Deuteronomy 31 - Joshua 19

Rahab. The crossing of the Jordan. Jericho. The defeat at Ai. The deception of the Gibeonites. The day the sun stood still. The book of Joshua reads like the script of an action movie. So much going on. (The first time I read about the crossing of the Jordan, I wondered why it didn't get as much attention as the crossing of the red sea. I always thought Joshua got cheated out of a major story line.)

While all the goings on fascinated me this week, there was one section in particular that caught my attention. I've turned this over and over in my mind all week and can't seem to get away from it. At the very beginning of the book, Joshua is speaking with the Israelites, instructing them to get their supplies ready, that they would be crossing over into "the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own." He's reminding the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh that they are to help their brothers until "the LORD gives them rest."

And this is how they respond. "Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. (Joshua 1:12) My first reaction to this statement was surprise, then amazement and finally disbelief as I wondered who on earth they thought they were talking about. Fully obeyed Moses? When? Where was I when scripture was mentioning this phenomenon? I was sitting on my bed, scribbling notes in the margin, feeling rather smug and superior (uh oh...you know what's coming when you start to feel smug and superior), when a thought popped into my mind. And how, exactly, do I see myself? How many times do I sit and extol my obedience when I should be face down on the floor, pleading for forgiveness and mercy? Or how many times do I think I've gotten it right (and everybody else has obviously gotten it wrong) when I am so far off from where I should be that it's not even funny. Granted, there are days when I am my own harshest critic, but I wonder if how I see myself is anywhere near how God sees me. Or the non-christian sees God through me. I guess I not only need God's eyes to see others but also to see myself. Something more to ponder along the journey.

I pray that your week be blessed...