Joshua and his men appear to be machines. I know the army was massive, so coming upon a town or village in this region may not have covered a lot of area. Yet still! The first few verses we read today happened the SAME day as our story from yesterday.
I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time processing all of this slaughter. I find myself skimming a bit, as if that will change the outcome. People died. Lots of people. But it was all part of God’s plan. “Joshua conquered all these kings and their land in a single campaign, for the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for his people.”
I am going to cling to and focus on this. God was fighting for his people. That is what’s happening as the conquest of the Promised Land begins. We can’t expect the people of these towns and villages to just move away. Can we? To co-mingle would be disastrous because of how fickle the Israelites are when given a chance.
We’ve likely read other passages in other books of the Bible and know how childlike the Israelites can be, how stubborn, how willful. God knew that the land had to be cleansed and ready for them so they would thrive and worship only him.
That’s God’s desire for us. We don’t have to be unsure of our purpose in life, asking questions like “why am I here, Lord?” We are here to honor and worship God. Yes, we have a beautiful world to do it in, and that is a gift to us. To be sure, we are a lot of things — spouses, parents, friends, children, neighbors, employees, but bottom line we were designed to be worshipers.
The same power that we see displayed in our reading today is available to us. God’s power has no limits. We are the ones that put limits on God. Take a step back today and take a look at the big picture of your life. Where are areas that you need God’s power? Are you ready to let go and let God? Joshua put his trust in God, have you?
Let’s pray … Lord, I thank you that you have created me to worship you. You are magnificent and full of power. I thank you for how you have delivered me from one struggle after another. Forgive me when I lose sight of your wonderful provisions. May my life be a living testimony to the worship you’ve put in my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
