On May 14, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery on the journey westward from St. Louis. Their mission: scout the vastness of the recently procured Louisiana Purchase and find a route to the Pacific Ocean—or die trying.

They hoped to find a water route to the Pacific Northwest. This would provide a more efficient way to conduct the fur trade—helping America to compete with Britain's dominance in that market—besides increasing U.S. commerce in general.

It was an enormous trip lasting more than two years until September 1806. Those of the Corps, co-commanded by Lewis and Clark, only vaguely knew what they would encounter.

Similarly Joshua and Caleb in the Bible were part of a group of 12 scouts or spies sent by Moses, the leader of ancient Israel, to explore the "Promised Land," the Israelites' new homeland in Canaan where their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had dwelt. This land was now being given to Israel by the Eternal God who owns the entire world and determines the times and boundaries of the habitations of all peoples (see Deuteronomy 32:8). The scouts' mission was to gather information about current conditions in Canaan.

Let's compare these two sets of explorers. Though far removed from one another in time, they provide us with important lessons for our lives today.

The report on Canaan

The Israelite scouts faced challenging odds. The land of Canaan contained powerful native peoples like the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (see Deuteronomy 7:1-2). Plus, an extremely tall and strong people, the Anakim, presented a formidable obstacle for Israel during a time when possession of land hinged on hand-to-hand combat.

All the scouts agreed on their return that the land was full of rich produce, including grapes, figs and pomegranates—a "land flowing with milk and honey" (Numbers 13:27). In fact, a single cluster of grapes had to be carried on a pole between two men. It must have been a stunningly productive land—beautiful, green and fertile.

So it was appalling that 10 of the 12 immediately proclaimed the futility of claiming the territory God had already promised Israel. This was, after all, the God who had dealt the 10 plagues to Egypt and had so astoundingly parted the Red Sea at the Exodus! Yet the 10 declared that, because of the Anakim giants, Canaan was unconquerable, and they actively promoted returning to Egypt.

Joshua and Caleb, however, stood against this onslaught of defeatism. They declared that, giants or no, with God on Israel's side the land would be theirs. God had promised it. Yet they were shouted down, and the Israelites threw themselves into rebellion, rejecting Moses' leadership and outrageously plotting against him and God by choosing a new leader to lead them back to Egypt!

Of course, this provoked God's anger, and He was prepared to destroy the bulk of Israel and start over. When Moses pleaded for God to be merciful, God relented. But He justly exacted punishment on the rebels who actively and vehemently rejected Him. The 10 unfaithful scouts died in a plague, and the rest of their generation—except for Joshua and Caleb—died in the desert during 40 years of wandering. Only the children of the adult generation inherited the Promised Land—led into it by the two faithful scouts.

Team spirit on the northwestern journey

While things went badly for ancient Israel, the exact opposite happened for Lewis and Clark in the early days of the American expansion. The two captains, in an unusual co-command scenario, were in almost complete accord. They had served together before and knew that their personalities were such that each could rely on the judgment of the other. In that respect they were much like Joshua and Caleb.

The men who made up the rest of the Corps of Discovery noted and respected this unique command style. They also shared a rare sense of unity and of the importance of the venture. When hard work was required to row upstream, portage heavy equipment over difficult terrain or make mountain crossings on short rations, they did so without mutiny and with all the signs of enthusiasm.

Unity was critical to the mission, and so was their sense of relative restraint when dealing with armed Native American tribesmen. Had they been unwise, the Lewis and Clark expedition would not have survived and would be but a small footnote in the pages of American history—instead of a defining moment.

None of these relatively peaceful negotiations with the natives would have gone well without the aid of interpreters. Among them was Sacagawea, the young wife of a French trapper who had freed her from the Hidatsa tribe. She was pregnant and gave birth on the course of the journey. Her presence among the expedition helped create an impression of peace toward the tribes encountered since war parties rarely brought women with them. Indeed, when the Corps came into contact with the Shoshone in the mountains of Idaho, it was with amazement that she realized her long-lost brother Cameahwait was in fact the primary chief of that nation.

Myriad blessings and apparent divine intervention occurred throughout the expedition, and without the generosity of many native tribes, Lewis and Clark would never have made it to the Pacific and back.

The great mission

What can we learn from these men of valor? Lewis and Clark completed their mission with flying colors and were celebrated when they returned to the East Coast. They opened the door for a flood of westward migration by Americans over the course of the 19th century.

They proved by balanced, shared leadership that a unified team of men could survive even the most difficult extremes. Sharing leadership requires skill and discernment of when to submit to the wisdom of others, and when to stand up for your own area of expertise.

Lewis and Clark relied on the expertise of others. Sacagawea provided a crucial linguistic link, and the geographical knowledge of the native tribes was respected and relied on by the Corps.

Joshua and Caleb fulfilled their personal mission to Moses, to Israel and to God by dutifully scouting and accurately and faithfully reporting on the land to their people. Later they also faithfully trusted God to intervene with the invasion and settlement. The rest of their team, however, was not unified and spread discord that damaged the nation. The fate of the unfaithful scouts was dire, and they fulfilled their own defeatist speeches by dying in the desert.

It boils down to this: Do what is right. Trust God. Be of good courage, and God will deliver you from fear to the "Promised Land" of His Kingdom soon to come!