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Randall Honeycutt's trompe l'oiel mural in downtown Burnsville NC.
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My Lessons / Applications From Today's Readings
Love and Obedience Precede the Victory: (Joshua 5 and 6) A look at the outline of today's readings yields the important precept - love of and obedience to the LORD precede the victory. And that victory? Fulfilling the mission God has given us. For the Chosen nation of Israel it is to go in and possess the Promised Land. At the heart of this is to go into a relationship of love and obedience to God - to possess and claim His law, promises and covenant to them. This would be an outline in today's readings: 1) Circumcise the Next Generation (Commit to your covenantal loyalty to Me...the outward reality proving the inward claim...not just a verbal commitment but outward obedience; 2) Listen to / Obey the Commander of the Army..Joshua, you are the leader, but this is the LORD's Army, and He is the Commander...it's not about you ultimately, or even the people...it is about God. 3) Witness the Miracle, the Victory - The Destruction of Jericho - after the obedience.
Lessons / Applications: This comes after and only because of the obedience...to the difficult...the unreasonable...the inexplicable. Why circumcise these older men? Because this is the bond of the covenant. The original generation that left Egypt is dead. This new generation must enter into the bond of the holy covenant. It is not enough to give verbal assent. We must follow and DO His commandments. Why do I need to study and meditate on Scripture day after day and year after year, pray continuously, gather with other believers, be baptized, celebrate the Lord's supper? Because these are the bonds of the New Covenant - bringing me into personal fellowship with the Lord, in obedience to Him. Are you with us or with our Adversaries, LORD? No. How does that answer my question? The question is wrong. I come now as Commander of the army of the LORD. This is thought by many scholars to be the pre-incarnate Christ. Are we on God's side is the question - not is He on our side. The walls of mighty Jericho fell with marching, shofar trumpeting, and the shout of all the people. But no...they fell by the outstretched Hand of God on behalf of his people because they obeyed His explicit commands. Obedience preceded the victory. What about in my own life? Am I calling God to fight my battles, or am I engaged in fighting His battles...doing His work...obeying the commands He gives me?
Love and Obedience Precede the Miracle: (Luke 9: 18-36) Again the outline...1) Peter Confesses that Jesus is the Christ...confession of a truth only discerned by the Holy Spirit; 2) Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection...the hard, inexplicable, unreasonable. But we thought Christ would conquer the Roman oppressors and become King instead. We don't understand. How could the Son of God be crucified? How can He be resurrected? This isn't what we thought would happen. 3) Take Up Your Cross and Follow Him...What?...a cross not a crown?...taken up and carried daily?...Follow Him into the same rejection...crucifixion...resurrection...this is what it means...deny myself...share in His sufferings...share in His resurrection - a dawning of a new understanding and then the miracle; 4) Witnessing the Transfiguration of Jesus...Moses and Elijah appear with Him...they are not "dead". This is the law (Moses), the prophets (Elijah) and the promised fulfillment of the Messiah, the Son of God. And God's voice is heard: "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"
Lessons / Applications: "If you love Me, you will obey Me." (John 14:15-30)...ears to hear, eyes to see, hearts to believe, wills to obey (Jeremiah 5:21, 2 Cor. 4:4, Proverbs 20:12)....that I may know
Him... I press on... that I
may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren,
I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things
which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3)
Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose
ways you may not understand at the time. Oswald Chambers
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