The Danger of False Assumptions

Readings for today: Joshua 22-24, Psalms 69

Over the years, I have seen so many relationships and organizations fall apart due to false assumptions. An individual or group of people gets only part of the story and chooses to act on it rather than wait for all the information to come in. They grow impatient or succumb to the tyranny of the urgent and don’t take the time to make sure they talk to all parties involved. They tend to believe the worst rather than the best about others and the results are quite often disastrous. We see the same dynamic on display in today’s reading from Joshua. Remember, the tribes have been fighting side by side for some time now. They have bled together for the same cause on the same field against common enemies. One would think they would have built up a ton of trust by this point and yet it so easily breaks down. “Then the Israelites heard (about the altar) and said, “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan at the region of the Jordan, on the Israelite side.” When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.” (Joshua‬ ‭22‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and a disaster was prevented but how many times have we seen this happen in our own lives? How many times do people tell themselves only part of the story and therefore make decisions on incomplete information? How many times do we believe the worst about those around us rather than assume the best? How many times do we rush to judgment rather than waiting to get all the information? This is a huge problem in our world today and in the church today. It’s why I love Proverbs 18:17 so much. “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.” (Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Imagine what might change if we would simply put this verse into regular practice?

Last evening, I had dinner with some dear friends. They work for a global ministry with a strong track record of success. They themselves have served this organization for decades and have produced an incredible amount of gospel fruit over that time. They’ve built up a network of supporters over the years and do a great job of staying in regular communication with them. They are accessible. They are available. They are easy to talk to and ask questions if there are ever any concerns. However, the global ministry they work for launched an initiative that generated a great deal of controversy. Though they quickly pivoted and shuttered the ministry, the fallout was significant. My friends shared with me that they lost some supporters who had been with them for years. Many of these folks didn’t reach out to get my friends’ side of the story but simply dropped them. I see this all the time and the negative impact on the Kingdom is huge.

In the case cited above, a strong leader named Phineas intervened to save the day. He stepped in to make sure the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh got the chance to tell their side of the story. As a result, the very altar that was the source of the conflict became a physical witness to their unity. “So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar: It is a witness between us that the Lord is God.” (Joshua‬ ‭22‬:‭34‬ ‭CSB‬‬) What about you? How can you lead in such a way that everyone gets a chance to present their side of the story? It could be in your marriage or family, among your friends or neighbors, at work with colleagues or fellow students at your school. How can you make sure we avoid the dangers of false assumptions today?

Readings for tomorrow: Judges 1-3, Psalms 70 (No devotionals on Sundays)

The Promised Land

Readings for today: Joshua 13-21, Psalms 68

It’s tempting to dismiss today’s reading or just skim it over without feeling like there’s anything to take away. However, that would be a mistake. This passage is extremely relevant in our world today as it forms the basis for the claim of modern day Israel to the land. This is at the heart of the conflict between the Jewish and Palestinian people. Both lay ancestral claim to the land. Both believe they have a divine right to live there. Both believe the other has stolen what is rightfully theirs. When I was in Israel a few years back, I had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with our guide who was Arab by ethnicity, Palestinian by nationality, Israeli by citizenship, and Christian by faith. He offered a unique perspective on this issue and I learned a great deal from him. For example, he shared with me that many Palestinians still carry the keys to their homes from which they were displaced decades ago in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. At the same time, he shared with me that many of his Israeli friends have lost so many loved ones over the years in the many different battles initiated by the surrounding Arab nations. He expressed great frustration that the leaders of both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government both seemed unwilling to make the compromises necessary to make peace and he lamented the many, many lost opportunities over the years.

Regardless of your point of view on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the most important takeaway from today’s reading comes at the very end of chapter 21. “So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side according to all he had sworn to their ancestors. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the Lord handed over all their enemies to them. None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.” (Joshua‬ ‭21‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Now, once again, this is a bit of ancient near east hyperbole. Joshua wants to make it clear God is always faithful. He never fails to deliver on what He promises. At the same time, the people of Israel actually don’t quite complete the conquest in the way God had designed as the Book of Judges will make clear. And this reinforces yet again the biblical truth that God always works His perfect sovereign will through His imperfect people. He simply refuses to back off the creation mandate (Genesis 1:28) and work apart from His chosen people.

