Listening to Joshua 13-21
By Gerry Straker, 04 Jul 2022
At Church by the Bay we have Church all together, followed by coffee and then teaching time in age groups (find out more here). Sunday 3rd July saw a different teaching time for the adults and young people. We had the reading of Joshua 13-21 which is the reading for Sunday 10th July - nine chapters!
Two questions to answer:
- Why did we doing this?!
- What about the kids? (Given that we have kids in for Church).
1. Why are we doing this?!
Why do we think listening to 9 chapters about ancient geography - the division of the land and chock full of ancient place names – would be a good thing to do?
- It is God’s Word
Paul tells Timothy: ‘Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture.’ (1 Timothy 4:13). The Bible is God speaking to us, the Word of God: God’s words to us. And we are meant to be a people that listen to words. Not diagrams, pictures, models, films or summary statements, but words. And, by the way, not maps either.
There is nothing necessarily wrong with those methods of teaching,[1] but they must not be primary. We have been given words in a book. Words to hear. We are meant to be a listening people. A people listening to the words and allowing them to shape our thoughts. These are words on a page, that have been given to us by God for hearing.
Plenty of people can’t read, and throughout human history, most people haven’t been able to read. Even if every last person could read, then we’d still have it read and preached, because that’s God’s design and God’s command. He wants us to hear. And he wants us to hear together as His people.
We are supposed to hear the words, and then think on them, dwell on them, meditate on them (see Psalm 119). I take it, we are supposed to use our imaginations. To picture things in our minds eye. To tune our ears, hearts, and minds to the words we hear. Of course, the original hearers of Joshua would know these places. or have heard of them. Surely they would have been drawing maps in their mind. For this ancient geography, perhaps we can think imagine a drone flying over the boundaries and the cities.
Why not show a map? God’s people for most of the history of the Church didn’t have maps and like most of us, they didn’t know the geography of Israel either. God wants us to listen to his Words! Words don’t just convey facts, but also impressions (such as intensity or completeness) – the Holy Spirit uses words in different ways to teach us. I’m not against maps. But I just think we should hear the words first. That’s what God himself has given the Church.
This ancient geography and history is God’s Word and since it is God’s Word it must be good for us!
- It is good for us
‘…And how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
All of God’s Word is to bring us to Christ and salvation in him, and to teach, rebuke, correct and train us in righteousness. In other words: God’s Word saves our lives and God’s Word shapes our lives.
It is good for us, even when we don’t understand it all yet. It’s important, and we need to take it seriously, even when we can’t immediately see why it’s important. These chapters are a big deal, vital and relevant to us - even if we don’t see it yet - because God wants us to hear them.
I’m not saying this isn’t hard work. but I am saying it is possible.
- It is possible
We’ve actually done more chapters of Bible before - our record at Church by the Bay is 11 chapters of Job.
We find it hard, because we are not used to it. But when we know it is God’s Word and it is good for us, then we will try and listen. Some people will find this easier than others. But please remember everything worth doing is hard at first. Think back to learning to write, or learning to ride a bike, or learning to drive. At first these things are really hard, but you practice, you get better, and it was worth it!
Likewise, learning to listen to God’s Word, learning to imagine, learning to meditate is hard at first. But if you practice, you get better and it really is worth it. On the other hand, if you never practice, never work hard at listening, then you’ll never get better.
So I encourage you to just do your best. Try and tune in, and imagine what’s being said. You might find it easier during the reading to not look at the page, but just listen (as your internal reading speed is different from a reading you are hearing). Don’t worry if you miss a bit, just keep retuning in. We’re all learning to listen together.
It might be tempting to not read the whole thing, but surely hearing the Word of God is better than me summarising or a map just telling you what this huge section says.
This was so important for God’s people back then. There’s a lot of space given to this in the Bible and so it must be important to all God’s people. Like all things that are worth doing, it is hard work and it will take practice.
2. What about the kids?
At Church by the Bay we have high views of children hearing the Word of God in Church. Children are in the Church now, and the Word read and preached is for them.
However, we read these nine chapters to the adults and young people, because we are also realistic about where we are as a culture and where we are as a Church: we are a work in progress.
We didn’t want to cut other really important parts of Church on Sunday 10th July, and we didn’t want to have our Church time all together for an unrealistically long time.
We absolutely do want the children to hear this. So we’re asking Church parents to listen to it at home with their children during the week. I realise it won’t be as simple as the picture at the top, but parents, do what you can to come ready to be taught this section on Sunday. It’d be best I think to listen to our own recording for our Church.
Why not listen in the car? Sit and listen with snacks? Listen to a bit at a time? Listen to it at family Bible times this week? After all this is the Word of God. This is worth teaching our kids to listen.
Reading
The reading starts just after 13 minutes here.
Question
As you listen, think about this question:
Why is this God’s Word and so important for God’s people then and now?
Prayer
Father,
Thank you that this is breathed about by you for all your people, to save us through Christ Jesus and to shape us to live for him. Thank you that it is good for us to hear your Word. Thank you that it is possible. Help us to listen, help us to tune in, help us to practice and so get better at listening to your Word. Be at work among us by your Holy Spirit both this week and on Sunday as we hear this Word read and preached.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
[1] Although diagrams, pictures and models, films can affect how we hear the Word. You know that - when you’ve watched the film before reading the book, the film completely influences how you visualise the book.