easy to forget, hard to remember

i mentioned that i was reading the book of Joshua in the Old Testament in a post a few weeks ago. i finished the book last week with numerous thoughts, so here's an attempt to organize and share those thoughts with you.


[the Lord is a Warrior!] countless times throughout the book of Joshua (and the entire Bible), God goes before His people and fights their battles. they literally show up and their enemies are blinded, fight each other, run away, or are overtaken (sometimes by far smaller numbered armies).

[sin is serious business] one of the stories in Joshua tells of the defeat of Jericho. a familar story to most people-- the Israelites marched around the city for 7 days, and on the 7th day, marched seven times around then gave a shout of victory, the city wall collapsed (!), and God's people took the city. they were specifically instructed not to take the devoted things found in the city-- all silver, gold, bronze, and iron was to be kept sacred unto the Lord. sounds simple, right? well, a man named achan got the memo but didn't follow the simple command. the next battle they fought was a disaster; Joshua, as the leader, was distraught; God tells Joshua that Israel has sinned; achan's specific sin is revealed.

our pastor often says, "i deal with God". He is the One we answer to. we can't outwit Him, we can't surprise Him, nothing escapes His notice. we can justify our sin in our own minds, but God knows our hearts. in this story, achan is found out, he and his entire family and possessions are taken and burned, sin is purged from among God's people. whoa.

[God takes care of His people] a huge theme throughout this book is the allotment of land to the twelve tribes, as promised. each tribe is given what belongs to them and then they must drive out their enemies and conquer the territory. (subdue, rule, multiply, and fill-- just as God commanded adam and eve from the beginning). God also provides cities of refuge-- these are specific towns in each region that the Israelites can go and find refuge in cases of accidental killings. He also provided for the Levites-- this was the priestly tribe, not fighters, so the Lord was their inheritance. God provided for them, just as He did for the other tribes. He doesn't forget His people.

[Joshua as a leader] what a stud! Joshua takes over in Moses' place, he is revered by the people, and he leads well. he is humble before the Lord, but strong and courageous as he is commanded to be. at the end of the book, Joshua is about to die, so he gathers all the people to give them one final talk. this warrior, this hero, this servant-leader, what does he talk about? battle techniques? sword maneuvers that served him well in his days of battle? tactics to baffle the enemy? nuh-uh. he reminds them of what the Lord has done. he pleads with them to stay the course, to be devoted to the Lord. he tells them that God means business and just as He has provided for His people and delivered them, He wants them to be fully committed to Him and His favor will be lifted from them if they disobey. Joshua tells the people to choose today whom they will serve.

[it is good to be on God's side] another well-known story from the book of Joshua is that of Rahab. she was a prostitute living in Jericho who provided shelter to two Israelite spies that came to scope out the enemy's territory. because of her kindness, she was promised to be spared when the Israelites took the city. not only was she saved because of her help, she is also included in the geneology of Christ! quite a change to her former life because of one small decision!

[remember!] one of the stories that stands out the most to me in the book of Joshua is the crossing of the Jordan. imagine coming up to a river that is too deep and wide to fathom getting to the other side. you feel stuck. no boat and even if you had one, with a million people to get over, it would take your lifetime. wait, familiar setting. when has this happened before? oh yeah. the same people were in the same situation when they came upon the Red Sea. God provided then by making a clearing for them. this time, with the ark of the covenant (i.e. the presence of Almighty God) going before them, those carrying it stepped into the Jordan River and the ground became dry beneath their feet! the water was literally halted and "piled up in a heap" (joshua 3:16). all the people crossed. but, before they could all get dried off and forget the miracle right in front of them, God tells Joshua to choose twelve men to take twelve stones from the Jordan. interesting. the people are commanded to take one for each tribe and set them up on the other side of the Jordan as a place of remembrance. he tells them that, in the future, when their children ask what the stones are for, they are to tell this story of deliverance. "these stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever" (joshua 4:7). don't forget-- that's too easy! remember-- it's so hard! stones of remembrance in our lives remind us of His faithfulness; when we are faced with new hardships and challenges, we can look back at those "stones" and see His hand of deliverance and are given new hope for the future. God doesn't bring us through the Red Sea only to let us drown in the Jordan. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

what are your stones of remembrance when God has been faithful to you?