Hello and welcome to the second day of walking deeper through the Bible. today we have read through Josh 1-5. At first glance one might think that there isn't really all that much going on here. Okay, so God gives Joshua instructions to prepare to go into another land and start the process of taking it over to claim the inheritance that the Lord had previously promised to Moses and the children of Israel.
When I reread these verses a couple of times, trying to discern what God might be saying here, I realized several points; God is in essence passing the torch to Joshua and the next generation of those whom He brought out of Egypt, as He had told them they would never set foot into the promised land for the wickedness they had perpetrated in the wilderness. The Lord firstly gives reassurance to Joshua in that He will never leave him. God is basically reminding him of all His previous promises of protection and care. Right behind this, God then gives both a warning and a directive to be strong and brave and follow what they know to be the right way of the Lord. Three times God tells him to be strong and brave in the space of only a few verses. This is so like a parent talking to his child, the child claims to have heard the instructions and conveys their intention to obey. However, anyone who is a parent knows that although the child may intend to be obedient, they do not have the experience, insight nor wisdom of the parent to see the bigger picture of the situation they are facing. God knew that things were going to get intense once they crossed over into the promised land, He knew that they were going to need to be reminded of God's assurances, and in order to stay in the good will of God, they were going to need to remain obedient in everything they did: it was the only way they would succeed in everything they did, no matter where they went.
As I continued through these chapters, listening as God was preparing Joshua to convey to the people His words, I noticed some familiarity. For one, the woman who helped the spies. God would allow His people to spare her and her family not because she helped the two spies but because she was a believer in their God as the God of Heaven and Earth, with this realization she made the choice to commit herself to Him. She knew that the Lord they served was the real deal and she didn't waste time begging or stating her case, or crying for them to have mercy. She stated with confidence that they should spare her and her family, almost as if she also believed that their God was a God of love and mercy, and most importantly of forgiveness also. As all of us, this woman came from a sinful past, but was renewed in character and in her life as she went on to have an important role in the ancestry of Jesus. This is true as we have seen in other situations such as Lot and his family, Noah and his family. God has demonstrated His willingness to show mercy on a mere few even when the majority is wicked. This shows that God looks at the individuals, He doesn't just clump everyone into the same basket.
This first part of Joshua is very important for a number of reasons; God show His support to Joshua to the people on the day they cross the Jordan by stopping the waters while they cross. This brings the people of Israel into a following of Joshua as the leader and it is conveyed that he is God's highest ranking servant. It's almost as though the entire tribe of Israel establishes its relationship and covenant with God, like starting new. The young men had not been being circumcised while the wondered in the wilderness, until they were upon the ground that the Lord had promised Abram so long ago. Once all were circumcised, they had the first passover ever in Canaan, while the manna also was stopped because God was now preparing them to be supplied in form this point on by the land which He had given them, they would now be able to live off of it.
After all is said and done, once the people of Israel have been thoroughly spiritually prepared for what was soon to come, the Scripture says that a prince (or captain or commander, depending on which Bilbe version you look in) of the host appeared to Joshua. The fact that this person accepted Joshua's worship, and also instructed him to remove his shoes because the ground was sacred, all this suggests and it it generally agreed among Bible scholars, that this man was indeed the Son of God, Himself. Another example that God is not only in everything we do but He actually has a very "hands on" attitude when it comes to His children.
These chapters have been a real stretch for me in that I am still getting used to the in-depth-ness of this study. It took several readings for me to start getting into what was really going on in such a short time. Once I did begin to get a glimmer, I found it just kept opening before me. I believe these chapters are about renewing and starting fresh. God told Joshua that the reproach of Egypt was now removed, Rahab commited with her actions herself to God and the children of Israel left their wondering through the wilderness behind and entered into the promise land. These people had spent the last 40 years living a certain way, they were accustomed to getting their food delivered every day, and all of their needs being met in a way that was suddenly over. It would have been a lot to adjust to in a short time. But God firmly re-established His original covenant with His chosen people with the careful attention, supportive instruction and the firm reassurance that only a perfect parent and loving Father could do, effectively accomplishing this without the people freaking out of fear. Pretty impressive.
So, until tomorrow...blessings and goodnight.
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