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A Surprise Lesson from Joshua

The burning bush and Red Sea parting may be some of the most well-known stories of the Hebrew Bible.  But do we realize Joshua had his own exceptional signs of God’s guiding presence?  This came to light recently while rereading Joshua.

Some quick background:  Moses had finished his role leading the Children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, guiding them through the wilderness for a generation.   Finally, the twelve tribes were within sight of the land Yahweh promised and, in one of the tougher parts of the Bible, Moses’ story abruptly ends.  This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there (NRSV, Deut. 34:4).

Brass serpent sculpture at top of Mt. Nebo. Photo courtesy of Travelfeatured.com

One of the special joys of traveling to Jordan is seeing this site of commemoration at Mt. Nebo.   An immense snake sculpture stands as tribute to the Hebrew lawgiver recalling one of the many ways Moses’ obedience saved his people.   As Numbers 21 relays, Moses followed God’s directive to create a brass serpent fixed on a pole for the people who had serpent bites for their disobedience.  Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!  (NLT, Num. 21:9

And now, it’s Joshua’s turn.  As second in command under Moses, we read:   Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses (NRSV, Deut. 34:9)

That ‘spirit of wisdom’ Joshua demonstrated included exceptional leadership qualities we need in today’s leaders as well:   courage, strength, humility, obedience, and single-minded focus on mission– to name just some the text cites.  Reading Joshua is a handbook in leadership development – whether in a family, school, community organization, church, business or politics.

The surprise that stood out in this reading is an event that occurs after the Jordan crossing into Canaan.  Joshua needed ‘signs’, indicators that he wasn’t alone but being guided by the unseen power the Israelites knew to be God.  The people also needed it.  The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses (NRSV, Joshua 3:7).  The parting of the Jordan, so similar to what they had either seen firsthand or learned from their parents’ generation, was one of those.

But now that they have crossed into a land filled with tribes and Joshua’s leadership is far from over.  Suddenly Joshua has a vision:

“…he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand… “Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?” 14 He replied, “Neither; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to him, “What do you command your servant, my lord?” 15 The commander of the army of the Lord said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so (NRSV, Josh 5:13-15).

This was one of those sweet surprises that come when we’re quietly reading our Bibles.  I realized Joshua needed his own version of the burning bush Moses had seen, his own unique assurance he was never alone.  He must have heard Moses share the story of suddenly seeing a bush that wouldn’t burn and then hearing that directive voice to leave the desert and confront Pharaoh to free his people.  Joshua knew that was the beginning of Moses’ journey that would change not only the Hebrew people’s lives, but the world – with the Ten Commandments becoming the basis of Western civilization’s law codes for centuries.

Now Joshua needed his own sign, knowing his role was to clear the land of Canaan and fulfill the Biblical promise harking back to Abraham, the covenant promise of not only ancestors but of a land where they could live.  An image of someone with a sword must have been exactly what Joshua needed to boost his courage and forge ahead.

And that’s how Biblical signs continue:  precisely suited to meet our individual needs.  I hope every reader of this column has discerned at least one such sign created just for you, on which you are building your life.  Such signs have been for me, the greatest treasure and encouragement.  Reinforcement of the importance of these spiritual markers in our lives is one of the many reasons that daily Bible reading brings such appreciable joy.

Example of markers for Horner Reading Plan.

We offer a specific reading plan on the Bibleroads website.     If you’ve tried reading the Scriptures straight through, beginning in Genesis and getting bogged down around Leviticus, perhaps the Dr. Horner reading plan is also for you.  Here’s the Bible I’m reading through this year with its markers as an illustration of how simple it is to set up. Please let all of us know how you’re doing with any reading plan and what it has meant for you—especially those surprises, tailored for your unique spiritual journey just as they were for Joshua.


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Nancy Mooslin
August 11, 2018 9:01 am

Wonderful blog Madelon, so good to learn new things!

Elizabeth A Shattuck
Elizabeth A Shattuck
August 11, 2018 11:07 am

I have enjoyed using Dr. Horner’s reading plan. haven’t made it completely through, but have read several books several times as the plan guides. Thanks for the insight of Joshua’s burning bush experience. You’ve made me think about my own landmark experiences. Betty Jenks, CSB, once described to me that revisiting these landmarks help us get through the dark times and help us to keep moving forward. I really enjoy your blog. I won’t be able to come to the Cedars workshop, but hope to one day.

Arnaldo
August 11, 2018 3:14 pm

Really enjoyed reading this blog. Probably everyone needs a Divine sign at some point in life.

Margi Neale Griffith
Margi Neale Griffith
August 11, 2018 3:52 pm

Hi Madelon, I have a copy of the Reading Plan that I saved in 2015, so I apparently thought of following it before. Ha ha! Two questions for you, if you please. One, what Bible Translation have you found. (I think what stopped me before, in part, was his instruction that you find ONE Bible and use it consistently so that you come to recognize exactly where a verse is.) I don’t want to use the KJV, and I have a concern about the book falling apart so I don’t think I want to use a study Bible with the… Read more »

Doug Edgar
Doug Edgar
August 11, 2018 9:56 pm

Madelon, you might be interested in a modification I made to Dr. Horner’s Bible reading system. I printed the Lists, and laminated them. I found an incomplete set of markers at the Reading Room that fit the very good quality Bible that I chose. I painted over the numbers on the markers with white, and then carefully re-marked them with numbers 1-10. These mark my place. I mark the chapter that I’ve just finished with a magic marker, placing a dot on the laminated List card. Alcohol cleans them off when it’s time to start over. I modified the order… Read more »

Michael
Michael
August 12, 2018 2:09 pm

Hi Madelon, About a year or so ago, I tried Dr. Horner’s plan. But since I used the KJV version, I did not keep reading when I finished a book because I wanted to switch to the NLT bible. While I did enjoy it, I’m not sure how beneficial it was since I didn’t quite follow his guidelines, and as of today have not started it with the NLT. In your own experience of using his system, have you found it helpful or valuable as opposed to just reading straight through? I do like how some of the chapters related… Read more »

Rosalinda Johnson
August 12, 2018 5:33 pm

Another great read from Bible Roads, Madelon! Thank you. I LOVE reading the Bible all the way through and have done so often. Whenever I sit with the Holy Scriptures I feel wrapped in the arms of divine Love. Yes, I have had “signs” directly connected to my love of and study of my greatest treasure – the Holy Bible!

Kaye Patterson
Kaye Patterson
August 13, 2018 6:50 am

Mt. Nebo! What holy ground to be there with you this spring.
The trip that keeps on giving.
Thanks for sharing this inspiration.

Jackie Ives
Jackie Ives
August 13, 2018 9:28 am

I agree with Kaye Patterson. It is the trip that keeps on giving. I just finished my photo book of the trip and am waiting its arrival in the mail today. In putting it together I revisited all those wonderful sites. I definitely remember Mt. Nebo and consider it a special place but so were all the places we visited. Your insights and reflection on each site were inspiring and memorable. Although I’ve traveled all over the world I’ve never wanted to go to Israel and Jordan until the “right” trip came along. This was definitely it and I appreciate… Read more »

Jodie
Jodie
August 14, 2018 10:45 am

Thank you, Madelon, good article! Yes, such a great point how God gives us messages in the way that will mean the most to us, have a few testimonies along those lines. Pretty cool to hear how Joshua was blessed that way. I didn’t realize that, nor about the brass snake pole and Moses. This inspires me to read the book of Joshua soon to learn more about leadership.

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