Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, September 5, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
This “rest from war” was not proactive. It wasn’t as though the people decided to stop making war for any good reason. This rest only happened after Joshua led his armies to obliterate any and all opposition to the Israelite occupation of Canaan. They rested from war because there was literally no more war to be made.
Looking at the world around me, I despair of every reaching that point. Nations will always find reasons to be hostile to their neighbors. The only way we will ever find rest from war will be through collective commitment to the flourishing of all people, so that there is no reason for anyone to have to fight for what they need or want. It’s idealistic, I know. The cynic in me believes it impossible. But with God all things are possible.
When do my fears drive me to be in conflict with others? How do I move away from the need to fight?
