9.29.08, Joshua 8:30-35

The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal

30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, 31 as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.  32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it—the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.

34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.

Ebal and Gerizim

In today’s passage, we read that half of Israel ascends to the top of Mt.Ebal, and half to Mt.Gerizim to hear a complete reading of the Law.  To understand the significance and meaning of this moment, we have to go back to  Deuteronomy 27-28, where we read that God commanded Moses to divide the people at Mt.Ebal and Mt.Gerizim, and at Gerizim, proclaim the blessings that accompany obedience to the Law, and at Ebal, pronounce the curses that would follow disobedience to Scripture.

You see, Ebal and Gerizim signifies Israel’s commitment to the totality of Scripture, not just the blessings and the happy parts, but the warnings and curses as well.  As Israel divided themselves at these two mountains, they committed themselves to everything that God’s Word promised for them, to Scripture as an undivided whole, not as separated sections they could accept and reject as they desired.

I have problems with certain passages of Scripture not so much because they are not clear, but because they don’t fit with my selfish ideas of morality.  I don’t want God’s holiness to be so pure and demanding, because that would mean my sins are very scarlet.  So all I want is Gerizim, all those blessings from a harmless God who doesn’t challenge my fragile assumptions, is spotlessly politically correct, and never treads on my personal goals and aspirations…and I ignore Ebal, all the nasty bits about my sin and God’s holy judgment.  But when I do this, I am guilty of picking and choosing the character of God, trying to force God to fit my own model like a child transferring the ocean into his little sand bucket.  But really, the exact opposite is far more fitting: letting God pick and choose my character instead because he’s so much better at it than me.

Questions:

1. How have these passages in Joshua changed your conception of God’s character?

2. Are there parts of Scripture that you subconsciously avoid?  Why do you think you do so?

3. In what ways have you been guilty of choosing the God you want serve?

4. What ways can your life reflect both Ebal and Gerizim, a commitment to all of Scripture, and to all of God’s character?

optional herem commentary

Herem Again

Some final thoughts on herem. First, I am no authority – there are many incredible resources on apologetic questions like this, and I would suggest C.S. Lewis (problem of pain, great divorce, mere christianity) or tim keller’s the reason for God.  I’m just a hack.

One question that springs to my mind is, “What happened to God??”  Why are the Old Testament and New Testament understandings of God so different, where the OT God seems to be all about justice and holiness, but the NT God is a God of mercy and grace?  To those outside the faith, these two conceptions of God are so starkly different that it seems as if God re-invented himself at some point.  How do we make sense of it all?

The answer, of course, is Jesus!  It is Jesus that serves as that perfect middle marker between these two conceptions, that God is holy and just (as we read in the OT), but that justice is poured out onto Jesus instead of ourselves (from the NT) – here in Christ, the holiness and mercy of God are perfectly balanced.  The character of God has not changed at all because in Jesus we see the perfect revelation of that character: a God who is both just and merciful, holy and forgiving, a God who pours our wrath upon himself – a God of grace.  In essence, Jesus made himself herem so that we would never have to!

What do we take away from this?  Practically speaking, when it comes to understanding the most difficult parts of Scripture, it is important not to look at those events in total isolation, but in the larger context of what is to come.  Trying to understand Jericho and herem on its own is impossible, but remember it is dwarfed by what Jesus did on the cross and the larger redemption plan God is bringing for the world.  Keep Christ in mind, and remember that of all things, God works for eternal redemption.

On a personal note, a couple of things: first, this should serve to remind us of what an incredible personal transformation occurs when we accept Christ into our lives – this was no small thing, but completely changed us as we read in the book of Ephesians:

Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

It can be difficult, but herem serves as a reminder of how profoundly Christ changed the world itself, that we had chosen for ourselves only destruction and nothing more, but now with Jesus Christ…we have new life, a new hope, a new family, forgiveness from sins, eternal life, meaning and purpose…in short, Jesus changed everything, metaphysically and personally!

