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Daily devotionals are a good introduction, helping to explain the main of ideas of the text without getting overly technical. As devotionals, they aim to enrich our relationship with God rather than turn us into academics!
After wandering in the desert for forty years, Israel finally enters the Promised Land. This is a partial fulfilment of God’s much earlier promise to Abraham, and a delayed completion of the Exodus that had taken Israel out of slavery. Led by Joshua, Israel crosses over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan. The river parts, mirroring the parting of the Red Sea-- God is still with his people.
Israel’s early years in the Promised Land are not ‘a walk in the park’. There are some stunning successes, but also some tragic failures as Israel struggles to live out their mission to be God’s people. They continue to grumble, reject God’s Covenant and fail to trust him; just as they had done in the desert, just as Adam and Eve had done in the Garden. The issues that will later lead Israel into exile are already present in their early days in the Promised Land. We are left with a question that will stay with us for a long time: How is God going to finally redeem the world through this nation, even as he promised Abraham?
The fulfilment of the promises to Abraham, the hope of rest in a good land, the opposing realities of blessing and cursing are major themes driving the biblical story at this point. Each of the following passages draws upon one of more of these themes. As you read, consider how these powerful motifs shape both the biblical story and your own story.
After 40 years of desert wanderings, Israel is ready to enter the Promised Land under their new leader Joshua. In this transition, God’s promises guarantee that the mission will succeed but Joshua must be very careful to obey all that God has commanded. This will require strength and discipline.
Essential to Joshua’s role will be his engagement with God’s word. He is to meditate on it day and night so that he is enabled to obey it. This kind of meditation does not empty the mind but rather fills the mind with God’s word. It can be a form of purposeful repetition, paying careful attention, appreciating its facets and its whole– so that God’s word is hidden in our hearts (Psalm 119:9-11).
Eugene Peterson, drawing from many years of experience as a pastor and translator, highlights the rewards of meditating on Scripture. The Hebrew word for meditate is ‘hagah.’ The same word used in Isaiah 31:4 to describe how a lion savours its prey. Peterson likens this to the way a dog ‘meditates’ on a bone; gnawing it, turning it over and around, licking it, taking pleasure in it. Most Christians have sampled Scripture. But how many of us have ‘meditated’ on both the Old and New Testaments, right down to the marrow? For further thought’s on meditating on scripture, see Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book (Eerdmans, 2006).
For reflection:
- When are you strong and courageous, on the basis of God’s word?
- We are not Joshua entering the Land. What reason(s) might we have for eagerly digesting God’s word, often?
Israel finally enters the Promised Land. Joshua is presented as a new Moses, leading a new ‘exodus’ across the Jordan River, which parts like the Red Sea. This is a sign to Israel and the surrounding nations that God is with them. Outside Jericho the Covenant is renewed— the Israelites are starting to look like the nation God called them to be. ‘The Commander of the Army of the Lord’ visits Joshua, and like Moses he is told to remove his sandals as he is on holy ground. Just as God led Israel under Moses, so he is leading them under Joshua: but whose side is he on?
Joshua’s question to ‘The Commander of the Army of the Lord’ (5:13-15) is turned back upon him: whose side will Israel be on? Clearly, God is on a mission to cleanse his land of the Canaanites. He invites Israel to join him.
For reflection:
- Is God on your side or are you on his side?
God is a mighty warrior (Joshua 5:13-15), but he will fight either for or against Israel, depending on their faithfulness to the covenant. God desires a ‘holy people’, set apart and obedient to him, and he does what is required to help Israel be that people.
For further thought:
- What does the unusual parade around Jericho say about the leadership of God’s people? What does it say about the mission to conquer the land and peoples of Canaan?
- An easy victory at Jericho is followed by humiliating defeat in Ai. How might this bring to a head the key questions raised in the first 6 chapters of the book of Joshua?
God’s command to ‘devote to destruction’ all the Canaanite peoples amounts to Genocide. This would save Israel from being tempted by their gods, their customs and their culture (see also Deut 20:16-18). It also gave expression to God’s judgment on the Canaanites’ false religion, which included among other things, child sacrifice and ‘sacred’ prostitution in the use of Asherah poles and the worship of gods like Molech and Baal (see Gen 15:16; Ex 34:13; Lev 20:1-5). God’s verdict was that it was an abomination so vile and all-pervasive, and that the danger of his own people being corrupted by it was so great, that it could be dealt with only by wholesale destruction.
Both the practices of the Canaanites and God’s command to wipe them out challenge our contemporary sensibilities.
For further thought:
- What gives God the right to exercise judgment before Judgment Day, as he did against Sodom and Gomorrah, or as he did in Noah’s time?
- What is it about God’s absolute and final judgment that we find hard to accept?
- The story of Rahab the prostitute of Jericho (Joshua 2:1-21; 6:22-23) illustrates that God’s mercy is always available to those who will turn away from sin and turn to God for forgiveness.
