God gives the Israelites this promise before they enter into the land. He tells them, "I will give you every place where you set your foot..." In other words, in the cultural procedure of the day, whenever a person took ownership of a piece of land, that person would walk the land and claim the land. The problem is that the people do not walk the entire land that God promised them. Look in Joshua 1 for the boundaries of the land. It is much larger than the land of Israel today.

Joshua sent two spies into Jericho. They stayed at the house of a prostitute. Did the spies go into Rahab’s house because there were many people coming and going there and they wouldn’t be noticed?

Rahab was instrumental in protecting the men and in effect helped the Israelites take Jericho.

Rahab said “…for your Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” She as well as many others in Jericho had seen or heard about the pillar of fire and the cloud that guided the Israelites.

In Joshua 3, we are told that the focus of the Israelites is no longer on following the cloud and the pillar of fire. They are now to follow the Ark of the Covenant.

When they celebrated the Passover, they ate some of the produce of the land. The day after that, the manna stopped.

The story of Rahab is so significant. It is such a beautiful illustration that God can use ordinary people, even prostitutes to do extraordinary things!

Fascinating that most remember the parting of the Red Sea yet seldom remember the parting of the Jordan River – and at flood stage even! Notice that the priests stepped into the water without hesitation and look what happened. Talk about stepping out on faith.

How goes it with us as Christians? Are we obedient to where God is leading us? Do we step out in faith?