Joshua 8:30-35 - A New Commitment

For some reason today I could not help but remember Psalm 136 as I was looking at Joshua 8. Every verse in Psalm 136 ends with, “His mercy endures forever”, or as in some translations, “His steadfast love endures forever”. I am so thankful that after all our failures, like the defeat at Ai (Joshua 7), the Lord because of His love, His mercy, and His forgiveness, He gives us the opportunity of a new beginning (Joshua 8; 1 John 1:7-9). To find peace with God, to renew fellowship with God, to get back on our feet and face whatever challenges or battles that still lie ahead of us. God gives us a new beginning, a new guidance and wisdom, and new victories as we continue our journey, our pilgrimage through this world of sin.   Now, in verses 30-35, of Joshua 8, we find that the people of Israel make a new commitment as they build this altar. At some time following the victory at Ai, Joshua led the people thirty miles north to Shechem, which lies in the valley between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. Here the nation obeyed what Moses had commanded them to do in his farewell speech. “Therefore it shall be, when you have crossed over the Jordan, that on Mount Ebal you shall set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall whitewash them with lime. And there you shall build an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not use an iron tool on them. You shall build with whole stones the altar of the LORD your God, and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God. You shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and rejoice before the LORD your God. And you shall write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 27:4-8)   “Now Joshua built an altar” (v. 30). “Now”, not shortly, not later, not tomorrow, but “now” is always the time to make sure of our relationship and fellowship with the Lord! Joshua interrupted the military activities to give Israel the opportunity to make a new commitment to the authority of Jehovah as expressed in His law. Since Abraham had built an altar at Shechem (Gen. 12:6-7), and Jacob had lived there a short time (chap. 33-34), the area had strong historic ties to Israel. Joshua's altar was built on Mt. Ebal, "the mount of cursing," because only a sacrifice of blood can save sinners from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:10-14).   In building the altar, Joshua was careful to obey Exodus 20:25 and not apply any tool to the stones picked up in the field. No human work was to be associated with the sacrifice lest sinners think their own works can save them (Eph. 2:8-9). God asked for a simple stone altar, not one that was designed and decorated by human hands, "that no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 Cor. 1:29). It's not the beauty of manmade religion that gives the sinner forgiveness, but the blood on the altar (Lev. 17:11).   In verse 31, the priests offered burnt offerings to the Lord as a token of the nation's total commitment to Him (Leviticus1). The peace offerings, or "fellowship offerings," were an expression of gratitude to God for His goodness (Leviticus 3; 7:11-34). A portion of the meat was given to the priests and another portion to the offeror, so that he could eat it joyfully with his family in the presence of the Lord (Leviticus 7:15-16, 30-34; Deut. 12:17-18). By these sacrifices, the nation of Israel was assuring God of their commitment to Him and their fellowship with Him.   Today, we can renew fellowship with the Lord at His altar of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary! There we can confess our sins and be assured that, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).   God Bless!