Read Numbers 13:16-20 – These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. (NKJV)

Thursdays with Joshua

As the tribe of Benjamin’s representative, Joshua joins the spies who were sent into the land of Canaan to determine the challenges ahead. Now we know how this turns out. Ultimately, the spies return with a report that convinces the people to give up on their Promised Land, but that wasn’t the intended mission. The mission was reconnaissance. They went to explore the challenges and benefits of the land God had promised. They were not assigned to determine what was possible—that would be God’s assignment. But the failure of the spies, and ultimately the people, to trust God launches a dark period for the people of Israel. Though Joshua didn’t fail to trust God, his teammates on this assignment did. They forgot what they were to do and instead tried to determine God’s part of the equation. That’s a mistake for any leader.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

National Men’s Leadership Conference: March 8-10, 2012 . Dallas, Texas . www.men.ag.org