by Alisa Rim

From the Book of Joshua

I have a confession to make: I have trouble understanding certain events and stories from the Old Testament. I don’t disbelieve the accounts; I just don’t know what to make of what is there—why does the God I have come to know and love often appear harsh, even ruthless? As I struggle to come to terms with God’s utterly paradoxical nature—He is after all the Lion of Judah and the Lamb that was slain—I am reassured by the conviction that the Scriptures reveal a God who is foremost concerned with the condition of our hearts and His relationship with those He has created.

The context of this passage is that God has just dried up the Jordan River to enable the Israelites to conquer the promised land, Canaan. Jericho was the first city to fall into their hands. After the victory, God commands the Israelites to plunder the city, destroying everyone and everything in it; an act that would demonstrate their repudiation of their enemies’ evil ways and their complete separation unto the Lord. Here, the "devoted things" refers to items of clothing, livestock, and other valuables belonging to the Canaanites like silver and gold. In direct disobedience to God’s direction, one of the Israelites chose to retain a small portion of the plunder. As was the case for many Old Testament figures (Samson comes to mind), God’s presence did not remain because Achan chose to disregard God’s command. On their subsequent mission to conquer the city of Ai, thirty-six Israelites were killed and God’s people were furiously chased out of the region. As a result, Joshua and the rest of the Israelites became disheartened and weakened by fear. Achan’s decision to keep some of the devoted things teaches us that our personal sins have larger consequences. Often our disobedience can lead to the discouragement of other believers; in extreme cases, other members of the Body can be downright wounded in their faith.

This chapter in the history of God’s chosen people prompts me to ask why God insisted that the Israelites completely ravage the city of Jericho, and what meaning does that hold for us? I believe it was a spiritual action symbolizing the rejection of the enemy’s ways in favour of following God and valuing what He has to offer. In the same way, God desires for us to identify and disavow every worldly way of thinking and behaving in order to refashion our beliefs, values and actions:

I believe God is asking us to really look inside our hearts and examine our ways. Are there any attitudes or thought patterns that are of this culture and not of God? Have we completely surrendered ourselves to Him that we might be transformed by the power of His truth? The message sent by our culture is that you and I are insignificant and inadequate unless we look a certain way and have the right kind of job. Even if a tiny part of us still holds fast to these deceptions—consciously or not—God cannot deliver us into the perfect freedom and destiny that are our inheritance in Christ. Deep down, is there a part of you that is holding onto a product of this society that needs to be destroyed? I know I am still withholding seemingly minor "devoted things" because they provide temporary pleasure or comfort; it could also be that some things are so deeply ingrained that I don’t even know how to operate without them. But in my journey of faith I have learned that whatever God asks me to surrender is for no one else’s benefit but my own.

To return to my original dilemma, I’m beginning to make the connection between the all-loving Jesus of the Gospels and the fearful, omnipotent God of the Old Testament. I suppose it could only be a ruthless God who would send His only Son—one who was blameless and perfect in every way—to die a gruesome and agonizing death to redeem unworthy people lost and broken in their sin. A good friend recently reminded me that "those whom God selects, He ruthlessly perfects". God is challenging us to devote ourselves to destroying the patterns of thinking and acting that are of this kingdom. We cannot be selective about following God; it’s all or nothing. Jesus Himself warned that a divided house cannot stand. We cannot fully live out God’s call on our lives and still be influenced by this world. If we are honest and ask for God’s help in tearing down the strongholds in our personal lives, He will bring us into a liberty beyond what we can imagine.