Early Spiritual Fathers

The book Joshua is all about how the Israelites forcefully occupied the land of Canaan. It is full of stories of one bloody battle after another. Didn’t Christ teach us to love our enemies? How do we as Christians try to reconcile these battles with our every day lives? But then again, without the rich history of the faith of the Israelites, they would never have seen the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Messiah being recorded so well. Christ said, “ When I was with you, I told you that what was written by Moses, the prophets and in the psalms must all come true (Luke 24:44).” By saying this didn’t Christ ratify Moses as an authentic teacher of our faith? The text of the Old testament was what Christ based a lot of His teachings on. The only difference being the emphasis shifted from strict adherence to religious laws, to a God of grace who loved them, and wanted them to love Him and one another as well.

Ansalem, who became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093, was one of the great thinkers of his time. His motto, credo ut intelligam ("I believe so that I may understand"), reflected his intention to explain faith in God by reason. As one ventures into the book of Joshua we continue in our mode of Fides quarens intellectum - Faith seeking understanding. The times of the Old Testament were times when there were many gods with many different powers. Moses was trying to make the children of Israel understand their faith in Yahweh the one true God. Israel was a theocracy and had their own system of justice. The Israelites as a people even under the able leadership of Moses were so easily swayed by the gods of Egypt even in the wilderness. Forty years in the desert had successfully weaned them from Egyptian gods. As Joshua and the children of Israel approached the promised land, the people of Jericho had a religion contrary to their own. Joshua must have had his own fears about the impact their religious views would have on the community. By their laws they saw no other alternative than to eliminate them completely to preserve their faith.

As a child I remember singing “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho” action songs and diving for the floor when the walls came tumbling down. It was an awesome song that we enjoyed singing, as we recounted his proclamation of faith that the battle is in his hands. Don’t we enjoy reading, singing and sharing these stories with our children? I wonder if the Israelites had their children sing songs and psalms of praise of their spiritual fathers of faith? I wonder how many times these stories were told generation after generation keeping our faith alive? If these stories had not been recorded what would our faith be built on? As we study the old testament, we have to come with hearts and minds that are open to receive the message that we get from the lives of those who preserved our faith.

If our early spiritual fathers were Joshua and Moses, their faith is a reflection of how they understood God and were inspired to follow Him. As Christians we try to focus on their faith in the living God. What is it that kept their faith alive? How did they do all these miracles, unless there was divine intervention? Do you see the grace of God in action, as He fulfills his promise made to Abraham many years ago? Moses before he died told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous! God will neither leave you nor forsake you (Deut 31:7-8).” Don’t these words still ring true to us ? Didn’t Jesus also use a similar words to assure us before his ascension? Jesus said, “ I will be with you always, even unto the end of the age (Mathew 28:20).”