At the end of their lives both Moses and Joshua give similar challenges to Israel. God has fulfilled his promises to Abraham, now Israel has a choice: keep the covenant and enjoy God’s blessing; or abandon it and face the curse. Both Moses and Joshua predict that Israel will choose death not life, but they also offer hope that God will still redeem his people.
- So, as Israel enters the Promised Land and begins to settle in, we are left with a question: Can they remain faithful?
The pattern of conquest generally established in the book of Joshua seems to continue after Joshua’s death at the beginning of the book of Judges. Israel continues to defeat the Canaanite peoples and take their land.
- Compare God’s commands in Deuteronomy 7:1-5 to the events described at the beginning of Judges. What questions or concerns do you have?
God had commanded Israel to drive the nations out of the Promised Land, but in the book of Judges we see the consequences of Israel’s failure to obey. After the death of Joshua, Israel begins a downward spiral. Throughout Judges, a pattern repeats: Israel worships other gods, they are handed over to their enemies until God raises up a deliverer (a ‘judge’) to rescue them, Israel obeys for a season, and then the cycle begins again.
As noted before, the book of Judges seems to have a cyclical theme where peace is broken by sin, followed by judgment, despair, God’s deliverance provided by a ‘judge’, and then another season of peace. But this cycle is actually a spiral, a downward spiral which goes from bad to worse. The final cycle of the book is the most disturbing. The book ends with Israel almost torn apart by civil war. Israel seems no better, if not worse, that the surrounding nations.
For further thought:
- This final episode is framed by some bookends (see Judges 19:1 and 21:25). What do you think the author might be suggesting?
- How can God possibly redeem the world through the descendants of Abraham when they are not acting like the ‘holy people’ they were called to be?
Samuel is introduced into the narrative in a manner reminiscent of the Judges. Perhaps he will be another Judge to rescue Israel? He grows up among the perplexing family of Eli the priest. Wars with the Philistines and surrounding nations continue to plague Israel.
In this context, Israel treats the Ark of the Covenant as a military totem, not the holy place of God’s presence. God is not a talisman and shows this by allowing the symbol of his presence to be captured by the Philistines.
What does this comic-tragedy reveal about the character of God himself?
The book of Judges has told a tragic story of Israel’s descent into idolatry, sin, rape, violence and civil war. Samuel is the last Judge in Israel. As he ages, the people demand that God give them a king like those in the surrounding nations. Samuel is heart-broken. Israel had rejected God’s call on their lives, thereby rejecting God’s kingship, in exchange for a human king.
- This passage raises a persistent and haunting question: Will Israel’s kings lead them into greater faithfulness or will Israel end up looking just like other nations?
Growth Exercises are practical exercises we can try to help us grow as disciples of Christ. They are split into exercises to focus on for the coming week.
Most of us struggle to spend time in solitude and silence, either because we can’t find the time, or more commonly, we don’t want to find the time-- because we dislike the sensation! Living in a culture dominated by busyness and background noise, we simply don’t know how to function without them. Consider the following quote:
I have often said that the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room… What people want is not the easy peaceful life… but the agitation that takes our minds off it and diverts... That is why men are so found of the hustle and bustle.
That observation should not surprise us. What might surprise us is that it was written by mathematician and Catholic philosopher Blaise Pascal in the 17th Century. This is clearly not a new problem. Our culture’s methods of distraction might be unique, or perhaps new, but our reasons remain the same. This is how Henri Nouwen describes the modern-day experience:
As soon as we’re alone, without people to talk with, books to read, TV to watch, or phone calls to make, an inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again… The distractions we have used to drown out our anxieties, fears and bad memories, unresolved conflicts, angry feelings, and impulsive desires are gone… and we want them back!
Very few of us will be able to read that description without recognising our own experience in it. We know that inner chaos well. But Nouwen does more than describe the symptoms; he also give some clue as to their cause. We don’t like being alone because we’re afraid of what might surface when we are. Indeed, we are mistaken if we think that solitude and silence are simply skills we haven’t yet learned. For most of us, this is an area of insecurity that is yet to be addressed. God is waiting to address it with us— alone.
Learning to be alone well is an essential ingredient of a number of the other spiritual disciplines. Just as we will never learn to hear God well if we are constantly in crowds, neither will we learn to rest well, or serve well, or wait well. That is why it is so important that we first learn to be alone well.
Community has a vital role to play in our lives, as we will discuss next month. But some of us use community as a distraction from questions or struggles that can only be answered in solitude. As we learn to exchange some of our time with others for time alone, we will find ourselves being comforted, shaped and encouraged in ways that simply could not have happened otherwise.
