So, as I move towards the end of the dissection of Joshua, I had what I like to call a "nugget of truth" pop out to me in chapter 22. The buzz word that I garnered from reading this chapter was to cling.
The kind of clinging i'm talking about though is far better than some overly possessive significant other, a needy child, etc. This type of clingy-ness is more about reliance.
Prior to chapter 22, the Israelites finally had all of their land given to them, what God promised he delivered on. So now they get to take a long breath of relaxation and a sigh of relief.
After this, God has some words for Joshua:
and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. 3 You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the Lord your God. 4 And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan." (22:2-4)
Once again, proof that following after God will yield good things. But God goes on to make sure that the lot of them understand what is required of them to still benefit from all he has done:
"Only be careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." (v. 5)
Later on towards the end of the book, after some misunderstandings taken place, God then echoes very similar verbage to the group: "And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nation for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you...but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. (23: 3 & 8).
So now some context: the word cling, from a dictionary type definition is considered to be "hold on tightly to." Now, when I think of holding on tightly to, I think of a terrified kid holding on for dear life to their parents neck, leg, pick whichever appendage you prefer. Those of you who have read my prior posts know that that feeling of a kid grasping for me is a huge desire of my heart, yet in the past year, the Lord has decided I am to be doing the clinging.
For me, when life has dealt some crappy things to be honest, clinging to the hope that I have in God is the only thing that gives me peace. Holding on tightly to this idea that he is bigger than my insecurities, and that he has a plan that is so much bigger than what is right in front of me, even if i frankly don't like it, am pained by it, or am uncomfortable as a result of it. Hope and clinging to that which I have in Him, that is what puts everything into focus even when my focus and view are completely skewed. I chose to cling to Him because to me, not clinging, and relying on his sovereignty would make life so much more scarier than it already is.
To paraphrase Francis Chan, I think that the God who created nitrogen, pine needles, and galaxies, and who delivered on his promises to those who followed him, that is something worth hoping in. That is something worth clinging to.
