obedience and killing with the sword

This summer I have taken up the challenge to read through the Bible in 90 days.  This is one of the few times I have actually read it straight through from cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation.  In the past I would follow a reading plan that jumped from Old to New Testaments every day with a few Psalms or Proverbs thrown in for interest.

To keep myself on track, I've been listening to it on a little "Talking Bible" (about the size and appearance of a Gideon New Testament) in the English Standard Version, one I had never read before.  Sometimes I follow along on my Kindle in a free ESV Bible I purchased on Amazon.  Let me tell you, if I ever get behind, it takes a huge chunk of my day to get caught up.  Ideally I listen and/or read it first thing in the morning, add a bit mid-day, and then finish in the evening when needed.

This week I am reading in Joshua about all the lands the Israelites conquered, and how God commanded them to completely destroy all the inhabitants of each place.

I'll never forget hearing a Sunday School lesson on these passages back at the Union Church in Guatemala in 1991.  Have you ever seen a graphic lesson that stuck with you for twenty years?  That was an effective lesson!

Mostly I remember it because the teacher asked to borrow my newborn daughter, Hannah, to help illustrate his point.  He was talking about how the people of Israel feared God, and how difficult it must have been to obey some of His commands.  To bring it home, he read the passage about Jericho, and asked the class to imagine ourselves in that situation when God commanded the people to kill with the sword every living person except Rahab and her family.

At that point he brought me and Hannah in front of the class and dramatically drew a machete from its sheath.  Then he held the "sword" out to the class and asked who would be willing to be first to obey such a command.

I couldn't find a photo of just Hannah and me during that time period, but this is a Sunday photo taken of the whole family during Hannah's first year.  After three boys, we dressed her in frilly pink dresses and bonnets.  Needless to say, I'm sure the teacher's lesson "struck home" when people looked at such a sweet little infant and imagined having to draw a sword against every living person in Jericho, including women and children.

Maybe I should revisit the list of things God is gently requesting of me, and not shrink from obedience.