March 15, 2000
CYBERCOLUMN:
Faith vs. fear
___One of the reasons I like to read Old Testament stories is the reminder of how little we've changed since then. In the book of Joshua, chapter two, I was reading about Joshua and the Israelites, who sent two spies into Jericho to reconnoiter defenses and decide how to attack the city.
___These two spies hid in the house of Rahab, a prostitute, while the authorities searched for them. Rahab hid them and protected them in exchange for their promise of protectionduring the upcoming battle. Apparently, she felt certain Jericho would fall to Israel, and she wanted to save herself and her household.
BERRY SIMPSON
___The nation of Israel should have begun this conquest 40 years earlier, but they didn't due to their own lack of faith. Joshua's predecessor, Moses, also had sent spies into Canaan for the same reasons--to learn the land and the mood of the people. Moses' spies, however, returned full of fear and told terrifying stories of a land full of giants with great military strength. Their stories discouraged the Israelites so much they decided not cross the Jordan River and invade Canaan. Interestingly enough, of the 12 spies sent out by Moses, only two disagreed with the majority, and they believed God had given Canaan to them and they had nothing to fear. One of those spies was Joshua, the man who now led the Israelite nation and finally was ready to conquer Canaan after 40 wasted years.
___ When Joshua's spies were hiding from the authorities of Jericho, Rahab told them, "I know the Lord has given this land to you." She told them everyone was terribly afraid of this invading mass of Israelites; the once-courageous hearts of the Canaanites were melting in fear at what was about to happen.
___The spies must've been surprised to hear that. The reason they had spent the last 40 years wandering in the wilderness was because the Israelites had failed to trust God. They'd let their own fear blind them from God's saving power. And God, because of their incredible lack of faith, sent them back into the wilderness for 40 years until that entire generation (save three) had passed and a new generation would be ready.
___Joshua's spies must have been surprised to hear Rahab say, "We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to ... the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed." These stories were 40 years old. The people of Jericho had been afraid of Israel for a long, long time ... "our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you."
___Israel had suffered for acting in fear rather than faith, and all the while the very source of their fear, the citizens of mighty Jericho, were even more afraid of them. By all indications, the nations of Canaan would've fallen before Israel 40 years earlier, the same as they were about to fall now. Amazing.
___ Rahab said, "... for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below." Very insightful for a pagan Canaanite; more insightful, in fact, than most of the Israelites.
___ Why are we afraid so much of the time? If we believe in God, what are we so afraid of? (Maybe it isn't "we" that are afraid, but only "me.") I wonder how often my fears are just like Israel's--the problems I fear most, well, maybe they are just as afraid of me.
___ Berry Simpson, a Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church in Midland, is a petroleum engineer, writer, runner and mayor pro-tem of the city of Midland.
Send this story to a friend
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!
