Reading the Bible in One Year-March 11

So what about that Joshua!  I've written thoughts about him before.  Like the persistence he had to have to just walk around the walls of Jericho instead of fighting.  He was a warrior after all.  But sometimes we are called to just be a presence, not necessarily do much.  And sometimes we are called to obey, even if the task seems beneath our talent.  Because sometimes the events in our lives are not happening for us to learn as much as those around us and the Israelites certainly needed to be reminded over and over again about obedience!  Joshua was reminded over and over to be strong and courageous, but I bet his real inward battle was about just following the will of God against his own instinct.

And then there was "the map maker's dream" section.  I guess the details were as important about who lives where as the tabernacle directions were.  Seriously, you could draw a pretty clear map of the distribution of the land to the tribes just using Joshua's book.  I felt like I had gone into the real estate office to look up a plat of land!!  And they seemed to have thought of everything!  One amazing thing--that they just drew lots for some of it!  I guess that's where we get the idea of drawing straws to see who gets what.  If it works for a whole community, I guess it would work for almost anything.

I was also interested in the 6 cities of refuge.  It was great that those were given to the Levites, the priests.  It reminded me of the way cities in Medieval times were centered and controlled by the church. The book, Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett gave me great insight and context for this situation and I wondered if the Israelite cities of refuge took this form without of course the emphasis on the grand cathedral building because this would take away from the temple's importance.  Something very clearly established when the monument was built across the Jordan and a war was almost caused!

Also of great interest to me was the way the city of Hebron was always highlighted.  In the version I was reading it was always called by both its old name and the new name Hebron.  And it was designated again and again as a city of refuge.  Very comforting to me since we have come to worship at Hebron Presbyterian Church and it has become a refuge in many ways to our family.  It is a very quiet spot in a very busy world in which we can hear the voice of God and He provided us with this connection at a just the right time.  I wonder if you need a spot like that in your life?

Dear God--thank you for your detailed plans for your people.  Thank you that I can say that I am one of those people who you have planned for.  I pray for refuge for all your children in this world that can be so overwhelming.  Amen