Lastly, don’t mess around with God.  We often see him as a senile, faraway grandfather character, but the book of Joshua refuses this characterization.  He is faithful and just and holy and wrathful, and we should not minimize or emasculate him.  There is a wonderful quote from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, where a character asks if Aslan is safe, and Mr. Beaver responds,

“Safe?  Who said anything about safe?…of course he isn’t safe!  But he’s good.  He’s the King, I tell you.“

The book of Joshua is a not-so-subtle reminder that we rightly are to fear God…but that he is good.  Even with this…there are no easy answers.  I hope that the arguments I have provided have helped in part.  In the end, I take my greatest comfort in the following passage:

Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

We will not comprehend all things in this world, and some ideas and events will always be a mystery to us.  But it is through the things that have been revealed to us that we establish our trust in the One who holds that which is in secret.  We have personally experienced his goodness and mercy, so we place our trust in the God who has revealed himself to us, even for the things that we do not understand.  And one day, he will make it all clear.

9.26.08, Joshua 7:12-13

PP: “your responses have been such a blessing, and I have learned so much from your insights!  Please feel free to submit a QT that spoke to you, and I’ll post it here.  Our first submission comes from one of the SALT staff, Jennifer Kim”:

12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.

All For One

Although Achan is the one who sins against God, all of Israel is addressed and is punished for his actions.  They are defeated by the city of Ai because of Achan’s decision to keep a small portion of the things devoted to God.  At first glance, it almost seems as if God is overreacting.  Only one man had sinned.

But we have to remember, that our actions can deeply affect others, whether positively or negatively.  We are a single body of believers, so if one part of the body does wrong, the entire body has sinned.  This is sometimes hard to grasp since our society has a very individualistic mindset.  Despite this, we have to remember that we are a family under God and that we all have a responsibility to keep each other accountable. We can’t have the attitude of “it’s all about me” because it is actually “all about God.”   God wants us to have a spirit of unity “so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)

Another thing we to take away from this is the fact that God tells the Israelites to “consecrate” themselves.  Consecrate literally means to set apart.  In order to accomplish this, the Israelites have to remove the sin within their community.  As long as the sin is present, they cannot defeat their enemies because God cannot fully be a part of their lives, just as God cannot fully be a part of our lives as long as we hold onto something or even someone that causes us to sin.  Our relationship with God is not a compromise.  We are not called to devote a portion or even the majority of our lives to Him.  But we are called to die to ourselves and live completely for God.  There is no room for any gray area, because it’s all or nothing.

Questions

1. Sin is often not a one time thing.  Some sins come in the form of habits or are results of constant temptation.  Do you find yourself struggling with the same issues or temptations over and over?  How can you break that cycle?

2.  We are all part of a greater community, but it’s easy to take a passive role and let others do the grunt work.  How can you become a more active member of the body Christ and promote a more unified body?

3.  Accountability is key.  It can come from someone you look up to but it can also come from your friends.  Do you have people to keep you accountable and in what way?  Are you keeping others accountable even when it’s difficult to correct them?

4.  All of us make compromises with God.  In what ways do you find yourself making “deals?”

9.24.08, Joshua 6:21

21 They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Herem

This is the one of the most difficult passages in Scripture, where everything is destroyed in Jericho.  We usually shy away from issues like this, but we need to wrestle with this, for the sake of our own faith as well as our apologetic to the rest of the world.  And this will not be our only confrontation with this idea in the book of Joshua…

The word used in this passage is herem, with means “to be devoted or consecrated to the Lord, as if to destruction”.  This is what occurs at Jericho, where every living thing is destroyed, except Rahab and her family.  This is a very confusing and difficult idea for us to digest, because it seems so contradictory with our understanding of who God is…how are we to make sense of this?

First, the theological answer.  Remember from Romans that the wage or consequence of sin is death – so in reality, all of us deserve the same punishment as the people of Jericho – we have reaped herem for ourselves.  It is terribly cynical, but the honest truth is that’s what we all really deserve, each and every one of us, as a consequence for our disobedience and sin.  And the fact is that these terrible things do not occur all the time to all of us because God’s universal grace protects us all and keeps this universe together.

But this is how I have come to grips with this idea, when I take the concept of herem and apply it to my life – not in killing things of course, but dying to myself.  You see, that definition of herem, “to be devoted or consecrated to the Lord, as if to destruction”, perfectly describes our spiritual state:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.“  Galatians 2:20

You see, we are herem – when we become Christians, we completely die to ourselves, are wrecked for God, crucified with him, set apart only for Him and His purposes, as if to destruction.  But the beauty is that we do this not for destruction, but so that Christ may live in us, and we may live through him eternally!  It is through Christ that we finally can make sense of herem, that things that are devoted to destruction can be given new life.

