Todays reading: Joshua 10-11. Five Amorite kings joined forces to fight against Joshua and the children of Israel (Joshua 10:5). The Israelite army marched through the night from Gilgal to Gibeon, catching the Amorites by surprise and throwing them into a panic so that they fled (10:8-10). As the Amorites fled down the Valley of Beth-Horon, they encountered a violent hailstorm; “more of them died under the hailstones than under the swords of the Israelites” (10:11). The weather has been a factor in many a battle throughout history: but in this case, the text insists that this was divine intervention. “Yahweh hurled huge hailstones from heaven on them all the way to Azekah, and they died” (10:11). And indeed, the text indicates that it was not simply the Israelite surprise attack that caused the Amorite panic and defeat; “Yahweh threw them into disorder at the sight of Israel” (10:10). In the midst of the chaos of battle, the chief actor was God: it was Yahweh who defeated the Amorite army, it was Yahweh who caused the panic, it was Yahweh who killed the majority of the casualties with hailstones from heaven. We are used to supposing that God will not take such a major role in events; and it is a short step from that to concluding that God really does not intervene at all. Yet I wonder whether our bias prevents us from having eyes to see. If we have prejudged that God does not take action in human events, we will automatically explain away these events as an effective surprise attack and an unexpected hailstorm. If we do that often enough, we will never be able to see the hand of God acting in our midst. Open our eyes, Lord, to see what you are doing in this world: and open our hearts and minds to recognize that ever so many events take place specifically because you have decided to make them happen. As you reign in this world, O God, so reign in our hearts, forever.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 08:00:00 +0000
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