Good morning wise leaders of God’s people

Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, “Go, look over the land.” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

I see a couple very interesting truths in this passage. Let me briefly give some background first.

Joshua had previously been one of the twelve spies who brought back the initial report on the Promised Land. He and Caleb gave an honest, but faith-filled response while the other ten gave an honest, but fear-filled response. The negative reports were public and loud, and as a result, fear struck the hearts of the Israelites and they ended up missing God’s intention for them.

Here are two things I want to draw out.

Firstly, wise leaders do their homework. Moses spied out the land that God had promised and so did Joshua. Some may think that if God promises something, it will just happen. I believe we need to do our research and be prepared; this is not doubt, but wise stewardship.

Secondly, and possibly more importantly, Joshua learnt from what had happened and sent out two spies secretly. It’s an interesting thought. I don’t think he did it from a place of fear but rather from a place of wisdom. You see, he did his research but in a way that didn’t cause unnecessary concern for those he was leading. He knew that some may falter if they heard a challenging report. He wanted to hear the truth and then present it in a way that built faith, not fear.