I am herem.

Questions

1. Have you ever had a discussion with someone about how God could allow or even command destruction?  What was your response?

2. There is no single nor easy answer to the question of herem – despite the above explanations, do aspects of herem still not make sense or sit well with you? (this is completely okay to admit!)

3. Do you feel like you are herem for God, completely sold out to whatever he wants?  If not, what do you think is the biggest obstacle to living in this way?

3. Another definition of herem is “consecrated”, or “set apart”, which again points to us as Christians.  Think about your daily life – what practices, habits, or mentalities mark that you are consecrated and set apart for God?  In other words, can others tell that you are herem?

9.22.08, Joshua 6:11-20

11 So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.

12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.”

20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.

Sticking WIth It

Here, we see another helpful reminder of how to obey God’s will, and that is to stick with it to the end.  If we don’t pay attention, we can miss an important part of the victory of Jericho: how long it took.  God’s command to Joshua was to circle the walls of Jericho 7 times, while carrying the ark and blowing on trumpets – so they do this again and again, 6 times in a row.  It’s not hard to imagine that Joshua and the people of Israel might have gotten frustrated during this – I mean, after 3 or 4 times, most people were probably seriously doubting Joshua’s sanity.  But Joshua carries out God’s will to the very end, circling 7 times, and it is that 7th time that the walls fall!

When it comes to our own lives and faith, we give up so easily.  Rarely do we pray for a single thing for more than a week before we give up in frustration if it remains unanswered.  Convictions (like devotionals) are done for a month, and then lay fallow for half a year.  We lack spiritual staying power because we are so addicted to instantaneous results, but it’s because we don’t see things to the end that we never see the enormous victories God had intended!  There will be long seasons where our lives are similar to the Israelites, where you feel like you are pointlessly trudging around in a circle, but don’t give up!  Persevere until that 7th day, and the walls will come down!

One more note – notice what physical actions bring down the walls of Jericho: blasts from trumpets, and a great shout from the people.  And this shout is specifically NOT supposed to be a military war shout, but something different.  In essence, in the battle of Jericho, it appears that WORSHIP was Israel’s greatest weapon.  For us, we have made worship into a very personal and emotional thing in modern culture, and rightly so.  But we must never forget that worship is POWERFUL, and has real spiritual might to bring down walls in our lives.

Questions

1. Is there an area of your life that hasn’t been going well and you just want to quit?  Is there a way you can persevere through it instead?

2. This question was asked previously, but what are your most important and highest spiritual goals in life?  How long are you truly willing to pray and persevere to see those goals realized?

3. Have you ever experienced a moment of worship which was spiritually powerful and life-changing?

4. If worship has a “weapon of war” quality to it, what uses could worship have in our daily lives?

9.19.08, Joshua 6:1-10

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the people, “Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!”

“You want me to do what?!“

I’m sure that Joshua, having been a man of considerable experience in warfare, had a plan going into Jericho, a plan that had something to do with swords and horses and armor.  And I am very certain that Joshua’s initial plan was probably not this: “Let’s get the priests and our most valuable possession and march around the city, blowing trumpets the whole time, and this will cause the great walls of Jericho to fall.”  Imagine what the leaders and people of Israel thought when Joshua told them about God’s plan!  And imagine the looks on the faces of the people of Jericho as they watched this!!

And yet, this is the plan that works – the walls of Jericho fall before this completely crazy idea.  But if you look throughout Scripture, this is not the only time that God works through apparent foolishness – think about Noah building the Ark, and what his neighbors thought!  Elijah lights the fire of an altar after pouring gallons of water all over it!  And the ultimate piece of divine foolishness: that God would save us by sending his only Son to die on a cross for us:

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

God often works in ways that we would consider unorthodox and unexpected, so we have to resist the urge to do things our way, to follow the common path, and let God do what he wants in our life, in the way he wants to do it!

