Sunday, Ordinary 32, Proper 27, Nov 9

Joshua and the Children of Israel

Joshua and the Children of Israel Karolingischer Buchmaler, c.840 Wikipedia, CCL

Meditation

Sunday, Ordinary 32, Proper 27 lessons jump from Joshua’s pointed demand of the Children of Israel to put away the ancient gods of the Euphrates and the gods of the Canaanites and trust the true supreme God, YHWH to the story of the end times in the epistle to the Thessalonians to the Gospel lesson of the ten virgins.

The theme of each underscored how important it was to be ready for God and to turn away from false gods. If people divided their attentions between the false gods and God, they would find themselves disobeying the law of God and the consequences could be deadly.

The foolish virgins, who came to the wedding banquet unprepared, had to leave to procure oil for their lamps. The bridegroom came while they were gone and the women who were ready and prepared entered into the wedding, but those who arrived late, were not given admittance. Current protocols allow for people to come to a wedding late, but thee used to be a time not too long ago, when once the bride and groom had entered the church, the doors were closed and no one could be admitted. The story of the virgins resembled those more strict admittance guidelines. But the real meaning was simply that if God returned to this earth to bring believers to heaven with him, those who were ready by giving their hearts to God and professing faith in Christ, would be taken to heaven, while those who rejected the gift of God, would be rejected from access to heaven.

The Psalmist sang his song about the greatness of God and the reasons for being ready to worship God. Joshua addressed his people and challenged them to make a choice between the ancient gods/idols that Abraham’s family had worshipped in Ur, or the gods of the Amorites in Canaan and the one true God of Israel. He restated his point again and again emphasizing its importance. Each time, the people declared their intention to follow God and obey his law. They agreed to put away their other gods and worship God alone.