Today, I am reading and commenting on  Joshua 1-4.

There are three things in this passage which inspire me to write something each year when I read this passage.  I am not sure if I will write about all three, but I will start with the one which comes last in the passage.  When the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground, Joshua had twelve men, one from each tribe, pick up a large stone from the middle of the riverbed.  Joshua then built an altar out of those twelve stones.  For however long that altar remained those who saw them would see something unique.  As a result of water running over them day in and day out for years, stones from a riverbed appear differently from stones just dug up out of the ground.  Those twelve stones would have been a testament to someone being able to gather then from the middle of the river.

Now for the thing with which the Book of Joshua begins, God’s commission to Joshua.  As the centerpiece of that commission God commands Joshua to not be afraid.  Again and again throughout the Bible when God, or one of His messengers speaks to people they tell them, “Do not be afraid.”  This is a command.  This is not a soothe-your-nerves sort of statement.  While it is not part of the Ten Commandments, it goes right alongside “Do not lie,” “Do not steal,” etc.  Do not be afraid! That command is for all who put their faith in God.  Here God told Joshua why you should not be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  Of course, God gave Joshua another command, before He told him not to be afraid.  God told Joshua to obey all of His commands, turning from them neither to the left or to the right.  How do we keep from deviating from God’s commands?  By meditating on them all of the time.  So, if we think about what God’s commands tell us about what we should do in every situation in which we find ourselves, we will keep His commands and He will be with us.  And then  we will find it easier to not be afraid.  That pile of stones I mentioned in the first paragraph today?  God had Joshua have them gathered to remind him, and the rest of the Israelites, why they should not be afraid.  Even if they have been lost to time, they should serve as a reminder to us as well.

When I started writing today I also wanted to write about Rahab and the spies who went to Jericho, but this has gotten long enough so I will save that for another time.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.