The Benefit of Strategy
Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. — Psalms 62:8
By faith, Rahab the prostitute, didn't perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in peace. — Hebrews 11:31
Author
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
Summary: Joshua trusted God’s promise and prepared the people to enter Canaan: he sent spies to scout Jericho, a decisive obstacle, and Rahab helped them. We too, as a church, need leaders who understand their context before making plans and know how to turn threats into opportunities for God’s purposes. Missionaries can bring reports of faith and hope, and we will find people willing to help. The mission sometimes calls for prudence and discretion. If we live by the Word and trust that God accompanies his church, we can face obstacles with wisdom and obedience.
Joshua had the experience of having been a spy on behalf of God’s people. His report on scouting the land “flowing with milk and honey” was an expression of trust and faithfulness to what God had promised his people. Perhaps that display of courage and trust in the Most High led God to choose him for the epic conquest
(Numbers 13:1–16).
Joshua literally means “the Lord is salvation.” The archetype of the visionary leader who accompanied Moses to receive the law on Mount Sinai, the strategist described as a man “full of the spirit of wisdom” (Num. 27:18), the obedient servant who trusted God’s promise not to abandon him if he took care to obey His Word. Now it was necessary to prepare the people for battle. To reach Canaan, there was an obstacle: Jericho, the walled city. Defeating Jericho was strategically important for gaining access to Canaan. And it was necessary to send spies to scout the terrain. Rahab the prostitute was the means by which they were hidden, enabling them to fulfill their mission and report back to Joshua.
The church of Christ needs men like Joshua: leaders with strategic minds who explore their context before drawing up a plan and turn apparent threats into opportunities to fulfill God’s purposes. The road—difficult and narrow—will often be surrounded by obstacles like Jericho, but if He promised to accompany His church in its mission, He will be with her “to the end of the world.” When the church becomes disconnected from its context and ignores the reality around it, it will be unable to see the walls of Jericho, and the journey to the Canaan of the promise will be arduous.
The church needs to be prepared to face the great challenges of the Kingdom of God. Do we need spies to learn the lay of the land and overcome obstacles? Of course we do! Missionaries are spies who specialize in glorifying God with their reports of faith and hope. And because God shows no favoritism, along the way we will find people of Rahab’s caliber who will lend us a hand, recognize that the advance of the Kingdom cannot be stopped, and join the plan.
Crossing the Jordan and taking Jericho were part of Joshua’s strategy for attaining God’s promise to his people. One detail: Joshua sent the spies “secretly” (Joshua 1). At times, the church of Christ will need prudence and discretion to fulfill God’s purposes. When the word of God is lived out in the body of Christ, wisdom from on high becomes the “milk and honey” of His obedient children, and we can march on, confident that we have interpreted the divine strategy well in order to tear down obstacles and make God’s plans for His church and His children a reality.
May God bless His word!
Suggested reading: Joshua 2