Do As I Have Done
Joshua 2:1
And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
There’s a fail-proof principle for mentorship apparent in Joshua’s opening act as patriarch and it’s this: pass down the experience of your own spiritual successes, because example is your strongest form of exhortation.
I don’t think we can overstate the significance of Joshua’s first move here. Moses is gone, which means that Joshua has to find his feet quickly, without the luxury of months and years of training. He’ll either succeed or fail, crash or land—there’s no middle way. And no advisor can give him the wisdom he needs most of all—experience—because no one else has come this far. What lies around the bend he doesn’t know. What enemy legions may already be gearing up for battle he has no means to surveil. The chronic weaknesses in his disposition and in the dispositions of his men he doesn’t yet perceive. But he does have something of tremendous value to start out with. There’s at least one badge on his chest that gives him immediate credibility with these spies: his own success as a spy in Canaan. All those years ago, when Moses called twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan, Joshua answered the call. But not only did he successfully fulfill the mission, but he was one of only two men that came back not defeated or deflated but with a stirring word of encouragement to God’s people. So don’t miss that, friend. Joshua can infuse courage in the hearts of these spies because he knows what it’s like to walk in their shoes. He can look into their eyes not just as a commander but as a comrade and say, “Brothers, I’ve been a spy too; yes, the walls are high; yes, danger lurks around every bend; yes, you’ll need to be clever and cautious and wise in your undertaking; but have no fear! God will show His unrivaled glory to you through this travail!”
Friend, in all you don’t yet know, in all God has yet to teach you, never underestimate the significance of those spiritual triumphs God has led you through. Today, in all your parenting and teaching and mentoring, start there!