Get Back to Your Altar

Joshua 8:30–31 (ESV) At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings.

The nation of Israel had recovered well from the Achan episode militarily. But there's a nuance in the text after Ai's king is buried from right before this verse that was used in regard to Achan's burial. The text says both graves were visible at the time of the writing of Joshua so people were well aware what had happened. 

The visual image of death that would have appeared in their minds would quickly be replaced with the emphasis on the Altar of meeting and the Words of the Covenant. Joshua doesn't let the nation dwell on the death of Achan nor the burial of Ai's king. As much as both deaths taught valuable lessons, it was the covenant that mattered more. So offerings went up and the assembly of Israel divided by tribes on Mount Ebal and Gerizim to bear witness to the covenantal blessings and cursings for those God had brought to Himself. 

Joshua 8:33 (ESV) And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel.

The lesson? God's Word is what gives us the victory, not ourselves. I'm sure Israel would have been tempted to think the strategy God gave them for victory at Ai was a new method of "winning". Perhaps they would have thought their personal repentance was the strategy for getting God's favor. These are the same temptations we will wrestle with in our own walk with God.

Let me explain. 

Repentance is a good thing. Getting rid of sinful habits is a good thing. Doing the necessary work to rid our lives of temptation to terrible choices is a good thing. God will bless that. But the blessing is not sourced from our actions of righteousness. The blessing is rooted in the faithfulness of God's covenant keeping. 

Strategy for the Christian life is a good thing. Participating in certain personal habits to deepen your faith is a good thing. Devotions, private time with the Lord, church attendance, prayers, fastings, reading the scriptures are all good things. But again, the blessing we get from God is not rooted in our habits. It is rooted in God's faithful character to do what He said He would do. 

Why press in on this slight distinction? For surely even the Words of the Covenant talk about what Israel should and should not do. Certainly, God promised blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience. And yes, we have the choice as God's people. But there's a deeper place we need to go in all of our relating to the Father. It is His sovereign choice to grant us life with Him. 

Note the language of the text:
Joshua 8:35 (ESV) There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

The Word is what keeps us moving forward. The Word of God is what has changed our hearts. The Word of God is what feed us and sustains us. The Word of God is the guarantee of our future and the turning point of our past. We come to the altar with a sacrifice of thanksgiving with Joshua and Israel because we know, if He did not first love us... we would not be us. 

Thank you, Lord.