A Quick Look At the Life of Joshua

I work for a dentist and so if he goes on vacation the office closes and that is when the rest of us take our vacations also. Last month, I was going to have a week off but I had failed to make any plans. As I thought about it, I realized that if I didn't do something I would get pretty cranky. I don't have to be gone for a long time. I enjoy being home and doing stuff around here and I don't mind my own company. But, I couldn't stand the thought of not getting away at all so at the last minute, I made a reservation for one night in a hotel in Cambria. This quaint little town has become a sort of refuge for me. After my mom died, I spent a few days over there by myself, and just re-grouped. After Paul left, I saw a counselor for about a year and on Fridays (my day off) she saw clients in her home which happened to be in Cambria. I got into the habit of preparing for that day and making it a "mini-retreat". I would listen to praise music on the 45 drive over and pray the whole time. Often after the counseling session I would spend time on the beach reflecting on all sorts of things. When I could afford it, I got a massage while there. Anyway, Cambria has come to represent to me the place I go to slow down and meet with God.

I arrived at the hotel around 3:00 p.m. on a Monday. I settled in quickly and then spent the next couple of hours walking along the boardwalk and watching the ocean. There is something about staring at that incredible vastness. It quiets me which is a good thing. But then my plans seemed to stall. I didn't feel like eating at a fancy restaurant so I ended up picking up fish 'n chips to go and a few things from the grocery store. After eating way too much, I found myself just zoning out, playing games on my tablet or watching mundane T.V. It was frustrating because I had specifically asked God to speak to me, to give me something that I could take home with me.

I don't know why but when I got up in the morning, I decided to read the book of Joshua. I asked the Lord to enable me to focus and it helped that Joshua read like a fascinating story of war, victory, defeat, and incredible faithfulness. I've been wanting to solidify my thoughts about Joshua ever since so this is my attempt to do that.

First of all, Joshua was a great man of God. I know that God uses fallen men and obviously we recognize the value in understanding that we are all sinners saved by grace and that even the redeemed sin. Abraham, David, Peter - all great men of God who had some pretty major lapses. But in reading Joshua I realized that he started well, he continued well, and he finished well. That isn't to say that he was perfect. But for the most part, he was single-minded in his pursuit of God and dedicated to living a life of obedience. What an example for us! I can't go back and fix my past but I can commit to living life well from here on out. Ah, but that commitment! Was Joshua ever afraid of what God might ask of him? I am. Later that day, I was watching a couple of guys try to learn to surf. Now, I can't surf. But I grew up around surfers so I figure I'm qualified to judge. I watched them over and over again, ever so timidly, approach the waves and try to decide whether they should flip around and try to ride one in or if they should duck under it and get out a little further. Because they were indecisive, every time they did take off they started too late and the wave either rolled under them and broke too far in front of them to propel them anywhere or it broke right on top of them and pushed them under while they floundered toward shore.

In Joshua 3, the Lord instructed Joshua to tell the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River. As soon as the priests' feet touched the flood waters of the Jordan, the water stopped flowing and all of Israel crossed the river on dry land. But the priests first had to dip their feet in the water. And if my surfers had bravely committed to a wave, they might have succeeded as well. And then there's me. Talk about timid! I live with a lot of fear and I am not saying that reading about Joshua changed that overnight. It's definitely given me food for thought, however. As I pray and think about what God wants from me and how He wants me to live, I think about Joshua and all that he accomplished in his life. I know he wasn't afraid because he knew his God and he knew he could trust Him to accomplish His will. And, if he ever was afraid, he was still committed enough to keep moving forward because his desire was to live an obedient life that was pleasing to God. That's what I want too.

There were a couple of significant glitches in Joshua's life. In Chapter 7, his army was soundly defeated when they tried to conquer the city of Ai and it turned out that it was because some of the people had sinned against God by stealing and lying. God is for us. He is on our side. But He won't turn a blind eye to our sin. The people involved in Israel's sin had brought trouble on the whole nation and all suffered the consequences of their sin. God later granted Israel victory but the impact of sin was definite and lasting. It is a sobering thought - who might my sin affect besides myself? Is it worth it? Absolutely not! Another little glitch occurred in Chapter 9. The people of Gibeon presented themselves to Joshua and the men of Israel and asked them to form a treaty with them. They said they had come from far away and they tricked Israel into believing them. Joshua made a peace treaty with these people. But there is a phrase that stood out to me. It is in Joshua 9:14 and it says, "...but did not inquire of the Lord." God had very specific things that He had commanded Joshua to do and conquering the WHOLE land, not just part of it, was towards the top of the list. Joshua and his men may have meant no harm. Maybe they didn't think this episode was important enough to bother God about. That's my life in a nutshell. I save God for the "big stuff" and bumble about the rest of the time on my own. Such a simple phrase, "inquire of the Lord". My study of Joshua is reminding me to do that more. Nothing is beyond the scope of God's involvement and nothing is too trivial.

I want to live my life more like Joshua did and I am grateful that God is bringing me gently along that path. Joshua summed up how we are to live in Chapter 22.