Tuesday 29 April 2008

Background

It's time for Moses to step down after several generations ofleading the wandering Israelites, so he writes down God's law andpasses it on to their leaders and administrators. The change inleadership is clearly going to be a very difficult time and the newleader Joshua is heartily encouraged and assured of God's help(verses 7-8).

Moses passes on the message to Joshua that God will destroy thepeoples currently living in the land that the Israelites are tooccupy. This is uncomfortable reading, even without the currentatrocities in Israel/ Palestine, and not a description of God manyChristians can identify with.

Joshua takes over with the instruction that he is to make sure thatthe Law, carefully written down by Moses, is read to everyone everyseven years at the same time as debts are cancelled.

An organisation like the Methodist Church has only few similaritieswith a nomadic tribe, but by the time any seven years have past,there will always be those who have joined, been born or come fromother lands who will need to hear what our calling is and what ourcurrent priorities are. Others will just have forgotten or thewhole group may have drifted away from the common purpose.

There is a time for hearing afresh the vision, which was once soclear and refreshing, and restating or reframing it so that all the"men, women and children… may hear and learn… and observediligently all the words of this law".

To Ponder

Do you, or a group you are part of, need aseven-year review or restatement of aims? How would you go aboutthis?

What more than this do our children, 'ourdescendants', need from us? Or what do we need from those whose'descendants' we are?