But most importantly, this is the only plan that would have worked.  Jericho was a city built on a hill, surrounded by multiple tiers of walls.  It was a time period far before any war machines, like catapults or siege towers.  The Israelites would have been slaughtered before the walls of Jericho had they tried the wisest strategies and best weapons of the time.  And so we see that a very similar choice lies before us: to throw ourselves at the walls of our own lives, using our own strategies, only to utterly burn ourselves out and be frustrated; or we can follow the crazy ideas of God and see the walls come tumbling down.

Questions

1. Was there a time in your life that a perfect plan completely fell through?

2. Has there been a time in your life that God has accomplished something in a completely unexpected, even crazy fashion?

3. Being practical is not a sin, as long it doesn’t close the door on God.  What are some ways you can make sure that practicality is not more important than obedience?

4. What is your “Jericho”?  What is one area of your life that you really want to see victory, but think that it is nearly impossible to accomplish?  Do you think there may be a crazy divine plan for victory in that area of your life?

9.17.08, Joshua 5:13-15

The Fall of Jericho

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.  Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

“Neither”

This is my favorite passage in the whole Bible, so forgive me if I go on, and on, and on…

To understand this passage, we have to understand Joshua.  Joshua was truly the MAN at this point, having been one of the only faithful Israelites for generations and through every season.  And now, he (NOT Moses) is leading the nation of Israel through the Promised Land!  Based on these successes, you can then understand that he was probably a man who was quite confident in his past and his victories, especially when it comes to military matters.

And so when he comes to Jericho, he is a man of purpose, a man of vision who knows what he wants: to conquer Jericho!  He is so intent on this that when he meets an angel of the Lord (in the OT, an angel of the Lord is basically God himself), he challenges the angel, asking if the angel is on his side or his enemies!  But the angel gives the most devastating response possible:

“Neither, but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.”

And at this, Joshua falls on his face in reverence.  He does this because he makes a huge realization: that God is not on his side – Joshua is on God’s side.  Joshua thought HE was in charge, that he was going to take Jericho, and wanted to know if God would support him and saddle up behind him.  But Joshua realizes that it is GOD who leads, GOD who is in control, and it is Joshua who follows God’s plans and purposes and helps however he can, not the other way around!

But before we look down on Joshua, we have to realize we do the exact same thing – we tell God, “God, this is what I want – give it to me!  Bless me!  Saddle up behind my plans and intentions!”  Or if we are slightly more modest about it, we give him a choice, “God, med school or law school – you help me choose!”

No, instead it’s more appropriate to pray and think and live with a different mentality:

“God, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”

“God, what are you already doing in my life and in this world?  How can I participate in that?”

“……(quietly listening to God)”

This is only appropriate because God is GOD.  But moreover, there is deep wisdom in living in this kind of humility, which we will see in coming chapters.

Questions

1. What part of your life are you most proud of?  What part of your life do you feel most confident/comfortable about, where you know what you are doing?

2. Is there a part of your life where you are firmly in control, and God is in the backseat, and you only ask his occasional advice and aid?  Do the victories of your past (from the first question) play any role in this?

3. We will see this in more detail in the coming chapter, but why do you think this type of mentality is so dangerous?

4. Spend a quick moment in prayer, praying in the ways outlined above – is there a sense or impression that you get from God in response to this, some way in which you can follow what God is already doing?

9.15.08, Joshua 5:10-12

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.

Manna to Fruit

One could write a theological treatise on manna alone, it’s such an interesting occurrence.  Manna was completely unexpected – it literally means, “What is it?”  This reminds us that sometimes God blesses us in unexpected ways.  We tend to return to the same sources of encouragement and inspiration, time and time again: the same book of the Bible, the same friends, the same church.  But we should never draw lines and walls around how God works in our lives because he may surprise us!

Manna was also a daily bread that rotted after each day, forcing the Israelites to come into daily reliance upon God – they could never store it and had to gather it every morning!  They were forced to daily rely on God for provision, and what a much needed reminder in our culture of savings accounts, 401K plans and accumulated assets!

But manna must come to an end, as it does in this passage.  You can imagine the disappointment of the Israelites, that this supernatural provision was to come to a close.  But the key to this passage is that even though manna ceases, God’s provision and blessings continue because from then on, the Israelites enjoy the fruit of Cannan instead.  So the question is not whether God will provide, but how he will provide.

