When we were little, it was quite natural to hang on to the hand of either your mother or father when we went out into public. As children, God has placed that instinct into each child as a part of an early bonding for their safety. As we grew older, we may have also grown bolder and as a result let go of that secure hand to launch out into an unknown territory. Hopefully our parents would keep track of us and make sure we didn’t come to some harm.
A few years ago, I was reading Mom’s diary that she had diligently kept in 1941 and 1942. It was a bit of a traumatic time (World War 2 and all that) but added to that was my “declaration of independence” as I attended public school in Geneva, New York. It was wintertime and much to my mother’s frustration, I insisted in playing in the snow on the way home, either for lunch or at the end of the day. Her concern is seen in her writing but I was completely oblivious to her frustration. Except for her diary I don’t remember anything except playing in the snow and coming home soaked to the skin.
How oblivious are we to God’s plea (as the perfect parent) to not stray from his protective care. We, many times, exercise our independence when we go into unknown territory to perhaps taste the sweet taste of some forbidden fruit?
How many times has God expressed the frustration of a parent who sees their children going in the wrong direction? Joshua is one of God’s faithful children who will speak for the Father when he addresses the nation with an admonition to stay close to the Father.
“But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day,” (Joshua 23:8).
This message was not one that was new. The second giving of the Law of Moses is presented by God through Moses so that the new nation of Israel might always hang on to God’s hand for the direction that was needed in conquering a new land.
“You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him,” (Deuteronomy 13: 4).
The message for us today is one that is clear. As children of God we always need direction. This dark world has too many pitfalls for us to walk blindly without light. For us to deny the light that God provides is to deny the very work of our Father on our behalf. To not rely on God is to forget God.
“Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries,’“ (Ezekiel 23:35).
We need to cling to our Father and let Him do what He perfectly does and not arbitrarily cast Him behind us because we think we know what is best.
Dave Chamberlin
