READ: Joshua 3:1-4:24

REFLECT: 

• Seventeen times ark, ark of the covenant, or ark of the covenant of the Lord is used in just these two chapters. That’s over half of all the occurrences of that language in the book of Joshua. It’s almost half as many as the nearly forty references in the entire Torah (Pentateuch; first five books of the Bible).  The ark is the symbol of God’s presence. When the ark was placed in the Tabernacle, for example, the symbolic light/smoke, sat upon the ark.

• The repeated references to the ark is Scripture’s way of calling attention to the fact that God was present with Israel. God was with the Israelites in their journey. He was leading the way, providing dry land upon which to cross, and would lead them in their conquest of the land. They needed that reassurance. These were, after all, the succeeding generation from those who died in the wilderness for their faithlessness.

• Experiencing, and then communicating, God’s presence is a challenge. It’s one thing to live in the shadow of God’s wings and to walk in the confidence of His presence, but quite another to communicate that to a new generation. Yet that is the most important aspect of our faith that we can share. Each new generation should be introduced to God’s presence in a way that provides deep confidence. That’s a gift only those who have experienced God’s presence can give.

RESPOND: 

• Describe an experience of God’s presence.

• Why do you suppose it’s so significant for people to have confidence in God’s presence?

• How do you help others when they don’t feel they’ve shared an experience of God’s presence?

PRAY: 

Thank God for His presence in your life. Pray that you are able to share His presence with others. Ask Him to continue making Himself known to you.

READ: Joshua 3:1-4:24 (esp., 4:1-10, 19-24)

REFLECT: 

• After Israel crossed the river, Joshua commanded one man from each of the twelve tribes to return to the river for a large stone. At the place where Israel spent the night, their first night in the long-awaited Promised Land, they built a pile of rocks. These standing stones were reminders, of course; but more so, they were teachers. Note well: 4:20-24.

• Standing stones serve as a wonderful teacher to us, as well. Israel used the site of these stones as an object lesson to share their experiences of God. It became the next generation’s opportunity to learn of God’s faithfulness and to be confident in what He would do for them in their lives. They teach us that, too; but, even more, they teach us to create memorials for our families.

• Memorials are in our blood. Just look at Washington, D.C., downtown Springfield, IL, or Quincy. There are multiple memorials scattered about so that we are reminded of great events in our collective history. The difference in standing stones is that they create memories that point, not to our greatness, but to God’s greatness and grace. They remind us that we need the future generations to believe God is in their present as well as their past.

RESPOND: 

• What standing stones have you erected for your children and grandchildren (or other observers)?

• Reflect on a time when you used those stones to tell a “God-story” to someone.

• What have you learned from someone else’s standing stones/memorials?

PRAY: 

Thank God for His presence. Thank Him for those times when He clearly was invested in your life situation. Ask Him to make Himself visible to you as He meets you in your need.

READ: Joshua 5:10-12

REFLECT: 

• In Exodus 16, just after crossing the Red Sea and escaping Egypt, God promised bread from heaven 6 days each week. He gave instructions about gathering it and He gave a promise that He would sustain them. Exodus 16:35 records a brief historical fact (out of place chronologically); they ate manna daily for 40 years. The Exodus reference anticipates our Joshua text. Once Israel was across the river into the Promised Land, the manna stopped.

• God faithfully cared for His people. He fed them daily. Then, when they entered the land He had promised, a land described as, “The land of milk and honey,” the daily arrival of manna stopped. They could now live off the plenty of the land they would soon call their own. This little passing remark in the text is the narrator’s way of pointing to the faithfulness of God. Even though Israel could have been in the land 40 years sooner, God didn’t renege on His promise to care for them.

• Remembering His faithfulness is a key to the future. We can often walk into the unknown simply because we have already walked in His presence long enough to know He is with us. We may not know what to expect tomorrow, except that He will be there before we are. And that is enough. If memory served no other purpose, remembering that He is faithful would make memory adequate. Every tomorrow has potential for trouble, but we are not concerned because every tomorrow has assurance (not merely the potential) of His presence with us.

RESPOND: 

• Recall times when God has been faithful to you. Be as specific as possible.

• How does God’s faithfulness empower your hope and perserverance?

• Why are people so easily swayed by disappointment and difficulty?

PRAY: 

Thank God for those moments of faithfulness you recalled. Pray to be more cognizant of the times He’s faithful. Commit to being more thankful in those times when you recognize His presence.

This rock sits at the site of the Lincoln-Douglas debate that took place October 13, 1858. Its simple inscription reads: Lincoln Douglas Debate October 13, 1858. The city of Quincy hosted the 6th of the 7 historic debates. Since then a much nicer memorial has been erected. But this rock is a perfect picture of man’s quest to keep memories alive.  We have a heart for memorials.

