Another Heap of Stones

 

Joshua 8: 26 But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction. 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the Lord that he commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. 29 And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.

As noted earlier, the initial defeat at Ai was extremely disheartening.  Israel could not go on with roller coaster ride of victory, defeat, victory, defeat.  Joshua made sure the people completely obeyed God in carrying out his instructions. In the verses that follow, he led the people in a recommitment to their covenant with God - the whole covenant, every command - before all the people of Israel. There were to be no excuses that someone did not know.  The commandments were etched in stone as a constant reminder to all of the covenant and the conditions of victory.  How many reminders do we need?

A Third Stone Memorial

Joshua 7:24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.

After the dramatic victory at Jericho, the defeat at Ai must have been devastating to the people of Israel. God had made the walls fall and the fortress was no more.  The problem was not there, but within the camp of Isreal.  Keeping the spoil had been forbidden - even a little bit.  Once again, precedent was necessary.  The people needed to see and remember not to contradict God's plan and instructions, not even a little.  This third memorial of stones is like any threes we see in Scripture: the final word.  May we have learned our lesson and set up reminders, lest we forget. Significantly, Hosea was given a prophecy of hope over this valley to share with the people.  God can and does turn these memorials to a positive use.

Another Stone Memorial

Joshua 6: 26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.
“At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation,
and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.”
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

Joshua had taken over for Moses, leading the people across(through) the Jordan River and to the first stronghold in Canaan: Jericho.  It was the first test of faith for the people: "Would they listen to the somewhat unique plan God had for taking the city?"  They did, and God brought them an easy victory, as the walls came tumbling down, the city totally destroyed and all the inhabitants removed.  After the dust settled, Joshua makes the interesting statement above.  Why would Joshua put a curse on rebuilding it? It was symbolic of opposition to God's plan. The ruins would be a constant reminder of that.  This curse also sets the tone for God's response to the rebellion described in the next chapter. This curse was enacted 500 years later when a man did try to be rebuild and lost his two sons.  Though Jericho is mentioned in Jesus' day, it was not a fortified city like it had been.  It was to be a memorial of stones just like those the people left in the Jordan River.  The principle is this: Don't try to stand in the way of God's plan. 

The Everlasting Arms

 

Deuteronomy 33:24 And of Asher he said,
“Most blessed of sons be Asher;
    let him be the favorite of his brothers,
    and let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
    and as your days, so shall your strength be.
26 “There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
    who rides through the heavens to your help,
    through the skies in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your dwelling place,
    and underneath are the everlasting arms.

After giving them some harsh warnings, Moses gave the tribes of Israel blessings, tribe by tribe, then summarizing at the end.  There is no other like God. He is not limited by time, land, or space. He rules from heaven, yet He holds his people in his powerful but compassionate arms.  It's quite a picture. Moses goes on to say that the Lord would be the one to give them success in battle and keep them in safety and peace in the promised land. There is no other like our God.

Giving Credit to the Rock

Deuteronomy 32:25 Outdoors the sword shall bereave, and indoors terror,
for young man and woman alike, the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
26 I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces; I will wipe them from human memory,”
27 had I not feared provocation by the enemy, lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant, it was not the Lord who did all this.”

As Moses gave his final challenge to his people before passing off the scene, he focused at the beginning of this chapter on The Rock, the Lord who had pulled Jacob (Israel) out of the middle of nowhere and made him into a great nation. It is well worth the read to see everything he has to say about The Rock. Moses then turns again to what will happen when they turn their backs on The Rock.  The Lord would just let them cease to exist if it were not one thing: He does not want pagan nations to think they are the all-powerful ones who made it happen.  The "credit" is due only to The Rock, the Almighty Lord over all. May we always give credit to where it is due: God and God alone.

When I'm Gone...

Deuteronomy 31:24 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, 25 Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death! 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 

Moses had seen a lot in his life, including a lot of disobedience on the part of God's people. As he was finishing his final charge and preparing to hand things over to Joshuah, he makes one last request: keep the Book of the law close to the Covenant of the Lord.  He knew what things had been like when he was there to keep an eye on things; he could only imagine what things would be like when he was gone.  Maybe he was thinking too highly of himself, but I think most of us can imagine that feeling when you have invested highly in some group, project, or person(s).  What will it be like when I'm gone?  The key is NOT for them to hold on to our memories, but to the godly principles we have lived and died for. May we not wait till the last minute to plan and prepare for "when I'm gone..." 

It's Not Just About You...

Deuteronomy 29:22 And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the Lord has made it sick— 23 the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath— 24 all the nations will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’ 25 Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, 26 and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them. 27 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book, 28 and the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day.’

After having the people reaffirm their covenant with God, Moses gave a charge to them. It was not just to them God was giving His promises and warnings, but to those they would influence: their children and the foreigners who would come. When things fell apart and everyone was asking: "What happened," there would be a clear answer: they abandoned the covenant.  We so quickly forget that it's not just about us, but our faithfulness, or lack of it, has far-reaching effects.