Part 5: Stay in the Fight
An offhand comment in these verses reminds us that this long war must have taken an emotional toll, even on the victors. Joshua and his men were surely tempted to quit. But God’s will was clear. Because they stayed with it, they saw amazing things happen, such as ch. 10. What will we miss if we stop short?
If we are the Temple where redemption happens, what is our plan to draw people to Him? The answer is to relearn an ancient, almost forgotten practice: Hospitality. In a time when loneliness is an epidemic, when few people know their neighbors, something as simple as a meal together can be the starting place for something beautiful to happen.
When our bond with God was severed by our sin, He didn’t give up on us. He made a second Eden, a place for us to meet with Him and be redeemed. That place was the Temple, and the events that happened there teach us about a God who is mighty to save, the cost of our sin, and His plans for us.
