Okay, so I totally dropped the ball and I am not going to try to catch up. It started with not having internet access in San Francisco and being busy. I have been reading but it takes a lot to get this blog written. I spend time in prayer before and after I read and then I try to let God tell me what to focus on. It may sound easy and fast but it’s far from it. I hope you have all been keeping up on your reading as well. I also read it for myself in NKJV from my study Bible with those notes, and then go to Biblegateway.com to read it in NIV and read their commentary as well. Yet this really is something I know God has led me to do, so I will do my best to not lapse again.
Today’s reading starts out with God reassuring Israel that even though one of them betrayed God in the last chapter, they didn’t need to be afraid of God taking it out on them. They had atoned for it. He encourages Joshua to get back to the work at hand and continue to take possession of the Promised Land. Joshua could have easily told himself that he needed to wait, but instead he moved ahead where God was leading him and was successful. This is a lesson I need to learn. I often let the issues others bring to my life cause me to sin by being afraid that I am not doing what God wants me to do. It doesn’t matter what those around me are doing. I am only responsible for what I am asked to do by God. Others have to be responsible for their own stuff. I can put aside my fears that their behavior will cause me punishment and know that as long as I am obedient, God will bless my efforts.
Now the battle tactics of Israel might upset some because it seems devious. This is a valid point. However, is it devious because that is how we perceive it as humans or is it truly devious? Joshua never told the King of Ai that the men with him were all he had. The King of Ai assumed this based on past experience. Again, I learn from this. I can’t let what has happened to me in the past cause me to assume I know what the deal is in the future just because the situation looks similar. There might be something I didn’t notice or choices made by others in my life that are different and change the outcome. It doesn’t have to be something negative either. The results could be different in a positive way. Maybe if the King of Ai hadn’t relied on his city walls and had scouts out, he might have known there were more men. Or if he’d trained the women to defend the city and not just left the gates open maybe there would have been a defense. We cannot allow our perceptions allow us to not be ready for whatever comes our way. The same is true with our hearts. We should be prepared to protect our hearts even if the situation doesn’t make that look necessary. When we deal with other people, we never know what will happen. They have choices in life just like we do. We need to keep God’s word protected in our hearts and be ready for battle.
One other thing I got from this story about Ai is that sometimes people will perceive what we do as heartless and unloving. The world calls it “tough love”. We can be assured that if we follow God’s guidance and keep in close communion with him, we will walk on the right path in love. The human concept of love is a selfish one so we can’t use it as a yardstick.
I am not sure exactly what to make of the treaty with Gibeon. God told the Israelites to not make treaties with those around them but they didn’t know they were. So is it sin or isn’t it? I find the answer in verse 14. “….they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” Ignorance is one thing, not seeking the wisdom of God is another. You can claim ignorance but if the ability to have wisdom is there, ignorance is no excuse. If you choose to not ask God for the answer to your questions, you are willfully ignorant and that is sin. So Israel had no excuse, just as we have no excuse today. This encourages me to be in my Bible and finding the answers to my questions so that I am not doing things in disobedience just because I didn’t take the time to find out what the real deal was.
We are well into my favorite Gospel now. This is also one of my favorite stories from Luke. It is central to the teachings of Jesus. He praises a Gentile! This was totally unheard of for a rabbi. Not only does he praise him, he claims that he is more faithful than any Jew he’d met! At the time that was a HUGE insult. This is something that we can learn from as well. Often we think that because we go to church and we conduct ourselves in a manner of obedience that we automatically have big faith. That hasn’t always been true in my life and I don’t think it is in the lives of others either. Big faith comes from spending time with God, honing our knowledge of Him and being in communion with the Holy Spirit. We can do all sorts of things, but if we don’t truly believe in the power and promises of God, we aren’t really Christians.
My heart is also lifted by the story of the widow. Jesus looked into her eyes and told her not to cry. I can’t count how many times he’s done this for me. I have spent many days crying and found comfort in the words of Jesus. Especially this week, we should remember that Jesus suffered a lot, but he doesn’t enjoy us suffering. He doesn’t want us to cry, he wants us to find Joy in everything that happens to us. That doesn’t mean it’s not okay to cry. Crying is cleansing. It just means that while we cry we should look to Jesus for comfort. Jesus will take us where we need to go through any challenge that comes before us. He may not raise the dead for us physically, but we can be sure that he will do what is necessary to bring us through anything.
Tomorrow’s reading is Joshua 10-12 and Luke 7:18-35.
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