Never Too Many Reminders

WOW!!  I just received a huge dose of... of WOW... reading the Bible!!

So, this is where I am:  at the end of Deuteronomy, Moses spoke blessings over each tribe of Israel.  God had basically said, "Look, I know these people and I know it won't be long until they turn their backs on me.  But I still love them and will not desert them completely."  (In other words, God allows us to make our own choices even if it means living our lives without acknowledging God.  BUT, God will always be right there when we re-realize that we can't do life on our own.)

(Said from personal experience)  


Moses went up on Mount Nebo and God let him see all the lands promised to the Israelites.  Then Moses died up there, then the Bible actually says GOD buried Moses in a valley and no one ever knew where the grave was.  Check it out:

Deu 34:5	¶ So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, just as the LORD had said.
	Deu 34:6	The LORD buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place.

So, moving on... Moses had transferred his position of leadership over to Joshua.  Joshua sent spies across the Jordan River to scope out Jericho, the first city they had planned to conquer.

The spies were taken in and hidden by Rahab the prostitute (see, God can use ANYBODY... but that's a different message).  The spies promised Rahab they would spare her and her family when the Israelites attacked Jericho, 

The spies went back and told Joshua, "They have all heard of us, they know God is with us and they are shaking in their sandals!"

Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan (another awesome story but that, again, is its own blog post).  Joshua then circumcised all the men (ouch...) then they rested, healed and prepared for battle.

THEN!

Then comes the part I read that made me want to write a blog post.

Jos 5:13	¶ When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”
	Jos 5:14	¶ “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
	Jos 5:15	¶ The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.

WOW!!  After all those years in the desert, all those miles travelled, all the mistakes made, complaints shouted and doubts murmured, here was God once again, sending a physical, heavenly representative to meet with Joshua face to face.

He said, I am neither your friend nor your enemy; I am sent directly from God, who is above and beyond such petty classifications.

I bet strength ebbed from this being, whom I can only guess was the archangel Michael; the warrior.

Here is God sending one more extra, additional reminder... "I'm right here.  I'm with you.  Don't be afraid; be brave."

...God saying, "Hey... I GOT THIS."  

I love it.

Just imagining that interaction gives me chills.

And those few verses are all we see in regard to Joshua's encounter with the commander of the Lord's army.  The beginning of the next chapter is God laying out to Joshua the strategy for overtaking Jericho.

God is with us always, everywhere, at every moment, in every circumstance.  Please take this to heart as a reminder of that. 

Joshua was human just like you, just like me.  God knew he could never be reminded too often of God's love, strength and faithfulness.

So, be reminded.  And I pray we can all STAY mindful of God, in us and with us, always!

--Nicole