Readings for today: Joshua 7-10
“At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, "an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool." And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.” (Joshua 8:30-35)
Times of national crisis often lead to times of national repentance. Periods in history where the people of a nation come to the end of their own strength. The end of their own resources. The end of our their own abilities. And come face to face with God. It involves a recognition that unless the Lord is with them, their efforts will be in vain. Unless the Lord fights for them, their chances of victory are nil. Israel has experienced this truth over and over again. They have watched much larger and stronger tribes fall before the power of God. They have just seen the walls of one of the strongest cities in southern Israel fall with a shout. They realize they do not have the power to conquer the Promised Land. The people are too great. Their power too much. They feel like grasshoppers in the face of giants. (Numbers 13:33) But they also believe the Lord is with them. They believe the Lord has made them a promise. They will conquer and occupy this land. God will be faithful to the covenant He first made with Abraham to give him the Promised Land. So here they now stand. They’ve crossed the Jordan. They’ve won their first few battles. The generation who left Egypt and heard God’s voice at Sinai and wandered in the wilderness has fallen. A new generation rises. And before they begin the hard work of carving out a new nation, Joshua brings them face to face with Lord once again. To renew the covenant.
We are living in a time of national crisis. The hopes of an early end to the viral pandemic have faded and we are now facing really hard choices. The wave of infections is increasing exponentially, threatening to overwhelm our healthcare system. Our economy is tanking as more and more indefinite shelter-in-place orders are given. Businesses are failing. Jobs are being lost. People are getting sick. Some are dying. It’s a no-win scenario. There literally is no way for us to meet this crisis in our own strength. We are rapidly running out of resources. We are rapidly running out of time. We are in a battle against an unseen enemy that strikes fear in all our hearts. So how will we respond? Will we respond like Israel and seek the Lord? Will we stop worrying about whose political side wins and instead get on the Lord’s side? Will we trust in His promise to be with us? To give us the wisdom we need to fight this deadly disease? Most importantly, will we wake up and realize this world is not our home? America is not the Promised Land? This life is not all there is! In fact, God has promised us an eternal life with Him in a home He’s created with His own hands in preparation for His people.
Friends, here me clearly, I am not trying to diminish the very real sufferings of this life. The struggles of this world are real. Disease. Plague. Famine. Drought. Joblessness. Homelessness. Hardship of every kind. These are realities we are now coming face to face with each and every day. Sickness. Death. Despair. Depression. Hopelessness. These are signs we are coming to the end of ourselves. These are signs the harsh reality of this life is setting in. And such national grief and mourning hopefully leads us to repentance. Puts us on our knees before the Lord. Brings us to a place where we renew our cries to Him. One day this will be all over. The virus will pass. People will recover. The economy will come back. But there will be a significant cots. One that will be felt for years to come. My prayer is that in the midst of all our fear and anxiety, we will capture this moment to humble ourselves before the Lord as a people. As a community. As a state. As a nation. May the words of our national motto, “In God We Trust”, be more true now than ever!
Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 11-14