God is still working through His imperfect chosen people. And the borders of the “Promised Land” have now been expanded to include the entire world. Jesus promises His followers will inherit the earth. His Kingdom will encompass all of creation. Our legacy will be eternal. And He calls us and sends us to take His gospel to the very ends of the earth, starting right outside our front door.

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 22-24, Psalms 69

Fear of the Lord

Readings for today: Joshua 9-12, Psalms 67

“Your servants have come from a faraway land because of the reputation of the Lord your God. For we have heard of his fame, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two Amorite kings beyond the Jordan — King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey; go and meet them and say, “We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.” (Joshua‬ ‭9‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The fear of the Lord is a real thing. It was real in ancient Israel. The inhabitants of the Promised Land heard about what God had done for His people in Egypt. The plagues. The parting of the Red Sea. The destruction of the Egyptian army. News traveled fast. The city of Jericho trembled when they saw Israel across the Jordan River valley. The powerful Canaanite tribes banded together to try to destroy Israel before she could gain a foothold. Even major city-states like Gibeon which was full of mighty warriors sued for peace. The Book of Joshua is the story of Israel’s conquest. It catalogues all the major battles that took place. It lists all the major cities that were taken. And it names all the kings who fell before them. It also begs the question…how could the same God of the New Testament, the same God of love, be the same God who directs His people into battle?

God is a God of justice and mercy. He is a God of judgment and compassion. He is a God of righteousness and holiness as well as love and grace. We fear the Lord because we know He will by no means clear the guilty. He will judge the wicked for their deeds. The Canaanite tribes engaged in all kinds of evil. They sacrificed children to their pagan gods. They engaged in all kinds of sexual immorality. Their societies were full of injustice and oppression. They were tribes with a brutal reputation and God rightly judged them for their sins. Not only that but He sends His people as the instrument of such judgment.

Why does He not do the same today? He has. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same God who destroyed the cities of Jericho and Ai and many others in righteous judgment is the same God who poured out His judgment on His only begotten Son on the cross. Jesus took the judgment we deserved. He was put under the same holy ban that the Canaanites suffered. And this is why we should fear the Lord even more. Not because we’re scared or terrified but because we are in awe of what He has done for us in taking our place. God endured what we could not so that we could enjoy what we could never earn…His amazing grace and love.

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 13-21, Psalms 68

Taking Sides

Readings for today: Joshua 5-8, Psalms 66

“When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.” Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in homage and asked him, “What does my Lord want to say to his servant?” (Joshua‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Whose side is God on? A college football team wins the national championship. Music is playing. Students rush the field. Confetti flies. A reporter catches up with the star of the game and asks, “How’d you do it?” “God was with us…” he replies. Truth? Does God really pick sides in football games?

Whose side is God on? A piece of legislation is proposed. A scandal hits the administration. The next election is on the line. Both political parties claim the sanction of God. Both claim to better represent His will. Both claim the moral high ground and argue their platform is more pleasing to God. After the results are in, the winner basks in the glory of victory often proclaiming, “God was with us tonight!” Truth? Does God take sides in our morally bankrupt political system? Does He go with the lesser of two evils?

Whose side is God on? Harsh words are said. Feelings get hurt. A relationship fractures. Friends rush to either side for support. Quick to justify the actions of the one they care about. Quick to dismiss the one who has hurt their friend and loved one. Surely God is on our side, right? Surely He has seen the hurt we’ve experienced? Truth? Does God bless our brokenness and take sides in a divorce? Or a falling out between friends?

Whose side is God on? Joshua was standing out by Jericho. Scouting the opposition. Looking up at those formidable walls. Wondering how he’s going to win a victory. Suddenly, an angel appears. Not a baby wearing diapers playing a harp. Not some precious moments cherub with the rosy cheeks. A terrifyingly powerful being wearing armor and carrying a monstrous sword. “Whose side are you on?” Joshua asks. It’s the most natural question in the world. Are you for us or against us? If you’re for us, we’ll easily win the victory. If you’re against us, we will clearly suffer defeat. But the angel hasn’t come to “take sides.” This isn’t about God blessing the work of Joshua’s hands. This is about Joshua and Israel taking the Lord’s side. Joshua falls down in worship. He humbles Himself before the angel. He submits himself to the Lord. Now he’s ready to take the city.

