296
From Eternity Past
... for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt
have good success.”
“Arise,” had been the first message of God to Joshua, “go over
this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to
them.” Joshua knew that whatever God should command, He would
make a way for His people to perform. In this faith the intrepid leader
at once began arrangements for an advance.
Just opposite where the Israelites encamped was the strongly forti-
fied city of Jericho, the key to the whole country. It would present a
formidable obstacle to Israel. Joshua therefore sent two young men
as spies to ascertain something as to its population, resources, and
strength of fortifications. The inhabitants of the city, terrified and
suspicious, were on the alert, and the messengers were in great danger.
They were, however, preserved by Rahab, a woman of Jericho, at
the peril of her own life. In return for her kindness, they gave her a
promise of protection when the city should be taken.
People of Jericho Already Terrified
The spies returned with the tidings, “Truly the Lord hath delivered
into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country
do faint because of us.” It had been declared to them in Jericho, “We
have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you,
when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the
Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom
[343]
ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our
hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man,
because of you: for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above,
and in earth beneath.”
Orders were now issued to make ready for an advance. The people
were to prepare a three-days’ supply of food, and the army was to
be put in readiness for battle. Leaving their encampment the host
descended to the border of the Jordan. All knew that without divine
aid they could not hope to make the passage. At this time of year
the melting snows of the mountains so raised the Jordan that the river
overflowed, making it impossible to cross. God willed that the passage
over Jordan should be miraculous.