Think how many museums and cemeteries include the word memorial in their titles and/or descriptions: Memorial Park, Memorial Bridge, Flynn Memorial Stadium and so many, many more. We love to remember…actually…we love to memorialize. It helps us tell our story. Visit a home and you’ll often see a special planter or stone marker, an usual rock or piece of wood, or any number of other items placed in noticeable locations. Memories.

It’s in our blood to remember. So, on a set of shelves in my office are tokens, memorials, from various countries where I’ve taught or where one of my children has served on a mission trip. There’s an African elephant, a sleeping Mexican, a Chinese tea cup, a book of pictures from Hungary, a Cubs ice cream helmet.  All reminders of trips I’ve had the privilege of taking and people I’ve had the privilege of meeting.

Behind my desk, on top of some book shelves there are cups from various schools where I’ve taught or lectured, gifts from brides and grooms, a carved eagle from a Madison Park woodworker, a hat from Uzbekistan and a flag from Ukraine. At home, there are miniature tires and lighthouses.  All memories. All somehow connected to what God has done in our family’s life. 

Israel crossed the Jordan and built a pile of twelve rocks—a memorial. They did it so that they could tell the next generation about the activity of God. That’s a pretty good model to follow.

READ: Joshua 3:1-4:24

REFLECT: 

• The presence of God is all over this text. But, it’s not because the text says He’s there or uses His name a lot. It’s because the Ark of the Covenant is the embodiment of God’s presence for Israel. Every mention of the Ark is the mention of God. Seventeen times the Ark is mentioned. Over half the times the Ark is mentioned in Joshua are in just these two chapters. He is present.

• The story is incredible. Once again, as at the Red Sea, God held back the waters and provided dry land. God worked again to make it clear that He was accompanying Israel on their journey. Their confidence should have climbed even higher as they observed the events of that incredible day. And to make sure they didn’t forget, God called for a memorial. Each tribe was to bring a stone of remembrance up out of the river bed to be included in a pile of stones commemorating God’s actions.

• Commemoration must become a greater part of our stories. We need memorials that remind us of God’s actions. As a nation, we create holidays and monuments and songs and pledges and endless routines to prevent memory loss. Christians must do the same. These are not just to keep us from forgetting, though. These are to become conversation points for future generations. These are the tools God uses to remind the next generation of His people that He can be trusted.

RESPOND: 

• Go through the text and underline all the instances where “Ark” occurs.

• What can you do to create a memorial for God’s actions in your family?

• How can you pass that memory along into the future?

PRAY: 

Once again, thank God for His faithfulness. Pray that you can have strong memories of His actions in your life. Pray that we commemorate well, around here, what God has been doing.

READ: Joshua 2:1-24

REFLECT: 

• Many make trusting God a blind act of faith. It’s not. Trusting God is clearly about seeing what God has done in the past and basing decisions intelligently and wisely on His record. Even Jesus reminds us that no one goes to battle without evaluating the strength of his army or starts a building without looking at his bank account. We move into our future confidently only when we are aware of as much as we can become aware of.

• Good leadership looks at the possibilities. They are not naïve as to the dangers. They don’t ignore the obstacles, but they are never hindered by them either. Instead of seeing, “how many customers we’ll lose if we do X,” they see how many will be gained if the do it. Or, they ask how many they are losing because they are not yet doing it.

• Good leaders ask the hard questions, cast them into shadows of God’s actions and capabilities, and move into the future with confident expectation of what God will yet do. When we are convinced that our mission is compatible with God’s mission, we move. We don’t let anything stop us. The spirit is one of relentless pursuit of whatever God is calling us to do and be.

RESPOND: 

• What future plans have you been holding back on because of uncertainty?

• What has God been showing you about what could be ahead?

• How can the future advance the kingdom of God?

PRAY: 

Ask God for clarity in your decisions. Pray that God guides us as a congregation into a stronger future. Commit to trusting Him as we each follow His leading.

READ: Joshua 2:1-24

REFLECT:

• The spies returned to Joshua full of confidence. They had experienced God’s faithfulness and protection through the unusual help of a local prostitute. They had heard the reports of the fear that God’s reputation had generated. They came back to Joshua with the strongly held belief that God was at work and all was well. They were convinced that God had given them the land even as they had been promised through Abraham.

• As we approach an unknown future, confidence happens by looking at a known past. God had moved His people. God had provided strong and courageous leaders. God had faithfully cared for those He called His own. And since all that was true in the past, it would surely be true going into the future. What the spies perceived from their journey behind enemy lines should be clear to us on this side of God’s powerful message through the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

• We proceed with confidence, not because of what we believe about ourselves, what our circumstances seem to indicate, or what the enemy seems to lack. We proceed confidently because of who God is and what He is capable of. We move at His dispatch because we know we can count on Him. We obey, even when things seem questionable or ambiguous, because we’ve trusted Him before and we can and will trust Him again.