We spend so much time wondering whose side God is on when the reality is we should be trying to figure out how to get on His side. We talk about “being on the wrong side of history.” We fear being on the losing side of an argument or a game or an election. We struggle when we see relationships around us break up and we try to figure out who’s wrong so we can cast blame. The reality is we are always wrong. Only God is right. Only God is faithful. Only God is true. Our cause is never pure. Never truly just. Never holy. Rather than spend so much time trying to figure out how we can get God on our side, we should be spending that time in prayer and meditation on God’s Word so we can get on His side.

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 9-12, Psalms 67

Perseverance

Readings for today: Joshua 23-24, Judges 1

One of the more challenging aspects to the Christian faith is perseverance. Remaining faithful to God over the long haul. Staying obedient to His will. Living a life of repentance before Him. It’s far too easy to start to coast. Far too tempting to rely on our own strength. Our own gifts. Our own wisdom. When we start to trust ourselves more than God, the horizons of our life begin to shrink. What was once possible with God becomes impossible for us. There are simply too many obstacles. Too many reasons why we can’t or shouldn’t or won’t. This is nothing new. Consider these words from Joshua to Israel at the end of his life…

“Now, stay strong and steady. Obediently do everything written in the Book of The Revelation of Moses—don’t miss a detail. Don’t get mixed up with the nations that are still around. Don’t so much as speak the names of their gods or swear by them. And by all means don’t worship or pray to them. Hold tight to God, your God, just as you’ve done up to now.” (Joshua 23:6-8 MSG) 

Joshua understood the fickleness of human nature. He knew the people of Israel would struggle to remain faithful in the years ahead. He knew there was still much of the land to conquer. Much of their inheritance to claim. He knew it would be a fight and he knew how easy it would be to settle. To fall into the trap that they had done enough. To fail to complete the conquest of the Promised Land God had given them. To allow the pagan nations to remain and begin to accommodate their pagan ways. Joshua charges Israel to set a different course. Choose this day whom you will serve. Either the pagan gods of the lands you came from/are going to or the God who delivered you from slavery and bondage in Egypt. His words are worth reading again…

 “So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God. If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.” (Joshua 24:14-15 MSG)

Every day we are faced with this same choice. Either we will worship the gods of capitalism, materialism, fundamentalism, or whatever “ism” you want to insert or we will worship the True and Living God who revealed Himself fully and completely in Jesus Christ and delivered us from the powers of sin and death. Either we will obey our own wants and desires, do what seems right in our own eyes, rely on our own strength and wisdom to make our way in the world or we will seek the Lord with our whole heart, obediently walk in His way, believe in His truth, and receive His life. Take some time today to prayerfully reflect on your life and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the choice you have made.

Readings for tomorrow: None

We Need A Witness

Readings for today: Joshua 19-22

“We built this altar as a witness between us and you and our children coming after us, a witness to the Altar where we worship God in his Sacred Dwelling with our Whole-Burnt-Offerings and our sacrifices and our Peace-Offerings. “This way, your children won’t be able to say to our children in the future, ‘You have no part in God.” (‭‭Joshua‬ ‭22‬:‭27‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

We all need a witness. We all need stories of God’s faithfulness. Memories we hold onto of where God touched down in our lives. Markers and monuments of God’s saving acts in our lives. I think of the many times I have sat with men and women facing all sorts of difficult trials and so often we look for hope in the stories from their past where God has shown up. The same was true for Israel. Now that the conquest was completed, the tribes of Reuben and Gad and Manasseh were headed home. But as they crossed into their territory, they became concerned that the Jordan River might become a boundary that would eventually separate them from the rest of Israel. So they built an altar as a “witness” that they were all part of one big family. They wanted a monument to remind everyone of their common kinship with Abraham and their covenant with God. They didn’t want to be left out so before they crossed the Jordan to take possession of their inheritance, they made sure to build an altar of “imposing size.” Not for burnt offerings. Not for sacrifices. But as a witness. Every time an Israelite would pass by the monument, it would “witness” to their shared history. 

In the Book of Acts, Jesus calls us “His witnesses.” We are witnesses in our neighborhoods, cities, nations, and to the very ends of the earth. In this way, we are “living” memorials to all God has done. We are “living” monuments to a shared history. A common heritage. A deep connection we share as God’s chosen people. We “witness” to the glory and goodness of God. We “witness” to the unity we share as the family of God. Anytime someone “passes us by” or interacts with us on any level, they should leave having “witnessed” the mercy and grace of God and having felt the deep love we have for one another.

