Wanderers Among Nations
In this life you will wander. Since the days of Adam and Eve, all people have been wandering and working through the mystery of life searching for something to satisfy the longing of the soul.
"At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan...Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”
Joshua 5:2, 5, 9-15
The days of wandering through the wilderness came to an end and the people were called to prepare to occupy the promise. When you take time to read all the scripture, you see consistency and connections. One of the consistent truths in scripture is that God knows and can reveal the right time, place, and process for us to find meaning in life.
Trusting God can be hard. Imagine how the Israelites felt. They finally finished wandering in the desert then Joshua breaks out the kitchen cutlery. Nothing will stop short a celebration like circumcision. Why do you think the people needed to be circumcised? How did sacrificing the flesh and marking yourself to be set apart for covenant relationship make a difference as they were receiving their blessing? How would this relate to us as we are people who are meant to have circumcised hearts? How could circumcising your heart today help you dwell more securely?
Do you notice how the manna ended? This is not a small change. The people went from gathering their food as a gift from God to being given the gift of working the land that God had prepared. Our lives are the same. We do not wake up and go outside to get our food off the pavement. We have strengths and gifts that we are meant to use to produce what will feed our bodies. How do you see your work? Is it a blessing or a curse? Are you eager to get to Saturday or sincere in your efforts to make a difference with each day?
The chapter closes with a mystery. Have you ever seen an angel? Have you ever stood before the commander of the Lord's armies? Did you even know that God has an army that is commanded? Joshua stands on holy ground and experiences a holy awakening. He is confronted with the reality that there is more going on than what he thought and the mystery of God is far greater than he realized. How does this connect with the fear of God and the way in which we should be humble before the Lord?
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me a prayer to the God of my life.”
Psalms 42:1-2, 5, 7-8
David can feel that he has a great need but cannot quench his thirst. David had every possession and pleasure at his disposable. He could call a servant and instantly have the finest wine, freshest water, or most succulent fruit. Yet, he was a man who recognized the deeper needs of his soul. Do you ever feel like David? Do you ever sense a longing deep within yourself for something of more meaning? Are you ever left feeling unsatisfied but what common culture says is the cure?
David says my soul thirsts for God. Consider the connection to Jesus saying that He is the Living Water. Think of how in the garden there was a river and in Revelations there is a river of life. Perhaps the mystery is that we were made to dwell in the garden with God and only His presence can satisfy our deepest needs. David recognized this. Do you? How could you grow in dedicating time for your soul each day? Time where spend drawing close to God and feeding your soul?
“Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause ...the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a person may be weighed down by misery. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun...No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun"
Ecclesiastes 8:3-6, 15-17
Solomon writes on of the deepest truths about the mystery of how we were made. We were made to dwell with God and God wants to fully dwell in us. Can you think of a time where you felt His Holy Presence? What was that like? Where was the place, what was the time, and how did you feel God's presence?
Why do we leave our soul's thirsty? Solomon says it is because we are in a hurry. He says do not be in a hurry to leave the presence of the Lord. How could you apply this wisdom to your daily life? How could you build more margin so that you can receive more of the presence of your Personal Savior? Do not be in a hurry to leave the presence of the Lord. How quickly do you come and go at church? How often do you rush through prayer time making sure there is just enough to get out what pains you, not leaving time for the peace He wants to give you?
"The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac. My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations.”
Hosea 9:7, 17
Hosea tells the sad tale of people who chose to wander. The same people who were circumcised in the presence of God were quick to leave the covenant of God. They did not walk in His ways or trust in His provision. They did not stay faithful in their hearts nor separate from the ways of culture around them. They worshipped idols and welcomed the enemy.
What was the result? Endless wandering, searching, longing, and separation. Jesus said the enemy came to lie, steal, and kill. He wants nothing more than to get you to separate from the source of all your soul needs. He wants you to always be searching for satisfaction in seemingly pleasurable things that satisfy your flesh but will never satisfy your soul. Circumcision is so important because it choose to sacrifice the desires of the flesh for the security of your soul. Do you want to stop wandering or searching for a place to find rest? Turn to the person, Jesus, who invites the restless and worn out to find rest with Him.
“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money...not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve ...Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.”
1 Timothy 3:1-7, 10, 16
Paul contrasts the way of the wanderer with the disciplined follower of the Way. What does the life of a disciplined follower reveal about the state of their heart through how they live? They are faithful to God and the community. They are not wandering off the narrow road. They are self-controlled, humble, not stumbling from being under the influence of alcohol or the desire for endless accumulation of assets. Which of the things that Paul describes aligns with how you are walking and which produces conviction?
Paul says there is a mystery to life that is meant to produce a life of dependence on and connection with Jesus. Paul says Jesus is the source that we draw from to be able to live a life of devotion. Jesus circumcises our hearts and prepares us to live out God's purposes. He has a plan. It is in His timing that manna comes and manna stops. He knew we could not find out way out of endless wandering on our own so He sent His Son to make the way. Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As we walk with Him, the mystery of God is meant to turn into a healthy marriage where we learn how much we are loved.