Thursday of the
Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Joshua 3:7-10a.11.13-17; Matthew 18:21-19.1)
Psalm 44 declares that the Israelites were not saved from
Pharaoh’s army by their own hand.
Rather, the psalm continues, it was the Lord who brought them
victory. The first reading today
demonstrates the same point. God’s
remaining with the people of Israel gives them crucial advantage over the
Canaanites.
Moses is, in a sense, the major figure of the Book of
Exodus and, arguably, of the Old Testament.
He led the people out of Egypt, formed them according to the dictates of
God’s law, and brought them to the Promised Land. With Moses gone as the Israelites reach their
destiny, some might wonder how the people will be able to move forward. The passage asserts that God is ready to
assist Joshua as he had Moses. Thus, the
real hero of the story of salvation is no man but God.
We should never forget the lesson. God provides us crucial advantage whether we
win or lose in any particular venture.
He can lift victory from defeat and make defeat not difficult to
bear. It is important, indeed critical,
that we trust in Him.
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