The mantle shifts to Joshua

Moses died, full of vitality at 120 years of age. We know this was somewhat supernatural, as Moses himself in Psalm 90 lists the average lifespan at that time as 70 or 80 years. We do have people living well into their centenarian years these days, but the distinction is that Moses' "eyesight was clear and he was as strong as ever". God had preserved him for His purposes until he had fulfilled those purposes, and then he died. Now Joshua, who had been Moses' assistant throughout the desert years (remember he had been one of the two spies who had given a good report of the promised land and was therefore not killed with the rest of his generation), is in charge. It is assumed that Joshua wrote the closing chapter of Deuteronomy, as Moses certainly could not have written it posthumously.

And now we move into the book of Joshua, having read the entire Law, (or Torah, or Pentateuch, or first five books of the Bible)! Yay!!! Joshua's first order of business is to prepare the people to move into the land of Canaan. As had been done before, he sent spies out into the land to scope out the territory. They find themselves at the home of a prostitute, either by divine guidance or by "natural" means. Once there, they must have confided in Rahab, who at that point had a choice to make. She could surely have turned them over to the men of the city, as they came looking for them at her house. Or she could turn against her people, her culture, her city; and support the spies. She, along with the rest of the people of Jericho, had heard about what the Israelites had experienced in the exodus (it had only been 40 years earlier) and had heard about the complete routing of the Amorite kings Og and Bashan. She feared God more than man, and aligned herself accordingly. Because she did so, she is revered for her faith. Not for her chosen profession or for the lie she told in hiding the spies, but for her faith...in the "Hall of Faith in Hebrews chapter 11. And she is one of only four women listed in the genealogy of Christ, as the great, great grandmother of King David!!!! God can use anybody from any walk of life, who is willing to surrender themselves to his will.

Tomorrow's reading: Joshua 3-6