Joshua, Chapter 2 - The Unexpected Hero | Prophets of Israel

[music] Shalom everybody. Welcome to the Prophets of Israel Daily. This is the book of Joshua [music] chapter 2. I'm Jeremy Gimpel here with Ari Bramowitz and this series is brought to you by the land of Isisrael Network at the land of Isisrael.com. After the introduction of chapter 1, the story of the book of Joshua begins with the conquest of the land of Israel. Doesn't start with a battle. It doesn't begin with a miracle. It doesn't really even begin with Joshua. It begins in the home of a Canaanite prostitute inside the most fortified city in the land. The book of Joshua is the first book of the prophets. It's the first of the prophetic writings. And the question we have to ask is why is the entire prophetic story of Israel starting here? Joshua chapter 2 isn't just another story. It is the blueprint for prophecy itself. I mean, if Netflix were producing Sephir Yahushua, the book of Joshua, the pilot episode probably wouldn't open in the house of a Canaanite prostitute, right? You'd expect epic battle scenes, heroic speeches, like slow motion Jordan River crossings. And instead, Hashem says, "Nope, we're starting here." It's almost like the Tanakh is reminding us that redemption doesn't begin with the most obvious heroes or the most polished places, right? It begins where no one expects it to, which frankly should give the rest of us a lot of hope. You know, knowing that redemption comes from unexpected places really is important because in Israel, you almost have to expect the unexpected. Anyway, let's begin with chapter one uh with verse one, chapter 2. Now Joshua, the son of Non sent two men from the sheet team to spy secretly, saying, "Go view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came to the house of a harlot named Raav and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country." So the king of Jericho sent to Rakav, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country." So Joshua sends two spies to gather intel on the land, and Jericho. They enter Jericho, the strongest fortress in the land, and they end up in the house of Rakav the harlot, a woman at the margins of society to say the least. And almost immediately, they're exposed. And so, there's a question that has to be addressed. Why does Joshua send spies? I mean, spies really, that's the biggest mistake by far that the Israelites committed during their wandering in the desert. The sin of the spies was what created the 9th of A, the saddest day of the year, the day both temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. The sin of the spies is what caused them to wander for 40 years in the desert. And now Joshua was one of the 12 spies. And I guess he was one of the good ones, but now they're finally entering into the land and spies again. Like, why does he do that? What makes this time different? And so the 12 spies, they weren't sent as spies. They were sent to Lur, to visit the land, to survey the land. A tayar in modern Hebrew is called a tourist. 12 people isn't how you send in a military mission. It's not spies. It was like 12 leaders from each tribe. Everyone checking out. They wanted to bring out the report. It wasn't strategic. It was like a delegation. And this time Joshua sends in two stealth spies on a military operation to gather intelligence, a reconnaissance mission. And in some ways, Joshua is fixing the sin of the spies by doing it right this time. Two people, not 12 elected representatives from each tribe. And this time, their mission is to gather military information, not fruits or souvenirs. And the 12 spies, they were sent to bring back a report. Is the land good or not? These spies were sent on a specific mission to help conquer Jericho. And so they arrive at Rakav's house and Rahab lies to the king's messengers, sends them in the wrong direction, buying the spies time to escape. And so although the story, it's interesting. It's important to stop and just pay attention. The first successful military maneuver in the conquest of Israel isn't done by Joshua, a priest, or a warrior, but by a Canaanite woman. God's plan advances through the most unexpected agents. And right here, we see a prophetic blueprint. Even among the most evil Canaanites, there are righteous among the nations that are destined to help Israel fulfill their biblical destiny. That's the template for today. And it wasn't priests. It's not politicians, but simple people. They have a sense and feeling of God in their lives. And they're the ones that are chosen to partner with Israel in victory. And while the spies are with Rakav, they collect the information they were seeking. Rakav tells the spies that Jericho, it's already defeated. Not necessarily militarily, but spiritually and emotionally, they're gone. Raab says, "The people heard about the splitting of the Red Sea. They heard about the defeat of Sikhon in Og in the east side of the Jordan. And when they heard about all of what Israel has done, she says, "Our hearts melted." So Jericho's walls were still standing, but its soul had already collapsed. And then she speaks one of the clearest declarations of faith in the entire Tanakh, spoken by a non-Israelite before Israel has even crossed the Jordan. Verse 11, she says, "For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and in earth below." Then Raav makes a covenant with Israel and asks for protection for herself and for her entire household. And the spies agree and they give her a sign. Verse 18, "Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down. and you shall gather into your house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father's household. The scarlet cord, it's like the blood on the doorpost during the Exodus from Egypt, a sign of allegiance to God and Israel and a marker of salvation. And what I think is even more beautiful is it's symbolic of a messianic prophecy in the beginning of the book of Isaiah this Canaanite woman is living out. Isaiah says, "Through your though your sins may be as scarlet, they shall become white as snow." Isaiah chapter 1 verse 18. And so, who does Israel first encounter? A Canaanite, a harlot, the lowest of the low and seeming the farthest away from God. And the first step toward redemption and liberation in the land of Israel begins by Israel accepting Raav into the nation. That's the key. It's not just to