Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Joshua 8:34, “And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.”

Background

Are you able to watch your local news broadcast? I don’t know exactly when it occurred, but somewhere along the way the news evolved from reporting many of the new stories of the day (thus the use of the plural of the word “new” ) into little more than a crime report. Story after story informs us about the latest murder, rape or sexual assault, complete with photos of the offenders and live coverage if the crime occurred close enough to the time of the newscast. Now I clearly am not qualified to discern where the fine line is for a media outlet regarding their civic responsibility to report the unlawful events pertinent to a city or community versus the gratuitous and unnecessary coverage of crime night after night. Certain things involving and affecting certain people need to be made public. I just know that for my tastes, the line has been crossed. Certainly in a county of almost a million people, twenty minutes of news time can be filled with stories other than just the downtown shootings and more relevant than the neighbor’s cat being rescued from a tree.

Application

And it’s that complete picture that Joshua gave to all the people of Israel after their latest battle. They had trusted God’s unconventional plan and experienced the complete and miraculous victory over Jericho, but then suffered the embarrassing defeat to Ai after Achan disobeyed regarding the spoils of Jericho. And so, after things were made right and Ai was defeated, Joshua brought the people back to God’s complete Word. He read them everything that was written, each blessing and each warning. They were reminded of every marvelous promise and every dire punishment. That was to be their key for the future. They had to accept their responsibility towards God so that they could expect His rewards. Equal measure must be placed on our obedience and God’s glory. One cannot be seen apart from the other. So look at your life, and see if there’s a deep end you may be teetering towards.

Charge

As we seek Him today, pursue the balance of being empty of yourself and full of God. Focus on both so that the two of you can be one.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words