Ultimately, the Bible itself is the pre-eminent “witness.” I love what Joshua 21:45 says, “Not one word failed from all the good words God spoke to the house of Israel. Everything came out right.‬” The only reason we know this statement is true is because we have an accurate record of what took place. This is why we read the Old Testament. Within its pages, God “witnesses” to us over and over again of His great faithfulness and love. Even in the face of our sin. Even in the face of our rebellion. Even in the face of our evil. Even in the face of all our brokenness, God pursues us. God relentlessly chases us. God never lets us go.

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 23-24, Judges 1

Finishing Strong

Readings for today: Joshua 15-18

The key is not how we start the race but how we finish. I remember running in my first 5K when I was a young boy with my brothers. It was the Denver Symphony Run in downtown Denver. I remember the day was dreary and rainy. I remember pushing my way to the front of the start line with my brothers. I remember the starting gun going off and the three of us sprinting to the front of the pack. We led the race for about the first 100 yards. You probably can imagine what happened next. We spent the next three miles alternating between jogging and walking as we struggled to finish. It was a painful experience.

Israel sprints out of the gates in their conquest of the Promised Land. They win victory after victory. Joshua’s leadership is exceptional. His tactics strong. His strategic decisions brilliant. Always in the right place at the right time. Anticipating. Attacking and counter-attacking. It reminds me of the movie,When We Were Soldiers, and how Colonel Hal Moore seemed to make every right move. The first campaign comes to an end. Israel is now firmly and deeply entrenched. They are the new power to be reckoned with in the region. But Joshua cannot be everywhere all at once so now it is up to each tribe to go out and secure their allotment. They are to go out with the same boldness and courage that so marked Joshua and complete the conquest. They are to place their trust in God and His ability to fight on their behalf. But they fail. They fall short. They lose heart. So the Jebusites remain in the territory of Judah. The Gezerites remain in the territory of Ephraim. Other Canaanites remain in the territory of Manasseh. As they struggle to uproot those already living in the land, they start to grow afraid. Afraid the military might of those who oppose them. The iron chariots and those fortified in the hill country. They are afraid they won’t succeed. They take their eyes off of Yahweh. They forget His faithfulness. They give into their fear and the conquest is never fully completed. 

Finishing is hard. How many folks start this race we call the Christian faith only to wither along the way? Jesus knew this about us and He even told a story once about a farmer who went out to plant his seeds. Some seeds fell on the hard path. Some seeds fell among the rocks. Some seeds fell among the weeds. Other seeds in good soil. Each tried to take root. The seeds on the path had nowhere to go so they were eaten by the birds. The seeds among the rocks had no place to put down roots so they sprung up quickly but then died. The seeds that fell among the weeds also sprung up but were eventually choked off. Finally, the seed that fell on good soil produced a bountiful harvest. What makes up the soil of your heart? Have the seeds of the gospel found purchase in your heart? Did they spring up only to die for lack of roots? Are the cares and the worries of this world threatening to choke off your faith or are you producing a harvest of righteousness? Are you finishing the race?  

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 19-22

Honest Perspective

Readings for today: Joshua 11-14

It’s about this time every year in my Bible reading that I start to get weary. Worn down by all the bloodshed and violence. Worn down by all the religious warfare. Worn down by the thoughts of men, women, and children dying in these cities as Israel conquers the Promised Land. I am worn down by a world I do not understand. Worn down by the brutality of it all. Worn down trying to understand how God could be driving it all. I come to the end of my finite mind. I come the end of my understanding. I come to the end of my ability to reason my way through. And I just sit with the horror of it all. Overwhelmed.

