By the end of Exodus chapter four, Moses has fled from Pharaoh; taken a bride in Midian; spoken to God on the sacred mountain; met his brother in the desert and returned to Egypt, to deliver his people from bondage. In the last passage of that chapter (v31b) we read, “And when [the Israelites] heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.”

We see these people asking questions about God that we ourselves sometimes ask. As they suffered four hundred years of bondage it was natural to wonder if God cared about their suffering, or even heard their prayers and petitions. To understand this relief, we must understand their fear. They did not have the benefit of thousands of years of monotheistic thought and divine revelation as we do today. They would have only the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph to hold on to. At the same time they were surrounded by various polytheistic cultures. We know the Israelites had themselves resorted to worship of some of the local deities because they carried their images with them in the Exodus. Upon their victory in the land Joshua had to charge them to choose which god they would serve. The concept of one universal God was as alien to them as the concept of child sacrifice is to us today.

At this time they were not true monotheists and their fears about God hearing and caring (according to what they would have understood) were well founded. They were at best henotheists (believers in local deities or tribal gods) at this time with YHWH being seen as their tribal deity or a deity of Canaan and Haran. The idea of local gods meant that some deities were bound not to a people, but to a local geographic region. Their sovereignty was limited to this region alone and those who lived in the region had to learn to please this deity, regardless of whom they served elsewhere. We see this, many centuries later, when the Assyrians move foreigners into Samaria to replace the displaced northern tribes. The newcomers approached the locals to learn of the god that was worshipped in that area and adopted that worship as their own—thus was born Samaritan Judaism. The Israelites in Egypt would wonder if YHWH had authority in Egypt; is it possible his powers stopped at the border of Egypt? Is it possible that God did not live in Egypt and therefore couldn’t even hear their petitions? Of course they knew of the Egyptian sojourns of Abraham and Joseph, but four hundred years is a long time.

The other side of the question, “Does God care?” has been asked all through history and is common for us today. In their world the gods did not care for man. They performed for man because man did sufficient acts to appease them and earn their favor. The gods could be capricious and cruel. In the Babylonian flood story, found in Gilgamesh, we see this capriciousness when the gods caused the flood to destroy all humans because people are too noisy, making it is difficult for the gods to sleep. This is their view of deity. Moses brought word of a very different sort from their God—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God cares and hears.

We today ask the same questions: Does God care? Does God hear? We go through situations of life and we wonder if God even knows what we are going through. Is he even there, or has He withdrawn himself. Even when we know better, we still question. If we understand that God hears and knows about our suffering, we question whether He cares. If He cared, He’d act. Wouldn’t He? We understand that if our child were suffering we would do whatever it took to alleviate that suffering and as God’s children we expect the same from Him. Of course we overlook the times that we permit or even inflict certain forms of suffering on our children for their own benefit.

In times of suffering what we require is not deliverance but the knowledge that God cares and hears. Knowing this, we can withstand anything; resist anything; suffer anything. God loves you; His word assures you He hears and cares. Prepare for suffering, tribulation and deliverance—all three are the birth-right of God’s children.

“Consider it pure joy, my brother, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 NIV.

As the people near the Jordan and prepare to enter the land, God’s chosen leader send’s spies to gather intelligence. Unlike forty years earlier, when Moses had sent out twelve spies publicly, this mission will be very different. This will not be the people’s spies, but the leader’s personal spies. Joshua was not about to relive that. He secretly chose and sent two men with instructions to concentrate on Jericho. In Joshua 2 we can follow this mission.

The differences are evident from the beginning. In the first mission twelve men were chosen, one from each tribe, to spy out the land and bring back information on the people, the land and the strength of the cities. The tribes knew spies had gone out and saw this group as being their eyes and ears on the ground. They believed their report was for the purpose of determining whether they should try to take the land. This time was different—the people had nothing to do with picking, or sending out the men. They were hand selected by the man who would lead them into the land—a man, who had been one of the twelve earlier spies, and had been one of two not cowed by what they found. The people were not to be allowed to interfere with plans and were to be given no excuse for disobedience.

This mission also differs because he only sent two men. The earlier group of twelve was unwieldy, but probably necessary because they were to spy out the whole land. This small band was to concentrate on the first target—Jericho. With two there is less chance of the herd mentality when it comes time to report. Joshua was not going to risk another forty years in the desert. Another benefit of sending two—the two were able to get into a city and speak to the people. Twelve strangers showing up are likely to set off alarms so the earlier party probably had to stay outside the cities, simply seeing their strength from without. They had no way to determine the morale of the enemy as this smaller detachment did.

The conclusion of the spy mission is the most telling. While the first mission concluded with fear that they would be unable to take the land. This smaller, more direct, secret mission reported to Joshua: “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting because of us.”

How quickly things change. Shortly after the greatest delivery they could imagine in which the very walls of a strong city had crumbled before them, the people now questioned God’s motives. Even their ordained leader lay on his face asking God, “Why did you bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?”

After forty years of wandering the people had finally crossed the Jordan. God did a great miracle by stopping the river, during flood stage. This boosted the morale of Israel and demoralized the enemy. The enemy had already expressed fear of Israel and their God in the words of Rahab the harlot: “When we heard of [your conquests] our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God of heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:11).

Their first campaign had been Jericho, one of the strongest defended cities of ancient Canaan. Rather than humanly besieging the city, they marched around the city once a day for six days then retired to their camp. On the seventh they walked around the city seven times blowing trumpets and shouting. Siege work was so difficult that it often took years to subdue a well defended and supplied city. A perimeter would be set up to keep out supplies and starve the city into either submission or a weakened state, for a costly assault. Not this time. God handed the city to Israel in a week. But how quickly people change when the situation changes.

Before assaulting their next target, Ai, Israel got proud. Spies reported they had no need of the whole people, only two or three thousand were needed. This force was dispatched but was quickly routed by the enemy. Now rather than asking what had prompted God’s punishment, they longed to be back on the other side of the Jordan (Joshua 7:7). We do the same thing in our own lives today.

We get wrapped up in situations and allow the moment to dictate our faith and feelings about God. When things go well, we feel warmly about God and his love for us. When things go wrong we quickly question God’s love and forget all the good things. God’s response to Joshua is something we need to hear, “Stand up! What are you doing on your face? Israel has sinned . . .” (Joshua 7:10f). Yes, it would be good if God would speak to us in this way and I don’t doubt that he can and that with some he does, but he can also speak to us through this story and his words to Joshua.

When the situations around us turn bad it is acceptable for people of faith to question our conduct and wonder if God is punishing us. If we find something, the situation can lead us to repentance.  The problem comes when we doubt God’s love and wallow in self-pity. Scripture tells us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ dies for us” (Romans 5:8). Paul goes on to tell us in Romans 8:38f that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Even when he punishes us it is as sons being corrected. God is not vindictive to his children; everything done is for their good—everything done is for our good. When you see the world pressing in, remember that his love will not falter and He will be there. He will permit things in your life to rebuke, to correct, to teach, or strengthen you. Rather than falling on your face in fear and trembling, fall on your face in awe that God loves and will never leave you. Keep in mind that you have something they did not have. You have God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, who came and died for you t rise again. Such apocalyptic love is all consuming and unwavering—never changing faltering. Rest in it and thank him for it. Express your love to him in the darkest moments and remind yourself of the good things He has done.