The Good Old Days

 

And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.” (Joshua 1:16-18 ESV).

 

Well, I have taken the plunge into the world of vinyl records. Mary and I have been saving our collection of vinyl albums for decades, boxed and kept for that moment when we “might” want to listen to them again. Before you know it, fifty years have passed and we didn’t even own a “record player.” That changed with the purchase of a Victrola recently. I must say, there is something altogether comforting listening to these old records. The sound is certainly different than direct streaming, but it recalls a different time and place in our lives. It also tempts me to think that those times were easier, less complicated and challenging. Of course, that’s simply not true.

 

I’ve heard some of the same from people who say, “If I lived in Bible times, it would be easier to believe. God just doesn’t do the same things today as He did then.” Maybe you have said that yourself. Perhaps you’ve come to think the days of the Scripture as long ago and past. After all those miracles don’t happen any longer, right?

 

It’s true that such events as we read in passages like the one chosen for today are an integral part of Old Testament history. However, we live in an extension of those times today. Remember, Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth, especially when we read and reflect on Scripture. Neither Joshua nor the other people of the Old Testament enjoyed the presence of God through the Holy Spirit in the way we can today. Nor did they live to hear about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

 

After Joshua communicated God’s instructions to the people, they shouted, in effect, “We hear you, Joshua!” and, “We will obey and follow you, whatever you say!” In Bible times God’s people follow the leader that God gives them. Once it was Moses, and then Joshua. Now it is Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). We servants are not greater than our Master. That means we live in a different circumstance, but not with a different Master. The key is whether we will focus on our circumstance or Him. Where is your focus?