Forerunners

Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, "Go and scout the land, especially Jericho." So they left, and they came to the house of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there. Joshua 2:1

Just as Moses before him had done, Joshua sent in spies but these men sound more like seasoned soldiers used to Joshua's command. They went immediately not asking why, what, how. They knew what to do and where to go. They went to Rahab's house. Rahab was an innkeeper and prostitute.

If you want to know what is happening in any town in Australia you go to the local pub. People who go there love to drink, which loosens the tongue, and talk and talk they did. Well, at least Rahab did.

Sending in spies bolstered Joshua's confidence because that is what a soldier does, scouts out the place before them. In Australia we have, like most countries, special elite forces that go ahead of the main force. They make the way easy for the followers, they deal with problems and clear the path of mines and traps, they gather intelligence on the land so that the main force is prepared.

At the end of Matthew chapter 28 Jesus was doing the same. He was sending out the 11 into the nations to make disciples. He had trained these men, they knew how to operate, what to take, where to stay. He had taught them all this. They were no longer young and inexperienced. The master had trained them.

The role of the forrunners is important. If trained well they will bring back valuable information. If not trained well, as we see Moses' scouts (Numbers 13,14) they came back with divided information and not at all helpful. It is important that we train those we send, Jesus did. If He did, then we should. We see two different results here. Joshua had learned from Moses' mistake and did it right.