how talented we are, or how terrible we had been, we are saved because we are now purified by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. If we are willing to accept God, we are saved and are given eternal life.
The last verse describes that the spies reported to Joshua, “all the inhabitants of the land have melted away.” Joshua must have a strong feeling about this, because when the twelve spies came back from Canaan, his people also melted away. Now the people who melted were the ones in Jericho. Why was there such a huge difference? Because the Israelis were equipped and strengthened by God; after 40 years in the wilderness, the old generation was gone, and a new generation rose and formed an army. God protected His people with pillar of cloud and fire, and God is still protecting us today in the same way. Today, the pillar of cloud and fire is not shown on the outside, it is the Holy Spirit living inside and guiding us at all times.
It is written that “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” If you do not know God, it is as if you go out begging for food while holding the largest diamond. Priceless treasure is worthless to you. How can we know the value of God and bring out His true worth? The answer lies in the Bible. God’s power and miracle will follow you once you have the words of God!
