Provision and Safety

Today I read from the book of Joshua, which if I'm being honest Lord, is really a difficult book to get into after the first couple of chapters. What I'm realizing as I read this year is what kind of books I really like and what kind of books I don't care for. I mean, I'm working through the year on a "Literature Style" plan of reading through the Bible. And what I've found so far is that I am really fond of the poetry, Psalms, prophecy and gospels and I don't get all that excited when I see that it's a day for reading the history books of the Bible.

What do you do with the splitting up of land? How do you look at that hermeneutically? What does the fact that the tribe of Judah was given 29 towns and cities in the hill country do to build up my faith? How can I enact or put into practice the wiping out of everyone who is breathing from the towns that God delivers into my hands? I mean, I'm being sarcastic because these things aren't necessarily here as part of the text for me to emulate, but that brings me back to my original question, what do I do with these texts?

I suppose, after I stop whining, that these passages are about receiving what You have given. And You've been very good in what You have given to me. I have a wife who loves me and a son who ran across the basement last night to give me a hug when he got home. You've given me a home, You keep the heat working, because You know how our old furnace just likes to up and quit every now and again. You've given me a church community that challenges me to grow.

Do I do what I can to protect the things You've given me from spiritual danger? I don't want to spiritualize the text from Joshua too much, but I think the reason they annihilated everyone was to keep the land from being overwhelmed with idols. To keep the land that You had given them "spiritually" safe. What do I do to keep my family and church "spiritually" safe? This is actually a great question, because I can't come up with a solid answer quickly. It's making me think. It's also making think, what am I supposed to do?

Since I have no answers this morning, keep these questions before me throughout the day.