TWO SIDES OF THE COIN (Joshua 14)

The best description of God's sovereignty I've heard says there is a signpost in heaven. The side facing heavenward reads "Chosen before the foundation of the world." The side facing us reads "Whosoever will may come."

The Christian faith has a lot of paradoxes like that. For instance, I live with an uneasy truce, by faith believing though not understanding how God is One and yet God is in Three Persons.

You may be thinking, Oh, no, she's getting all theological on us again. But not really. I only mention it because I discovered another one of those  two-sided explanation.

In Bible College, I was taught to look for words or phrases that are repeated for emphasis. One of the phrases I have noticed many times says something like, "The Levites will receive no inheritance among the people of Israel, for the Lord God is their inheritance." Talk about theological and spiritual!

Today I ran across a more prosaic explanation. One so practical, so downright human, that I wonder how I haven't noticed it before: Because the sons of Joseph had become two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, they gave no allotment to the Levites." (Joshua 14:3-4, MSG)

Oh. You can't divide twelve parcels of land among thirteen tribes. As simple as that.

I'm a little surprised that Joshua didn't say, "They gave no allotment to the Levites, as the Lord commanded, because the Lord God is their inheritance."  Maybe he thought we already knew that. Moses and Joshua repeated it often enough.

Instead, the leader Joshua offers a human reason. Maybe there were some Israelites who felt Joseph's double portion was unfair, and Joshua wanted to smooth over feelings. Maybe he had a light-bulb moment one day. So that's why God isn't giving the Levites a land inheritance. 

If we need proof that faith and reason don't contradict each other, we find an example here. When we have a decision to make, we seek God's will. Following God's will includes using the reason and mind that He has given to us.

Of course there are times God calls us to attempt the unreasonable (crossing a river at flood stage, on foot?).  But many others, He works within the natural order to bring His will about.

Turn your coin of decision over and consider both sides.

THE NAME GAME (Genesis 29-30)

Finally the Patriarchs had children. Children in abundance. Twelve sons and at least one daughter, enough, in fact,  to found the 12 Tribes of Israel. 

But who named them?

The question is not an idle one. God changed Abram's name to Abraham. He told Abraham to name his son Isaac, and He changed Jacob's name to Israel. 

With Jacob, the training period of the Patriarchs came to an end.  One of the first responsibilities He left to them was choosing names for their children. Jacob, in turn, let his wives choose. And oh, what names they came up with: names full of joy and hope, rivalry and tension, man and God. Consider:

• Judah - Praise God
• Levi - Connect with my husband
• Asher - Happy
• Dan - Vindication

Including the poignant names of Rachel's two sons, Joseph, "May God add another son to me," and Ben-oni, "son of my pain," on her deathbed. (Jacob changed Ben-oni to Benjamin, son of my good fortune.)

My son and daughter-in-law waited until after my grandson was born to choose his name: Isaiah Jaran Franklin. My son said "Our prayer is that he will grow up to cry out (Jaran) 'The Lord is salvation' (Isaiah) so that all may be free men (Franklin)." I love it!

Jordan's (granddaughter's name) is equally thoughtful. Born nine months after my daughter Jolene's death, she was given Jolene's initials and her middle name: Jordan Elizabeth Franklin. Her birth was a life-affirming gift from God in the midst of grief, and her name reflects that.

Like Abram and Jacob, God has chosen a new name for all of His children (Revelation 2:17). 

What name did your parents choose for you? What name(s) did you choose for your children? How does the name reflect on you, your personality, the circumstances of your birth? What name would you choose for yourself?