Approaching Jericho

My aunt and uncle sometimes mention that their house is on the small side, but I remember that, during my childhood, I was more excited to go to their place than even my grandparents'!  Maybe it was the infrequency of our visits that made it special; maybe it was the pool table, or my aunt's exotic perfume collection (how could a ten-year-old resist opening every single beautiful bottle for a sniff?!), or visiting little Joey (their late, great, sweet-natured pup).  I think a lot of it had to do with their beautiful screened-in porch!

When Ross and I were visiting recently for a summer picnic, I noticed a simple sign above their back door.  On it was Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Initially, I thought, "Ooh, that's pretty intense.  Don't most people just have a nice, happy, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" print on the wall instead?  My Uncle Brent explained that he and Marianne were married on June 23 (6/23) and wanted to honor that day and God alike by making the verse part of their home.  I loved the idea - and, frankly, although it's not the most cheerful verse in the Bible (it's got that nasty word "death" in it), it's a very, very true one - one that is central to the theme of Christianity itself.  

Naturally, I got home that night and began pawing through my Bible for a verse for Ross and myself (our wedding was on January 9, 2010).  I am in no way into numerology, but I know that the Word is full of symbolism - including that of numbers.  I found 2 Samuel 1:9, "Then he said to me, 'Stand here and kill me!  I'm in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.'"  Yikes.  (That story was about the violent demise of King Saul, by the way, who was severely injured by a woman.)  I also found Ecclesiastes 1:9, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."  (True, yes, but vaguely depressing.  Thanks, Solomon.)  There was also Leviticus 1:9, "You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar.  It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord."  (A recipe for sacred barbecue.  I was getting nowhere here!)  I moved into the New Testament, which, as a reflection of Christ's first coming, was naturally more filled with encouraging and forgiving verses.  I read John 1:9, "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world."  (Yay, Jesus!  But still not exactly the verse I wanted.)  After that is Hebrews 1:9, "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."  (Wow!  Beautiful and powerful...but still not quite right.)  Back to the Old Testament for some really poetic stuff, I thought.  Song of Solomon 1:9 reads, "I liken you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh's chariot horses."  

Nope.

I was thinking that maybe I should just, you know, use the whole Bible as my marriage verse when I found it - the granddaddy of them all.  

Image courtesy of voiceofthepersecuted.wordpess.com.

Nailed it!

This verse, so tiny, is so powerful because it contains three significant parts.  It starts with a reminder, includes a command, and ends with a promise.  Before we dissect it, let's return this verse to its historical and scriptural context: the book of Joshua.  The situation is tense: Moses, the humble man of God who led the Israelites out of Egypt, has died before they entered the Promised Land.  The people are restless and - we know from reading the books of Moses - very, very fickle and prone to violence.  There are a few more challenges ahead before the Hebrews are able to enter their new home.  God has chosen Joshua as their new leader.  Can you imagine the burden that was placed on this man's shoulders?  To step into the shoes (er, sandals) of the greatest leader within living memory?  To rally and restrain a vast sea of people whose track record for obedience is practically non-existent?  To hear and obey God when thousands of voices - of both men and of spirits - might be telling you to do otherwise?  Joshua's new role - given to him because he had previously been faithful to the Lord where others had not - was a very difficult one.  God himself assigned him the role, but with it came a list of instructions.  

In his first chat with Joshua, the Lord tells him to "be courageous".  That word means "valiant, tenacious, plucky, brave, resolute, heroic, and undaunted".  It doesn't necessarily mean "unafraid".  The implied meaning is that you're going to follow through with a task, no matter how scary or challenging it might be.  We can be courageous in sharing the Gospel when we think we'll be rejected.  We can be courageous when trying something new, either spiritual or secular.  (For example, I know several people, both women and men, who have made courageous efforts in losing weight and getting healthy.  They've been brave to face their situations, and undaunted in their efforts to change - even when they have made mistakes, they have wiped the slate clean and started again right away.)  We can be courageous even in something as simple as sticking to our daily reading plans.  Courage is something that is so important to God that he reminded Joshua of it three times.  (The verse above included his third reminder.)  The Lord "ENcouraged" his chosen leader.  The prefix "en" means "to enclose or encircle, to include".  God's words alone infused Joshua with the very bravery he would need to complete the goals ahead of him!

The second portion of the verse addresses the specific challenges that were facing Joshua.  as I mentioned earlier, Joshua's posse was full of doubters, nay-sayers, the discontent, and whiners.  It would be very easy to be afraid of their reactions - especially if they didn't like the fact that Joshua was now their leader.  God specifically tells Joshua to keep his spirits up and not let anxiety overtake him.

The third part of the verse is the sweetest promise God has ever given mankind.  "The Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  That promise alone makes the previous commands easier to follow.  If you know you're never alone, you can be brave, valiant, and courageous.  If you realize that God is on your side, you can take on giants.  You can lead a murmuring, complaining people to victory.

And you can overcome the sorrow of miscarriage.

Had I rediscovered this verse earlier in my marriage, I don't think it would resonate with me the way it does now.  Freshly wed, my husband and I were starry-eyed and eager for our future.  Most newlyweds are.  We made the promise before God and man to take care of each other no matter what storms blew our way.  Now that we've waded through floods, languished in the desert, and have been nearly drowned in disappointment and sorrow, Joshua 1:9 applies to us like it never could have before.

It's a loving but firm reminder from the Lord.  "I've told you before to be strong," he is saying,  "Don't let fear rule you; let me.  I promised I'd have your back forever.  Let me prove it."

This verse is already the background on my phone.  I'm excited to put it up on my walls - for it to be the first and sweetest encouragement of my morning, and the final promise before I close my eyes.