That’s usually when God brings me some perspective. It might be a news story. It might be an experience overseas. It might be meeting people along the way who have come face to face with humanity’s inhumanity and lived to tell the tale. For example, several years ago I was at a dinner party with some new friends. One of them does a lot of work in Rwanda with the mountain gorillas. He and his family have been engaged over there for decades helping with the research and preservation of the species. As it turns out, he was there during the genocide in 1994. He saw the bodies piled up in the streets. Stacks upon stacks. He can never get the images out of his head. And it forced him to ask a couple of very hard questions. First, how could a good God allow such suffering? Second, how could a loving God not respond with wrath over the atrocities? Third, how could a just God not punish the guilty forever? You see, hell becomes a lot more palatable when you’ve come face to face with horrific violence. Eternal damnation seems almost necessary if God is going to truly address evil. His wrath and anger at human sin makes perfect sense to us when we see children dying or the vulnerable suffer. If we are courageous enough to take an honest look at human history, we know humanity’s inhumanity seemingly knows no bounds. The Killing Fields in Cambodia. The purges in Maoist China and Stalinist Russia. The Holocaust. And those are just the 20th century examples! The Mongolian conquest. The Crusades. The African slave trade. The British occupation of India. Rome’s brutal conquest of the Germanic tribes. For as long as human beings have walked this earth, there has been war. There has been violence. There has been suffering. There has been evil. And God - if He is who He has revealed Himself to be - must respond.

So what does a good, loving, and perfectly just and righteous God do about the evil in the world? He executes judgment. He uses human beings as His instruments to punish the guilty. Not just guilty people but guilty societies. Guilty systems of oppression. Guilty nations locked in idolatry and sin. And what we read in Joshua is but a foretaste of the judgment God levels on His Son and the judgment He will finally bring upon the world when His Son comes again. This is why the Lord appears to Joshua in 5:13-15. We read this story just a few days ago. Before the conquest, before the fall of Jericho, the commander of the Lord’s Armies appears to Joshua. Joshua falls on his face before him and asks him if He is for Israel or for their adversaries. It’s a great question. It’s a common question. Essentially, he’s asking the angel, “Are you for us or against us?” Are you on our side or their side? Are you team Israel or team Canaanite? I love the angel’s response. “No, I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” Basically, the only “side” I’m on is my own! I am no tribal deity. I am not like the other gods. I reign and rule according to my own sovereign purposes and plan. And I will execute my judgments on the earth against the powers of evil, sin, and death.

The fundamental truth we don’t want to face is that - deep down - we want God to be just. We want God to punish the guilty. We want God to confront and overthrow evil and sin. We want God to eradicate systems of injustice and oppression. We are in favor of all these things…for other people. We approve of all these things…for other nations and societies. We are good with all these things…as long as we receive mercy. This is what makes these readings so hard. We cannot fathom how God could be justified in going to war against the different Canaanite tribes. We cannot understand the depths of the evil that would elicit such a harsh response from God. And that’s because we have yet to fully appreciate the seriousness and weight of our own sin. The evil we carry in our own hearts. Like the Apostle Paul, I do things I know I should not do. I don’t do things I know I should do. Every day is full of sins of “commission” and sins of “omission” that negatively impact the lives of those I love and the lives of those I am around. The evil in the world is not just “out there” but inside of me as well. So I try to read with the understanding that but for the grace of God, I too deserve judgment. I too deserve punishment. I too deserve death and destruction. And that moves my heart to praise and thanksgiving for what God has done in Jesus Christ.  

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 15-18

Judgment

Readings for today: Joshua 7-10

There are fundamental assumptions baked into the text of the Bible. If you don’t keep these in mind, it becomes difficult to understand how all the different stories go together. For example, how does one square what we read today about all the God-ordained death and destruction with the idea that God loves everyone? How does one reconcile the fact that God actually fought on the side of Israel against her enemies with the God who promises to bring peace on earth? How does one come to grips with the execution of Achan and his family with the God of mercy, forgiveness, and grace? As you wrestle with the text, here are the things you need to keep in mind.

First and foremost, God is holy. He is righteous. He is just. He alone has the right and authority to judge the peoples of the earth. He alone determines when that judgment takes place and the instrument He will use to execute His judgment. God will by no means clear the guilty. Sin is a capital offense. The punishment for sin is death. So when we see God using Israel to execute His righteous judgment on the Canaanite tribes, we can be confident He is being eternally consistent within Himself.

Second, humanity is unholy. We are unrighteous. We are not just. Human society is rife with inequality, oppression, tyranny, abuse, immorality, etc. Human beings are responsible not only for the ways we participate in such systems but for our passivity in accepting these evils as “normative.” Furthermore, we perpetuate these gross injustices every day in the personal choices we make. The sins both of commission and omission. The ways we relate to one another. The ways we treat one another. The ways we fight one another. None of us are innocent. We are conceived in inquiry and born with an orientation towards selfishness and sin. The reality is we’ve earned God’s judgment so when we see God use His people to wipe out entire cities and societies, we can be confident that the people living in those places were guilty of sin and deserving of their fate on some level.

