Stories from the Bible - Ep 11 The Savvy Businesswoman and the Spies (Joshua 2)

Episode Date: December 2, 2021

Last story we heard the people were too afraid to enter the land of Canaan. They cried and carried on and said they wanted a new leader to take them back to Egypt. In response to this, God promised that none of that generation would enter the land.  Well 40 years passed and all that generation died. And Joshua became Israel's leader. This story tells what happened next... The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

Beauty, perfection, desire, deception, rebellion, judgment, hope. You're listening to Stories from the Bible. Bible stories told in order, using the words of the Bible with introductions to give a recap and provide context. At the end of each story, you might want to pause and take a moment to reflect on what you noticed in the story. Things you liked or didn't like. Something the story showed you about God or about people. Don't worry if not everything makes sense. Keep listening to each episode and sit with the journey.

I'm stoked to have you on the ride. Okay, so last time, we heard that Israel had reached the edge of the land of Canaan, the land that God had promised to give to the descendants of Abraham. Spies were sent out to check out the land, and when they came back, they reported that the land was fruitful and lovely, but that the people living there were enormous and well-defended. Most of the spies emphasized how strong the Canaanites were and how difficult it would be to defeat them.

The Israelites listened to them. A couple of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, encouraged the people to hold on to God's promise of giving them the land and to have confidence that they would surely conquer it. But the people were too upset and refused to listen. Instead, they cried and carried on and said they wanted a new leader to take them back to Egypt. In response to this rebellion, God promised that none of that generation would enter the promised land. All their bodies, except for Caleb and Joshua,

would fall in the desert, and it would be their children who finally entered and took possession of Canaan. Well, forty years passed, and all that generation died, and Joshua became the leader of the Israelites. The Lord said to Joshua, Moses my servant is dead. As I was with him, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you. Be strong and brave. You must lead these people to inherit this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. Carefully obey all the law from Moses. Memorize it day and night so you can carefully follow all that is in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. Let me repeat, don't be afraid and don't panic, for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do. And with that, Joshua began organising the people for their campaign into Canaan.

He chose two men to send secretly across the river as spies. The story starts here. Joshua said to the men, The men stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there. The king of Jericho received this report. Note well, Israelite men have come here tonight to spy on the land. So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab. Turn over the men who came to you, the ones who came to your house,

for they have come to spy on the whole land. But the woman hid the two men and replied, yes, these men were clients of mine, but I didn't know where they came from. When it was time to shut the city gate for the night, the men left. I don't know where they were heading. Chase after them quickly, for you have time to catch them. Now she had taken them up onto the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of flax she had spread out on the roof. Meanwhile, the king's men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River near the fords. The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in

pursuit of them. Now, before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof. She said to the men, I know the Lord is handing this land over to you. We are absolutely terrified of you, and all who live in the land are cringing before you. For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sion and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. When we heard the news, we lost our courage, and no one could even breathe for fear of you. For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below. So now promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord's name, because I have shown kindness to you. The men said to her, If you die, may we die too. If you do not report what we've been up to, then we will show unswerving kindness to you when the Lord hands the land over to us.

Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window. Her house was built as part of the city wall. She lived in the wall. She told them, Head to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don't find you. Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you to return. The men said to her, She said, responsible. If you should report what we've been up to, we are not bound by this oath you made us swear. She said, I agree to these conditions. She sent them on their way and then tied the red rope

in the window. They went to the hill country and stayed there for three days, long enough for those chasing them to return. Their pursuers looked all along the way, but did not find them. Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills, crossed the river, came to Joshua, and reported to him all they had discovered. They told Joshua, Surely the Lord is handing over all the land to us. All who live in the land are cringing before us. The story ends there.

Thanks for joining us for today's story. You might like to take a moment to pause and think about what you noticed, things you liked, things you didn't like, as something the story showed you about God. Perhaps you might even have thoughts about how this story fits into the bigger narrative of the Bible. If you'd like to look it up, it's from Joshua chapter 2. It sounds like the Israelites have a good leader in Joshua and that they're going to follow him and finally receive the land from God. How will they go next? Stay tuned. You've been listening to Stories from the Bible.

I'm Jen, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you.