Week 11 Joshua
Moses is gone; a giant is dead.
He’s replaced by Joshua, who isn’t as gigantic, but still an above-average guy. As his book opens the Lord is speaking to him – eight verses of direct communication from the Lord.
One of them is underlined in my bible from when I read it before: study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.
At first, Joshua 1:8 seems like a pretty good verse for an I-plan-to-read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year guy. I’m reading through and so far so good but when I stop and look at the words maybe it’s not so good.
The Lord is kind of piling on. He tells Joshua that to succeed:
He has to study the law.
He has to study it continually.
He has to meditate on the law.
He has to meditate on it day and night.
Not only that, but he has to be sure to obey all that the law says.
I sit looking at the verse, asking myself if I’m doing anything other than reading.
Do all of these things to be successful, it says.
So not really doing any of them isn’t so great.
I sit staring at the text, slowed right down for a bit before I finally decide to move on.
Note: quotation from The New Living Translation.