Still More Hardpan [Joshua ch.7]

“All the people then stoned Achan to death; they also stoned and burned his family and all his possessions.”

Man, that’s got to harsh your mellow... (I resort to flippancy because I don’t know how to process the crushing/torching of Achan, his family, livestock, and possessions. It is too tragic, too gruesome.)

One thought: We should look carefully at anything we’ve held onto that we feel compelled to hide. Whatever it is that that we conceal to the detriment of our relationships is worth bringing into the light. Otherwise we won’t overcome the stuff that blocks our full engagement with what we were created to be and do.

More Hardpan [Joshua ch.6]

Vintage Sunday School -- one of the all-time classics. Joshua fit the battle of Jericho... The sixth chapter is where the story is recorded, trumpets and all.

Here’s the thing: Isn’t it hard to read this drama as anything other than either a) a flannel-graph classic, or b) an R-rated screenplay filled with psyche-blistering violence? Ugh... talk about hardpan! I’m afraid I can’t dig very deeply into this one.

But a question has haunted me for a couple of weeks now since the last time I read it. In verse 2 the Lord is reported to have said,
“I am putting into your hands Jericho, with its king and all its brave soldiers.”

My question is this: If Jericho was in Israel’s hands, could Israel have interceded on their behalf? Instead of obliterating them, could they have negotiated their redemption?

Choices, part 1 [Joshua ch.1]

There is a lot of hardpan in the book of Joshua. Hardpan is what my yard is made out of; it is basically glacial excrement, from what I understand -- clay and gravel compressed together into something that will not be penetrated without determination, sweat, patience and blisters -- and more sweat.

But there are also plenty of beautifully simple ideas about faith-life. “Be strong and courageous...” “Don’t be afraid...” “The Lord your God is with you...” And one of my personal favorites: “Get ready for a miracle, but pack a lunch because it could take a while.”

Okay, that’s just my paraphrase. In the name of full disclosure, let me include a more legit translation:
“Get some food ready, because in three days you are going to cross the Jordan River to occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Joshua 1:11b

It makes me smile when the transcendent and the mundane hold hands like that. And by “mundane” I don’t mean boring, but rather “everyday”, “earthy”, perhaps even “pragmatic”. It underscores the fact that we are crafted of skin and spirit, and that God is happy about that.