Joshua 8:30-35
The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, 31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. 32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. 33 All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.
One of the challenges of leadership is that it requires honesty. I can't think of a leader who doesn't want to be honest about good news! But I know plenty of leaders who would rather have a root canal than share difficult news. Budget cuts, vacation requests, and performance issues are all hard to talk about, and most of us would avoid them if we could.
Joshua was a young leader in Israel, succeeding Moses, and this was his chance to give God's people the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Verse 34 tells us that Joshua read "all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, just as it is written in the Book of the Law."
Joshua knew that God had called this people and would be faithful, come what may. He also knew the people had a part to play as God's representatives in the world, so it was important that they understood their role, too.
We have been given all the grace and forgiveness we could ever need to cover our sin. That doesn't mean God has lost interest in how we pursue justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matt 23:23). How we represent God in the world, and that we do at all, matters to God.
What are some of the harder truths about following Jesus that you tend not to want to hear?
– Pr. Jason
God, thank you for calling me to be your ambassador in the world. Give me the security and the courage to accept the responsibility of this calling. Amen.
