A Healthy Balance

Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land had only just begun, but after a time of intense activity, of success, failure, repentance and renewal, Joshua paused for a time of reflection, worship and rest. He reflected on the promises of the Lord who had commissioned him to fulfill his calling to complete what Moses had begun (Josh. 1:1-9). Joshua built an altar, offered a sacrifice and carefully wrote out on stones a copy of God’s teaching as he had received it from Moses. Then, with the Ark of the Covenant before them, Joshua organized a dramatic reading of the blessings and curses of the Torah from two mountain peaks about four miles apart. How the hills and valleys must have echoed and reverberated with the Word of the Lord (Deut. 27,28)!

Joshua then again read out all the words of the law–the blessings and the curses–just as Moses had commanded him. It could be that Joshua’s reading was an exposition of the commands read out from the mountain just as later Ezra read from the Word and the Levites gave the exposition (Neh. 8:5-8).

Writing the Word of God had a very important place in the life of the people of Israel. Long before Samuel anointed Saul as king, Moses had foreseen Israel’s desire for a king “like all the nations around us” (Deut. 17:14). In an attempt to keep future kings faithful to their calling, Moses directed that one of the first things a king must do was personally to write a scroll of the law (Deut. 17:18-20). Sadly, an almost certain lapse in this practice led to so many failures in the kingly lines of Judah and Israel.

Find a passage of Scripture that’s special to you and write it out as a good way of memorizing it.