We are disappointed when the manna of our lives ceases, and wistfully look back on the good ol’ days: college, pre-marriage, pre-kids, pre-two kids, etc.  But this mentality is not only unhelpful, but incorrect: God promises to provide his blessings in every season of our lives, and that our best days are always ahead of us - heaven!!

Questions

1. When has God blessed you in an unexpected way?

2. Is there an area of your life where you have a hard time seeing the new things God is doing, i.e. “God, there is nothing good for me here in this new city, school, fellowship, church, group of friends, etc.”

3. When do you usually really turn to God for help and support?  Is it daily reliance?  If not, what do you think would help make your relationship with Him a truly daily affair?

4. Take stock of where you are – since it is not a question of whether but how…how is God blessing your life right now?

5. The transition from “manna” to “fruit” is a very hard one – what mindsets and circumstances can make this transition easier for people?

Non-Devo Post – Doesn’t Count as a QT!

This clip has been making the rounds on other blog sites, and it is a powerful one, highlighting the inability of post-modern thought and “religion” to provide real answers and real peace.  The difference between the two types of thought are so stark: the old man speaking in rage about hell and forgiveness, the therapist talking in measured tones about hearing this and hearing that, but offering no real answers to the questions that were given.

The crux of this conversation, which really is just a play for a larger metaphysical debate, is the state of that man.  When we are doing fine in life, when death seems unreal and we are happy and fat, the clever and circuitous answers of post-modern thought seem feasible, and are just enough to get us by that particular season.  It sounds reasonable and wise, like something a Buddhist monk would tell us as we travel through Bangkok on motorbike.  But this mostly is by virtue of the fact that the answers are so roundabout that they cause us to forget what the question was in the first place.

But when the other shoe falls…when we are on our deathbed, or are watching someone we love pass away, or see towers fall in fire and people jumping hand-in-hand to their deaths, those answers reveal themselves for what they truly are – smoke and mirrors.  In that moment, people no longer want aphorisms and zen mantras – they want answers, real answers of eternal consequence.  And then those “answers” of post-modernity that satisfied us in our times of plenty are so frustratingly foolish.

It all lies in the state of the man – when we feel fine, the pleasantries of post-modernity will do.  But when we are broken, we reject these cliches and look for real redemption, real forgiveness, a real Savior.  The trick is in the realization that in truth, we are broken all the time.

Joshua 5:1-9 Part II

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

Circumcision

We read the word circumcision so often in the Bible that it kind of spills of the tongue: “Circumcision!”  But let’s not forget what that event really is…it is the cutting off of the foreskin of male, and here, it is performed with a flint knife.

Why is this significant?  For a few reasons: first, there was no anesthetic at the time, so circumcision of an adult male would be totally incapacitating – that guy would not be doing anything for a while.  And it seems that the entire male population was circumsised there at Gilgal.  But remember that the Israelites are in utterly hostile territory, surrounded by enemies…and we find their army is recuperating after a very painful and unnecessary medical procedure.  Humanly, practically, and strategically a terrible decision, but a very correct spiritual one: to obey and fear God rather than men, no matter what the circumstance!  Now, do we do the same in our lives – choose to honor God with enemies pounding on the door?  Tithe after losing a lot of money?  Come to church with an exam on Monday?

In addition, last time we read how Gilgal represents God rolling away the past and ushering in a new season for Israel.  And how is this newest season marked?…with the oldest of traditions, the circumcision.  Strangely, new seasons that God provides are sometimes paradoxically marked by a return of sorts, returning to obedience, returning to healthy habits.  Mr. Redman puts it best:

And I’ll remember You
I will turn back and do the things I used to do
For the love of You

We should never spurn the old disciplines, because if we want new things, sometimes, we have to do the old things: get into the Word, be in prayer, ask for forgiveness, lift up praise songs.

Questions

1. Is there a situation in your life where you have been fearing men or the world or your circumstances at the cost of honoring God?

2. What is your “circumcision”, your tradition that has always reconnected you with the heart of God?  Have you been keeping up with that activity, or do you need to be “recircumcised”? (figuratively speaking, of course)