Skip to main content

Moses Is Dead


After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. (Joshua 1:1-4)

          After Moses died, Israel had mourned for thirty days. I can imagine Joshua being reluctant. I can imagine the Israelites being reluctant. None of them except Joshua and Caleb could remember a time when Moses was not their leader. Joshua had been a leader for more than forty years, but now he was the leader. This is close to the situation our young adults face in the upcoming election. Those who are voting for the first time probably don't really remember a time when liberal Progressives haven't been in charge. For many, the conservative impulse will be to maintain the status quo. The radical or countercultural response is to change direction. 
          I can imagine the questions going through Joshua's mind. With Moses gone, would the people listen to him? Now that the moment had come to stop being pilgrims and start being warriors, would they be ready? Sure, they'd fought before, but those had been a different kind of fight. This fight would be "the real deal." They would finally get what they'd been promised. It was up to him to make sure they lived up to their part of the bargain. How could he possibly manage that? 
         I haven't led an army, but I have waited for an introduction so that I could say things that I hoped would make a difference in people's lives. I've felt the butterflies.... Will they get it? Will they do anything about it? Will they even give me a chance, or will they decide that I'm a fool without bothering to listen? Am I crazy to think that my message will help? I have no means of imposing my plans on them. If they don't accept my "leadership," there's nothing I can do. What if I am wrong? And then my name is given and I have no choice, I am "on stage" and have to say something.
         I understand God's call to take action. It's not always about leading an army. Sometimes, it can be about leading yourself, and you're a much a rebel as the Israelites were. Those golden calves, or golden coins, or golden trophies, or golden cameras, or golden sunsets, or golden rings, or golden buffets...they're so tempting. We have lives to live. Some of us have lived lives and we deserve to scale it back, to enjoy our golden years. Have you come to one of those moments, perhaps for the second or third time, when you have to choose: move forward, turn back, settle down and stay put? There are people watching. Moses is dead...it's time to go take that promised land, even if it's only in your head. That seems to be part of the message I'm getting this fall. I'm going over the Jordan and down to Zephyrhills, and once there, I have work to do. It's likely to involve battle, at least with myself. And with that in mind, I know that I will need wisdom, direction and a good attitude.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more