The Brink

Flies!

I will never complain about the weather being so warm in December, but I might complain about the flies that it brings!!!!  I cannot believe it, but I hung fly paper again yesterday and within minutes had caught at least 25 (I counted).  Yuck.  A small price to pay for warm weather, but it doesn't look like I'm going to get a break at all this year from flies as I feel spring is around the corner....with more flies!

Joshua - The Right Man for the Job

As I wrote a couple of days ago, I am now in Joshua, enjoying this book as much as all the others.  The "be strong and courageous" theme is just so great.  As the new job of leading the Israelites is thrust upon Joshua, no doubt he is a little unsure of himself, especially knowing the history of this rebellious group of people, but God anticipates this and has a plan.  He is going to "exalt" him "in the sight of Israel, that they may know" that God was "with Moses", so he "will be with you." (Josh 3:7)  He knew that they needed a little proof he was really the right man for the job.

Water......and more water....

It begins with the command to cross the Jordan.  It seems water is always involved!  It also seems like God uses the natural progression of going somewhere, in other words, regular life - going from A to B.  He just happens to make getting there pretty spectacular.  God makes sure that the ark goes ahead of everyone, "in order that you may know the way you shall go."  That reminds me of how important it is that I allow God to go ahead of me, that I follow Him, not moving ahead without guidance from His Word.  It also means God is going to work in my regular goings on - getting from A to B.

The Brink

The priests are then told to go to the "brink of the waters of the Jordan".  That phrase jumped out at me..."the brink".  I asked the kids to finish the phrase.  I said, "Today we are on the brink of....." and they yelled out "Disaster!"  Isn't that usually how you see "the brink"?  But not with God.  He takes us to the brink and it is the brink of a miracle.  Of course.  God wouldn't do it any other way, but to turn disaster on its head.  Love that.

So the priests are to go to "the brink" and then "stand still in the Jordan".  Again,  you would expect them to have to do something to make the miracle occur, but they are only to stand still.  It also goes against everything in us.  I have been watching my husband this week look for work.  He isn't "standing still".  That wouldn't make any sense at all!  But in this case, they are told to stand still, not actively work at making a miracle.

Extra Words

Then Joshua tells them ahead of time what will happen.  He uses phrases that, I imagine, would be such an encouragement to the people,

"Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Cannanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites....And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down form above shall stand in one heap." (Josh. 3:10-13)

I asked the kids to point out what they thought were the extra words.  Words that didn't have to be added, but were added very intentionally.  They saw them right away...."living God".  Not just "God", but "living"!  He isn't made of stone, like the gods of the nations around them.  He is described as "living"!  The next one?  "Without fail".  Not only will He drive out the nations before them, but He will do this "without fail".  I would and I do need to hear that.  I still have those nations in front of me.  They don't seem to be moving.  But to hear He will do this "without fail" is such an encouragement to me.  Then, the Lord "of all the earth".  Not only is He Lord, but He is Lord "of all the earth."  The Israelites probably needed to hear that one, too.  I'm sure the Jordan was no small river and to look at it and think, "We're going to cross that?"  But if they knew He was Lord "of all the earth", they might not be so afraid.  He made it, He can handle it.  These were all small, barely noticeable phrases that could have been left out, the meaning wouldn't have changed at all, but God allowed them to be put in. 

Back to the Brink

Then, back to "the brink".  The priests dipped their feet in the water.  That was it.  That was their part of the miracle, to move forward into a rushing river that was currently overflowing its banks.  It could have even appeared foolish or dangerous to an outsider to do that simple action.  But they had faith in what Joshua had asked them to do.  Suddenly their feet were on "dry ground in the midst of the Jordan and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan." (Josh. 3:177)  Turns out they weren't on the brink of disaster at all, but the brink of a miracle.  That's the kind of brink I want to be on!

In Haste

My favourite verse in the story was in chapter 4:10, "The people passed over in haste."  I'm sure they did!  I'm sure they saw the water piled up "in a heap very far away", but they probably wondered how long it would stay that way!  I'm sure they wanted to get away from that water as fast as they could, miracle or no miracle!  It would be scary to be in the middle of dry river bed knowing at any moment God could just let the water rush all over them.  They knew they weren't very deserving of yet another miracle.  But that is the Lord's mercy on them.  He was doing it for Joshua's sake, not their's.  "On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life." (Josh.4:14)  We often think this.  We are so underserving, yet He cares for us.  It isn't for our glory, but His.

Right now, it does kind of feel like we are on the brink of something.  I don't know what it is.  I sure hope it isn't disaster.  I would much prefer a miracle!  After the miracle, God says to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you."  (Josh 5:9) I also long for that.  The freedom from debt takes away "the reproach of Egypt."  We long for that.

No More Manna!

In the meantime, we are daily being provided for.  It's interesting to notice that after they landed in the Promised Land they ate "of the produce of the land."  "And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land.  And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year." (Josh. 5:12)  God has done that for us.  When all of our older children were in braces, we had just enough to cover all their expenses.  When they were out of the braces, the extra money was no longer there!  As long as we have expenses, I know God will provide...somehow.   We always tell the kids, "You've never missed a meal."  And they haven't.  There has always been manna in some form.

Recognizing God

Finally, the chapter ends with Joshua looking up and seeing a man, "standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand."  He didn't know it was the "Commander of the army of the Lord".  "Now I have come," He said.  Joshua didn't recognize Him.  For all he knew He was an adversary.  "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" (Josh 5:13)  That is how it appears sometimes.  It seems like God is an adversary, not fighting for us.  I suppose it is because we don't recognize Him.  We don't know His ways, but there He was "with His drawn sword."  I'm asking for the Lord to come and fight for us, too.  I know He is already.  I just need my eyes to be opened to see the commander of the Lord.  I think sometimes He is disguised and I don't recognize that He is already working, fighting, with His drawn sword.  Joshua was told to "Take off" his sandals, "for the place where you are standing is holy."  Where God is working it is considered holy ground.  I must have that perspective, too.  I need to see that situations that don't make sense doesn't mean that God isn't there - quite the opposite.  I just don't recognize Him.  I need to realize I am on holy ground regardless of whether or not I see "signs" of His presence.  If I had that perspective I would be much slower to complain.

We do find ourselves, as I said, on the brink of something.  In our human perspective it doesn't seem like it is quite the same brink as the Israelites.  Work is slow right now.  No man ever likes it when work is slow.  We're taking this as a time to rethink how we do things, how we look for work, where we look for work, what kind of new work we should be looking for.  We are asking that our eyes be opened to new opportunities or that the Lord would bless the old opportunities, whatever He wants to do.  The rushing waters of the Jordan are ahead of us.  We are ready to jump in or dip our feet in or swim or dive or whatever He wants us to do!  We'll do whatever He wants!  We know the "hand of the Lord is mighty."