Why does God not wipe out all of humanity then? Why privilege some over others? Why choose some and not choose others? Why does Israel get a pass when the other tribes and nations do not? This is the great mystery of election. God is well within His rights to erase humanity completely. But He made a promise after the Great Flood never to destroy the earth again and must remain faithful to Himself. God is playing the long-game here. He wants to save humanity from herself but He also chooses to use humanity as His primary instrument to accomplish His plan of salvation. Sometimes that plan manifests itself in judgment along the way. Sometimes that plan manifests itself in mercy. God sits outside time and space and is not bound by our timelines or our notions of what is right and wrong. He sees the human heart. He knows every human thought. He is aware of every action we take both privately and publicly. Nothing is hidden from Him. Nothing is secret. If God chooses to execute judgment, it is a just response to the evils of this world. If God chooses to delay judgment, it is a merciful response to the evils of this world but make no mistake all will one day appear before the judgment throne. There will be a reckoning.

Where does that leave those of us who believe in Jesus Christ? Did we somehow escape judgment? Did we get a pass? Not at all. Jesus took our place. The punishment we deserved, He took on Himself. The sentence we deserved, He willingly served on our behalf. The full measure of God’s judgment fell on Christ on the cross and was perfectly satisfied. To put a fine point on it, Jesus was “devoted to destruction” so that we might be spared. Thanks be to God for His salvation!

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 11-14

The Importance of Memory

Readings for today: Joshua 3-6

“Joshua called out the twelve men whom he selected from the People of Israel, one man from each tribe. Joshua directed them, “Cross to the middle of the Jordan and take your place in front of the Chest of God, your God. Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder, a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel, so you’ll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?’ you’ll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.” (Joshua‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

When you think back on your life, where have you seen God at work? Where have you seen His finger touch down? Where have you witnessed Him working a miracle on your behalf? How do you remember such things? How do you mark such occasions? Israel built altars. They would take uncut stones and stack them together to remind themselves of God’s great faithfulness. As we get deeper into the Old Testament, it will soon feel like the landscape gets dotted with these altars. It’s like you can’t travel anywhere in Israel without stumbling over an altar they’ve made! Altars were significant, especially in an oral culture where many of the stories were not being written down as they happened but instead told from father to son, mother to daughter. Passing by an altar was an opportunity for the family to pause and remember and re-tell the tale of God’s great love and miraculous deliverance for His people. These altars formed something like a “scrapbook” or “Instagram” account for ancient Israel. A place they could go to be reminded of their most precious memories.  

Of course, preserving the institutional memory of Israel was not the only purpose for these altars. There was an “evangelistic” component as well. “In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What are these stones doing here?’ tell your children this: ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ “Yes, God, your God, dried up the Jordan’s waters for you until you had crossed, just as God, your God, did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed. This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong God’s rescuing hand is and so that you would hold God in solemn reverence always.” (Joshua‬ ‭4‬:‭21-‭24‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Remember, God’s great aim is to fill the earth with His glory. His great vision at the end of time is that of every tribe, tongue, and nation coming to bow in submission before His throne. Even here, Israel is being reminded of her calling to be a light to the nations. To reflect to the world the greatness and glory and majesty of God. Sometimes that will mean executing divine justice on the pagan tribes before them. Other times it will mean showing great mercy as will happen to Rahab and her family in Jericho. Through it all, God is making Himself known to the world in and through His people. 

The same holds true today. God is making Himself known to the world through His people. His plan hasn’t changed. His purposes haven’t changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Where His people struggle, God brings comfort. Where His people fail, God brings discipline and judgment. Where His people step out in faith, God meets them and performs miracles on their behalf. This is who our God is and always will be.

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 7-10

Dangerous Waters

Readings for today: Joshua 1-2, Psalm 105

We are done with Deuteronomy! Great job everyone! Well done! You have now completed the Torah. The Pentateuch. One of the most important sections in all the Bible! I know it wasn’t easy and I know the reading begged a lot of questions. This should happen every time we read Scripture reflectively and honestly and deeply. I love these verses from Joshua, “In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.” (Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭5-9 ‭MSG‬‬) They were some of the earliest I memorized after I became a Christian. But when we meditate on Scripture, it confronts us and forces us to grapple with some hard questions. This is especially true as we enter into the books of Joshua and Judges. Here are just a few of the questions you might find yourself asking in the coming weeks…

• How can God, as Father, judge His children so harshly?

