Readings for today: Joshua 11-14
The Bible is full of tensions. Tensions the people of ancient Israel seemed to have no problem holding together. Divine sovereignty and human free will. God’s justice and God’s mercy. All nations of the earth will be blessed but Israel is God’s chosen people. Retributive justice and righteous suffering. Divine immutability and God’s forgiveness. Faith and works. All of these tensions and more are present throughout the Bible in one form or another. On the face of them, they seem paradoxical. Perhaps even contradictory. But God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts so it is entirely possible that what seems impossible to us is entirely possible for Him.
Take our reading from today. In Joshua 11:23, the Bible says, “Joshua conquered the whole land, just as the Lord had promised Moses, and he assigned Israel their tribal portions. Then the land was free of war.” (Joshua 11:23 NET) And yet, just two chapters later in the very first verse of chapter 13 the Bible says, “When Joshua was very old, the Lord told him, “You are very old, and a great deal of land remains to be conquered.” (Joshua 13:1 NET) So which is it? Did Joshua complete his task? Did he conquer the whole land? Did he bring an end to the wars of conquest? Did he fulfill what was promised to Moses? Or did Joshua fall short. Was there still territory left to conquer? How do we resolve this tension?
Some suggest Joshua had broken the back of the main political powers in the Promised Land but had yet to occupy all the territory. Some suggest it is the difference between a military campaign and territorial occupation. Some suggest Joshua’s conquest was theologically complete in that God had fulfilled His promise but Israel still needed to step into the promise through their faithful obedience. Still others suggest this is an example of the “Already/Not Yet” dynamic present in lots of different ways throughout the Scriptures. All of these are compelling on some level for those who feel the need to resolve the tension. I must admit I don’t feel the same compulsion. Over the years, I have become more comfortable living with the tension. I am content not knowing all the answers. God has revealed Himself to be much bigger and much grander than I could ever imagine. It is impossible for me to get my finite mind and heart around His infinite nature and plans. So I choose to trust instead. I choose to believe. I choose to embrace the tension because I have found it is in these spaces where God reveals more of Himself to me.
Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 15-18