RESPOND: 

• Recount situations where you’ve seen the faithfulness of God.

• Make a list of answered prayers, as detailed as possible.

• Confront any fears you might have by laying the future down next to the past and seeing God’s faithfulness extended into the future.

PRAY: 

Thank God for His ongoing faithfulness. Pray that you can develop/cultivate a growing sense of confidence in Him. Ask God to empower us, as a congregation, to trust Him with our future.

READ: Joshua 3:1-4:24 (esp., 3:1-6)

REFLECT: 

• One key element in Israel’s preparation to cross into the Promised Land was to create respect for God and His presence. The most visible feature of that respect was distance. The people were to give God’s ark a 2,000 cubit (1,500 feet) berth before following. They were to stay approximately 500 paces away. It was a symbol of their respect for God’s holiness and power. They needn’t be near because God needed no protection from His enemies.

• But, they were also to consecrate themselves. That may have indicated a ritual bathing followed by a prayerful anointing with oil. They were to prepare themselves to be in God’s presence and to follow His lead. Consecrating oneself is a sign of respect. God is worthy of our preparation to come into His presence and to follow His lead. Anything less could indicate that our allegiance is really not fully toward Him.

• We may not have specific instructions for how to prepare for the presence of God. And in our day, it would surely be different than in Israel’s context. But, certainly our hearts should be oriented to God. Time should be spent contemplating our experience of God’s presence. Openness should be sought to hear from God. Humility should be cultivated to obey God. In other words, one’s inner world should be continually evaluated and prepared.

RESPOND: 

• Describe your preparation for coming into God’s presence.

• How does living in God’s presence constantly impact your thoughts of consecrating yourself?

• What might indicate that we are too haphazard about God’s presence?

PRAY: 

Thank God that He receives us as we are. Pray that your heart is prepared to enter His presence. Commit yourself to a constant practice of consecration.

READ: Joshua 2:1-24

REFLECT: 

• Verses 9-11 reveal the heart of the occupants of the land about to be taken by Israel. Rahab speaks as if the “taking” was already done. She speaks of the fear generated by God’s reputation created by past actions. In fact, she reaches back forty years to the Exodus account. It’s highly unlikely she would be old enough to know that story first hand. It had to be a tale that was told and retold among the nations.

• The stories of the two kings, Sihon and Og, are stories also found in the Exodus/wandering stories of Israel. The stories all recount the power of YHWH over the gods of any nation. There is no question in Rahab’s mind that God is greater than any of their gods and thus to be feared and obeyed. But it’s not merely fear. Her fear is also confidence. She believes God can be trusted to honor His commitment to her made by the spies.

• Many of the Psalms recount the stories of God’s activities. They point the singers to the faithfulness of God. Those songs remind Israel (and us) that God is good and dependable, kind and gracious. They also remind us that God is righteous and just. Like the people of Canaan, God’s reputation puts us in the position to listen to Him and fear Him. We would do well to keep His character and attributes ever before us as motivation for worship, obedience and trust.

RESPOND: 

• What are the most significant of God’s character traits for you personally?

• How do you differentiate between being afraid of God and fearing God?

• What reputation does your life portray for God?

PRAY: 

Give God honor for His character. Pray that you can live in deep respect for who He is. Commit yourself to living in such a way that His reputation is enhanced.

READ: Joshua 2:1-24

REFLECT: 

• The two spies view Jericho and spend the night at a brothel. You’d have to assume it’s the last place they’d look for spies. However, it isn’t, it’s the first place. The officials come and seek to find them. Rahab lies about their whereabouts and sends the police off on a wild goose chase. In the meantime, she works out a deal with the spies to protect her and her family when the Israelites invade the land.

• Rahab’s faith becomes legendary. She’s listed in what some call the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. She’s the one who, “welcomed the spies.”  In James 2, her works (hiding the spies) is elevated as an example of how faith is shown in a person’s actions. But even more interesting, according to Matthew 1, she shows up in the genealogy of Jesus. She is David’s great-great grandmother. Her faith is highlighted, not her ethnicity nor her occupation (though that is mentioned).

• Rahab’s faithfulness stands in contrast to the unfaithfulness of Israel. Even in our text, the presence of the spy story reminds the readers of the previous unfaithfulness and its consequences. Rahab’s story stands as testimony to God’s faithfulness as well. He honors the choices of all people who are willing to live in honor/response to Him. Her house collapsed with the walls of Jericho…but she and her family survived and became part of the Jesus story.

RESPOND: 

• Who has been a great model of faith for you?

• How does God’s response to a prostitute square with your previous perceptions of how God works and whom God honors?

• How have you modeled an unusual faithfulness?

PRAY: 

Pray for a faithfulness that is exemplary to others. Ask God to help you live faithfully when life makes it hard. Commit yourself to being faithful to Him as much as you are capable.