Wow. Lots of killing. Really Joshua's all about murder, stoning and such. Sometimes it's just hard to reconcile the same God of grace and love with this God who orders so much bloodshed. I had a friend in high school that really struggled with this aspect. I'm beginning to see more of his point I think.
Aside from all the killing there was one section where Joshua reminded the people of their covenant of God. I really like the picture that is painted with this picture. In worship ministry we often talk about worship space and environment. How's this for awesome:
Then all the Israelites - foreigners and native-born alike - along with the elders, officers, and judges were divided into two groups. One group stood in front of Mount Gerizim, the other in front of Mount Ebal. Each group faced the other, and between them stood the Levitical priest carrying the Ark of the Lord's Covenant. This was all done according to the commands that Moses, the servant of the Lord, had previously given for blessing the people of Israel. Joshua then read to them all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of Instruction. Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them.
No comments:
Post a Comment