A Man Commissioned by God
Camped at the edge of the Promised Land, the people of Israel did not look like the great nation God had promised to make them. God’s promise had been given to their ancestor Abraham long before they had spent 400 years as slaves in Egypt. They had followed Moses across the Red Sea into freedom only to spend the next 40 years in the wilderness because of their rebellion against God. Yet God had promised not only to make them a great nation but to give them the land of Canaan as their inheritance. The Israelites had witnessed God’s protection and provision for them as they traveled from Egypt to Canaan. They had received God’s law and followed His instructions to build the tabernacle. These same Israelites had refused to believe God would deliver the Promised Land to them. Instead, they rebelled and made plans to return to Egypt. God responded with a pronouncement. Except for Joshua and Caleb, none of them would enter Canaan. And so, they wandered the desert for 40 years until they all died, leaving their children to claim the land. God did not even permit Moses to enter. He chose Joshua to lead the people into Canaan.