love the stranger because we were once slaves in Egypt. We accept Raav as a part of Israel that can live among us in the land of Israel. And today, Israel is a Jewish country. Tucker Carlson calls Israel an ethnostate and calls us racists. But this is why he's wrong. On the one hand, Israel is a Jewish country. But what's clear from the prophets of Israel is that anyone can join, even a Canaanite harlot. It doesn't matter what your ethnicity is. You can always join Israel. That's not a classic ethnostate. If you're not Japanese, you can't just get Japanese citizenship. That's an ethnostate. It's interesting to point out that no one cares or is crying that Japan is racist, but to be a part of Israel. It's to be a part of an idea. It's to join the children of Israel under one father, the God of Israel. And if you join Israel spiritually, you recognize God as king. And it has nothing to do with what ethnicity you're from. And so there are black Jews, there brown Jews, blonde Jews, there's polka dot Jews. If you live what Raav said, that Hashem, your God, he is God in heaven above and on the earth below, you can attach yourself to Israel. And so the end of chapter 2, spies return to Joshua with a totally different report than the spies in the desert in the book of Numbers. They say, "Truly, the Lord has delivered into our hands all of the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country have melted before us." And that really is the final fixing of the sin of the spies before we enter into the land of Israel. They went to the most fortified city with the greatest walls, the strongest defensives. And they didn't talk about fear or giants. They speak about Hashem's victory already unfolding. So our first action in the land is actually to rectify the greatest sin of the generation in the desert. >> I just want to interject here for a second and say that there is something funny about this whole mission. And I think by design, right? Joshua says, "Send the spies into Jericho." Two spies leave on what's supposed to be Israel's first elite undercover operation in the land. And apparently they arrive in Jericho wearing matching we are definitely Hebrew spies jackets or you know uh Hebrew conquest tour 1400 BCE t-shirts because within 5 minutes the king of Jericho already knows they're there. Whatever. I'm sure it wasn't their fault. I'm sure the nations were justifiably paranoid and on very high alert. But either way they decide to hide in what appears to be a highly trafficked brothel on the wall of the city. like in the wall. Not exactly what you would imagine finding in the Mossad guidelines for spies, right? It would seem like the whole mission is falling apart. But then comes the twist. The spies are supposed to gather intelligence, but instead Rakav gathers them. And she says, "Just so you know, you already won. Everyone here is terrified of you. Their hearts have melted." Right? The walls of Jericho hadn't fallen yet, but spiritually they already had. And I think that's one of the funniest and I think one of the most comforting lessons of redemption, right? We show up nervous, trying to control outcomes, thinking everything depends on our planning, and Hashem's like, "Relax. I've been working on this long before you arrived." And and that's the I think that's the hidden humor of redemption. From our perspective, it looks chaotic and risky, but from Hashem's perspective, it's already unfolding exactly as planned. you know, knowing that everything is happening the way it should. I want to wrap up this chapter. Joshua chapter 2. It's not just a side story. It's the first story. It's the template. It's the first story of the prophets of Israel for a reason. It's the template for everything that's going to follow. Israel carries the mission of representing God in the world. And the righteous among the nations will recognize God and join Israel. Israel represents Hashem in the world. All of Jericho knew that and they had lost hope before Israel ever stepped foot into the land of Israel. But the righteous among the nations, they'll recognize God and join Israel. The Midash says not only did Rakav join Israel, she ultimately married Joshua. And in that way, a simple Canaanite woman became like royalty because of her loyalty to God. And so finally there's a prophecy in the end of days in the book of Zechariah in chapter 2:15 and it says many goim many righteous among the nations shall join themselves to Hashem on that day and they shall become a people unto me. Rakav is the first fulfillment of that vision centuries earlier. The first story of Joshua is the prophetic blueprint for the end of days. And in case you miss it, we'll see the same pattern with king with the king of Israel. Ruth was a Moabitete and her union with Israel is what gave birth to King David and the Messianic dynasty. Jethro joined Israel right before the great revelation at Mount Si. Israel's mission is to represent God and to serve as a light unto the nations. And Israel's calling now is to welcome the righteous among the nations as a part of God's people. Without them, Israel cannot fulfill its destiny. And what's key to note here is that the righteous among the nations, they're not priests among the nations. They're not the academics. They're not the political leaders. They're just people, simple and even weward sometimes like Rakav the harlot herself. And so the righteous, the most righteous, the ones who choose to live a counterculture in align with the truth, with the Torah, with Israel, that's the movement that's going to bring redemption to the world. And so just on that note about bringing all lovers of Israel together, if you're enjoying learning together with us on this daily journey through the prophets of Israel and feel like these teachings are speaking to you, you should consider joining our global community, the Land of Israel Fellowship. We meet together every week, families from around the world, and we learn together. We grow together. And it's amazing to witness this global movement of people from so many backgrounds that love Israel, love learning Torah, and have a real enough relationship with God that they've broken out of the labels and boxes and found a home at the fellowship. Well, you can find out more at the land of Isisrael.com. And tomorrow, we will go into chapter 3 of the book of Joshua. [music] >> [music] [music]