Steps Directed

I am encouraged how faith in God provides insight to look beyond what can be humanly seen and known.  Man   Proverbs 16:9 reads, "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."  God is always at work and leads people to do His ways in situations man cannot plan for.  A great illustration of this is seen in the salvation of the harlot Rahab and her family.

Before the children of Israel crossed the Jordan river into Canaan Joshua 2:1 says, "Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there."  It turned out Rahab previously heard of the God of Israel and believed He had given the city and land into the hand of the Hebrews.  She sheltered and protected the Hebrew spies, and then she asked that her life and the lives of her family members would be spared.  The spies agreed if she kept silent concerning their agreement and if she tied the scarlet rope she let them down to escape from her window, all of her family who assembled in her home would be spared.

After Jericho fell by the miraculous power of God, the Hebrews made good on their promise to Rahab.  Joshua 6:22-25 states, "But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, "Go into the harlot's house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her." ²³ And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. ²⁵ And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho." 

The two men sent to spy out the country were called "messengers" in verse 25.  This is not a contradiction but a shift of perspective:  they were sent into the country by Joshua to spy out the land secretly, yet they became messengers of a promise of salvation from God to Rahab and her house who believed.  Two Hebrew spies entered a stronghold that was shut up because they feared the Hebrews, and when the city fell Rahab and her whole family were delivered safe.  When the book of Joshua was written Rahab lived in Israel at that time because she hid the spies and gladly received the message by faith in God.  The New Testament affirms the men were messengers indeed in James 2:25:  "Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?"

The spies intended to be secretive and God made them messengers of His grace and salvation.  Isn't it wonderful man's plans can be to have a walk, look around and give a report when God's design is to be a messenger that brings life others?  Praise the LORD His ways are higher than ours, and all His plans and purposes are good.