When God is unforgiving

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don't know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it "really" means. Let's see where this takes us! 

Joshua 24

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Joshua dies in chapter 24. From serving Moses faithfully to taking command himself, I don't recall an incident in which Joshua made a single misstep. This is unusual for the Biblical characters we've seen; many Biblical stories we've read are about the mistakes of the protagonist.

Joshua tells the gathering that The LORD says: 

12 I sent swarms of hornets ahead of you that drove out before you the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and olive yards that you did not plant.

14 “Now, therefore, revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

I understand that this LORD God dwells in us, and is our "highest self." This version of ourselves knows the wrong from the right in every instance. Thus, "he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”

This sounds harsh, but is it?

Replace "the Lord" with another word: "Mathematics will not forgive your transgressions or your sins." Whether you are an engineer or an accountant,  "if you forsake Mathematics… Mathematics will turn and do you harm and consume you."  

Replace "the Lord" with yet another word: "Gravity* will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the laws of gravity, gravity will turn and do you harm and consume you."

In other words, you're destroying yourself by ignoring what you know to be true. You can't escape the consequences of your actions.

You know what is right, and that part of you that knows what is right is the Lord your God.

The Book of Joshua ends on a happy note. "Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua [and the chief priest Eleazar] and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel."

The Book of Joshua completes a story that begins with Abram in Genesis, and even mentions that the bones of Joseph were finally buried. Although some traditions categorize the Bible's books differently, where the first five are called the "books of Moses" (even though Moses himself isn't in the first book) it's really the first six books that tell one story.

And Joshua, of whom little is known (did he marry?) is the greatest of all the characters.

* I'm not saying that the laws of gravity are absolute or cannot be manipulated, but we are ignorant of deeper laws. This example applies to typical day-to-day living.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)