Joshua's Caution

 

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

The years passed, and the Lord had given the people of Israel rest from all their enemies.  Joshua, who was now very old, called together all the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel.  He said to them, “I am now a very old man.  You have seen everything the Lord your God has done for you during my lifetime.  The Lord your God has fought for you against your enemies.            

“Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth.  Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true.  Not a single one has failed!  But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him.  He will completely destroy you from this good land he has given you.  If you break the covenant of the Lord your God by worshiping and serving other gods, his anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land he has given you.”  Joshua 23:1-3, 14-16

When Moses was about to die he passed the leadership of the young Israeli nation into Joshua’s hands.  Joshua had faithfully followed and served God, assisting Moses during the wilderness wanderings.  But it was time to cross Jordan without Moses, and obey God’s command to conquer and occupy the Promised Land.  Now, years later, Joshua is getting ready to pass along the leadership to another.  As he leaves the people he loved and led, he gives one last vital caution:  Keep serving God, who loves you – resist anything else.

The meaning of that message needs little explanation…except when a nation, obviously blessed by the hand of God, fails to remember what a blessing they’ve received, and begins to act like they can get along without guidance from, and obedience to, the hand from which that blessing came.

Walking with God’s approval means obeying God’s will. 

It doesn’t get simpler than that.

I mused on that late at night on July 4^th as I tried to go to sleep.  The fireworks flashing and sounding off made sleeping somewhat difficult, and the musing led to an inner sense of longing for America to return to serving God.  We have a long way to go on that journey. 

For You Today

Every journey begins with a first step, and God’s people know the right direction to step out.  Standing still will not suffice.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts on Rocky Road Devotions. 

To dig deeper into this topic or Scripture text:  What Kind of Nation Are We? and Why?

[1] Images:  WikimediaCommons  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Wakeup Call

 

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

After seven days the Lord gave me a message.  He said, “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel.  Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.  If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins.  And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.  If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins.  But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.  “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die.  And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins.  None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths.  But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”                Ezekiel 3:16-21

I’m not sure there is anything quite so annoying as the sound of an alarm clock at 5am.  It interrupts dreams, starts the dog barking, and pumps that early morning awareness that the workday beckons, and I’m still tired.  It’s a disturbance of the peace, and I’m not comfortable with that.

Ezekiel was Israel’s early morning alarm clock, the watchman for God’s signal that there was work to do, righteousness that was failing, responsibilities ignored, and the devil to pay for defying God’s holiness.  Ezekiel’s voice may have been the most annoying, irksome, and interfering sound they could hear.  But alarms are not supposed to be comfortable…you don’t want to sleep through it! 

It's impossible to read any of the prophets and not get a little uncomfortable, that is, if you’ve got an ounce of sense in your body.  The message is always disconcerting, particularly for those who have been either fighting God, or trying to ignore Him.  The duty of a prophet/watchman is to be a harbinger of judgment.  Most people don’t want to hear that; they’d rather concentrate on taking that vacation to Disney.  But judgment is at the end of things, just as surely as that sign-then-drive contract at the car dealership means you’ll be paying big time at the end of the month. 

Scripture warns of such, both death, and God’s judgment following death:

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, Hebrews 9:27

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.  2 Corinthians 5:10

But the sound of voices like Ezekiel, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the others, can also be reassuring.  The reminder of judgment also signals the lovingkindness of God, His forgiveness just waiting for us to return to Him.  As a promise, this rates better than five-stars on a hotel at Disney or the Riviera – it’s a pathway right to the throne room in Heaven.

For You Today

The next time your pastor preaches on either judgment or Heaven, remember that BOTH are always present.  If you want one, and not the other, the choice is always available.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road with Jesus; have a blessed day!  

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©