I’m always struck by this
passage. Joshua gives a command to the heavenly bodies, and God rearranges the
law of physics so that they obey him. It’s one of the greatest miracles in all
Scripture. In its scientific magnitude, it is an even greater miracle than the
parting of the Red sea.
But that isn’t the main
reason. I’m so taken by what happened here. I’m struck by the context. Joshua
just blew it. The Gibeonites, posing a distant travelers, deceive Joshua and
the other leaders into making a prohibited treaty with them. Joshua was clearly
negligent for failing to inquire of the Lord before ratifying the treaty. Now,
here in chapter 10, he’s dealing with the aftermath of his mistake. The
Gibeonites are in trouble; Joshua and all Israel are called upon to save them.
God could have washed His
hands of the entire affair. He could
have said, “You got yourself into this mess; you get yourselfout of it. Don’t
look at me to help you defend these wicked Gibeonites.”
But He doesn’t do anything of
that sort. God is a God of people who makes mistakes, people who blew it,
people who mess up.
I don’t like making mistakes,
when I do, God gently reminds me that the work of God isn’t about me and how
perfect I am; rather, it is about the God who shows up despite our failings.
This can be found in Joshua
chapters 9 and 10
No comments:
Post a Comment