Of course, there is no real solitude without silence. Earpods in and on, listening to a podcast or your favourite music is not really solitude. The posture required for the comfort and encouragement of solitude rules out multi-tasking and our ‘security blanket’ sounds of text messages arriving, notifications keeping us immediately in touch with the digital world, or the familiarity of music. As Nouwen notes, even reading can be a source of unwanted ‘noise.’ No matter how pressurised and chaotic your family life, there is a way for you to creatively find times of solitude and silence— and the weekly exercises this month aim to help you explore them.
It might seem inconsistent for churches like ours, which are committed to encouraging and growing gospel-shaped communities and small groups, to be promoting solitude. But in fact we value both community and solitude because one cannot function well without the other. A glance at the ascetic or isolating cults of church history will quickly reveal the unhealthy consequences of neglecting fellowship— extreme isolation, austerity, and even mental illness. Alternatively, periods of church history closer to our own highlight the shallowness and weakness of the overly-socialised church, tending towards extreme distraction, stressful over-complication and the fear of ‘missing out’.
Which of the two extremes do you naturally gravitate towards— fellowship or solitude? Do you prefer one so much that you are missing out on the other? If so, how might you bring more balance?
Find some time this week to sit quietly alone and consider these questions— for at least 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes is ‘done’, only then journal a few notes to document your thoughts. If you can’t find that time this week, then your answers will be pretty obvious!
While most of us are not ready to sign up for a month-long silent treat (as a friend of mine tried to do every year), we can all begin by introducing some less extreme changes into our schedule. Are you ready to take the two week ‘Blaise Pascal Challenge’? Here it is—
Stop. Sit down in silence for 5 minutes. Every day for a week. Do this with no one around, no phone, no book, no music. Nothing.
No doubt your mind will race with thoughts of incomplete tasks and urgent jobs. Just let them go. Don’t write them down for later. Just let them go. Instead, slowly become aware of the presence of God. Draw near to him just to be with him. Don’t ask for anything.
Actually, don’t pray anything. Just be with Him and enjoy his presence. And if your mind just relaxes, that’s fine too. If you miss a day— don’t sweat it. Try again the next day. Over the week, see if you get better at this discipline. See if you actually start to enjoy it. Every 2 or 3 days, jot down a note in your journal describing your experience.
Last week we were encouraged to make space in our day for 5 minutes of solitude and silence. These were the instructions:
Stop. Sit down in silence for 5 minutes. Every day for a week. Do this with no one around, no phone, no book, no music. Nothing.
We were also encouraged last week to journal our thoughts and reflections on this exercise. If you were able to do this, take a few moments to review your journal entries.
Overall, would you say that you enjoyed 5 minutes of solitude and silence (when you were actually able to find that time and place)? Did you become aware of any other benefits from this time?
This week, we are encouraged to try the same exercise– 5 minutes of solitude and silence each day for a week– but this week, make this a prelude to a time of prayer. Use the time to slowly become aware of the presence of God. Draw near to him just to be with him. Don’t ask for anything for 5 minutes! Actually, don’t pray anything for 5 minutes! Just be with God and enjoy his presence. And if your mind just relaxes, that’s fine too.
Every 2 or 3 days, jot down a note in your journal describing your experience.
There is an important distinction between the disciplines of solitude and silence, and taking a few moments of “me time.” Stating the obvious, “me time” is all about “me”. The time spent in solitude and silence is all about “God and me”: it’s just the two of us.
Another way to view the disciplines of solitude and silence is to see them as a way of becoming your true self with God. Alone and present to God, there is no point in pretending or in polishing. In company with God alone, we are who we are. But we are not stuck in this place. We are also a ‘work in progress’ as God continues his work of grace, transforming us to become more like the Lord Jesus. In company with God alone, we are becoming who we will be.
The beauty of the twin disciplines of solitude and silence is that, so often during this time of God-ward orientation, new thoughts arise, we become aware of fresh perspectives and conclusions are drawn. The overflow: other contexts This week we explore the ‘overflow’ of solitude and silence into other areas of our lives. Because we are growing into our true selves in company with God, other relationships, times and spaces are also changed.
Outside of your planned times of solitude or silence, in company with others, work on listening more. Ask questions. Speak less. Thomas aKempis wrote, “It is easier to be silent altogether than to speak with moderation.”
In group settings, try to moderate you contribution to the conversation— especially if you are usually an extrovert. See if you can draw out more conversation from your more introverted friends. We can enjoy times of solitude and silence in many locations beyond our favourite chair. Go for a walk alone, perhaps along a beach, in the bush, or in a park. Use it as a time for observation, thinking, reflection and prayer.
You might try visiting an old church building that is open to the public during the day. Quietly enter and sit or kneel for prayer. If you work in the city of Sydney, St Andrew’s Cathedral near Town Hall is a favourite of mine. Another is St Mary’s Cathedral on College Street— although the religious sculptures might not be everyone’s cup of tea!
