“You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for
your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you ... Be very strong;
be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that
remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow
down to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.” Joshua
23:3-8 NIV
Read Numbers 13-14
Numbers 13 and 14 contain important
background information for the Book of Joshua. The Israelites have left Egypt
and are in the wilderness waiting to enter the Promised Land. Moses, in
obedience to God’s direction, sets apart one man from each tribe to spy out the
Promised Land. Their mission is clear: “See what the land is like, and whether
the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many”
(13:18). Each of the spies is a leader from their respective tribe (13:2).
Right away Moses draws special attention to Hoshea the son of Nun. He gives
Hoshea the new name Joshua. Renaming an adult was a noteworthy practice of
prophetic blessing in ancient Israel. Abram (Abraham), Sarai (Sarah) and Jacob
(Israel) all received new names at turning points in their lives. These new
names typically had a significant meaning. The meaning of Hoshea is “salvation.”
The meaning of Joshua is “Jehovah is salvation.” This re-naming was a reminder
that it was not Joshua’s job to save Israel – that could be done be the Lord
alone. Joshua would need to rely on God’s strength to complete his mission.
The twelve men are obedient and go spy on
the land. They even bring back grapes, pomegranates and figs to prove that the
land is indeed good (13:23). However, they are afraid of the land’s
inhabitants. When they report back, the majority of the spies recommend that
Israel not invade they land. They believe that Israel will surely fail and be
eliminated as a nation. While Caleb tries to convince the people that they
should trust God and His promises, the influence of the other spies is greater.
All of Israel begins to protest against Moses and Aaron. Surely returning to
slavery in Egypt is more appealing than imminent death. Here Joshua and Caleb
stand up to remind the people to follow God, trusting that He is capable of
leading them to victory.
The Lord is not pleased when He sees
Israel’s rebellion. He tells Moses that because of their rebellion and lack of
faith, Israel will be struck down with pestilence (14:11-12). Moses’ response
demonstrates the power of intercession. He cries out on behalf of Israel.
Because of Moses’ prayers, the Lord lessens the sentence on Israel. The spies
are struck down immediately for leading Israel to rebellion (14:36-37). Joshua
and Caleb are spared because of their faith and attempts to lead Israel to
obedience (14:24, 30). The rest of Israel will not see the Promised Land – they
will wander in the wilderness for forty years, ultimately dying there. However,
God promises to not entirely wipe out Israel. The next generation will inherit
the promises of their fathers and enter the Promised Land (14:30-34).
The announcement of God’s verdict is a sad
moment for Israel. They begin to realize that they had sinned by complaining
(14:40), but they refuse to accept God’s judgment. They still desire to enter
the Promised Land. Despite Moses’ express denial of such an attempt, some of
the Israelites ventured forth to Canaan that morning. According to the Lord’s
proclamation, they were met with immediate defeat at the hands of the
Amalekites and Canaanites (14:45).
Prayer and Journaling
1. It is crucial that we use our influence
for good. The ten spies were judged more harshly than the rest of Israel because
they led others into sin. Think about the areas of your life where God has
given your influence (home, work, school, recreational activities, etc.). How
can you influence people in these areas to obey God?
a. Pray that leaders in your life would use their
influence for good rather than evil.
2. Once Joshua was re-named wherever he went
he heard people say, “Jehovah is salvation.” He had a constant reminder that
leading Israel was God’s work; he needed only to follow and obey. Pray a prayer
of submission to God. Acknowledge that He is in control over your life and
commit to faithfully following Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and help
you to follow Jesus today.
3. Even when God had declared His verdict,
the Israelites refused to obey. They admitted their guilt (14:40) but were not
truly repentant. Have you ever heard God’s direction (in prayer or through the
Scriptures) and agreed with your mouth but failed to change your actions and
your heart? Confess this to God and ask Him to teach you genuine repentance.