• How can God, as Creator, be so cruel to His creation? Especially non-Jews?

• Why do the innocent seem to suffer along with the guilty?

• Does God really sanction jihad or holy war?

• Where is Jesus in all of this?

I remember the first time I went white-water canoeing. It was a beautiful day on the Snake River up in Wyoming. The guide started us out in the calmest waters. It seemed like things would be easy. Then we started hitting the rapids. Things got tougher. The water got rougher. Things got hard. We found ourselves paddling like crazy as we navigated between the rocks and other obstacles. Unfortunately, there was a moment when things got away from us. The canoe my partner and I were paddling got stuck against a tree that had fallen over the river. The next thing I knew, I was caught in the undertow and taken under the tree. If I had gotten hung up on the branches, I would have drowned. Thankfully, I came out the other side but with a MUCH deeper appreciation for the dangers of the river and the power of the white-water.

I think something similar happens when we wrestle with Scripture. God invites us to ask Him the hard questions. He’s a big boy and can handle our frustration, anger, and disillusionment. If we grapple faithfully and well, we come out the other side with a much deeper appreciation for who God is and what He’s all about. And just like our guide gave us some pointers on how to navigate the river, I want to give you some pointers as well as we start to hit the rough waters of Joshua and Judges.

The key to understanding this stretch of the Biblical text is to try to put ourselves in God’s shoes. Imagine you are a Father/Mother and you have children who are absolutely bent on self-destruction. They lie. They steal. They murder. They abuse each other. And this isn’t just an occasional thing. It literally happens every hour of every day over weeks and months and years. It never ends. They are sociopathic in a way. They never stop. Now imagine you are not only a parent but you are also the primary civil authority in their lives. You have the power to punish. To judge. To sentence. And so you bring them before your “court.” You show them mercy. You show them grace only to have them go out and continue their criminal activity. They are a danger to themselves and others. How would you respond? Would it not force your hand?

The same principle applies even more to the second question above...How can God, as Creator, be so cruel to His creation? Especially non-Jews? The Canaanites were even more self-destructive than Israel. Their evil knew no bounds. They had no law to restrain them. No prophet to teach them. It’s essentially the story of Noah all over again. The evil in the world grew so great, God as the Righteous Judge, was well within His rights to wipe them out. But God made a promise. Never again to destroy the earth. So what’s God to do? How are crimes to be punished? As the evil in humanity grows, how can it be restrained? Remember, we aren’t just talking about a few sins here and there that we feel bad about. We’re talking the worst kind of evil. The worst kind of crimes happening over and over and over again. Every hour. Every day. Every week. Every year. It’s relentless. It’s not cruelty to sentence a murderer to death even in our world. It’s not cruelty to sentence a rapist to life in prison. It is justice.

Justice really is the key. What the Old Testament teaches us - and what we have the most trouble grasping in the 21st century - is that sin is serious. It is a crime against a holy God. Every sin is an act of rebellion. Sedition. Treason. And again, I cannot stress this enough, we commit these crimes every hour of every day of our lives. And the non-Jews in the Old Testament were much, much worse because they didn’t have the Holy Spirit living inside them restraining their sin. It was a brutal, violent, evil world. Our God is not just a Father. He is a King. And justice and righteousness are the foundation of His throne. They are just as real and personal as love and grace and mercy. God is all of these all at once. So when we consider our sin or Israel’s sin or the sin of the non-Jews in the Old Testament, we have to view it through the lens of God’s justice system. Sin is not just bad behavior but criminal activity flowing from demonic forces and justice demands a reckoning.

Now you might be asking…what about me? What about the justice I deserve? The prophet Isaiah writes in 64:6, “All of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags...” Friends, we are not worthy. In our natural condition, we deserve death. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. And this has been the natural state of every single human being who has ever lived or ever will live. But God...”being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us...makes us alive together with Christ.” (Eph. 2:4-7) Christ is worthy. I am not. He has perfectly satisfied the demands of God’s justice where I could not. This is the heart of the gospel and why it is such good news!

Readings for tomorrow: None