Remembering the Signs

I had a chance to show my children one of my favorite movies not long ago, The Silver Chair, which was the fourth installment of The Chronicles of Narnia, released on television in a serial format between November and December of 1990.

In the story, Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb find themselves in Narnia, drawn by the Great Lion, Aslan himself (who we meet in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, if you read the books in the original order). They almost immediately get separated in this new world. Jill meets Aslan first, where he sends her on a quest to find the lost prince of Narnia, Prince Rilian. 

Aslan gives Jill four basic instructions: First -- when Eustace steps foot in Narnia, he will meet a very old and dear friend. He needs to talk to that friend to get the help that they will need. Second -- Jill and Eustace will need to journey north to the city of giants. Third -- in that city of giants, Jill and Eustace will find writing on a stone, and it is imperative that they do what that writing tells them to do. And fourth -- Jill and Eustace, once they find the lost prince, will know him by this: he will be the first and only person who will ask them to do anything in the name of the Great Lion himself, in the name of Aslan.

Oh man, I love this story.

Anyway, so Jill and Eustace do their thing. They've got a quest, and instructions on how to successfully complete that quest. But the key thing, the main ingredient for their success is this: They must not forget the signs. 

Aslan reminds Jill before he allows her to begin the quest that she has to repeat the signs over and over until she knows them by heart. She needs to say them when she's lying down to sleep and when she wakes up again (is this starting to sound familiar? Deuteronomy 6:7, for instance). She must not forget the signs; the signs are Aslan's instructions and are the key to success.

So... Joshua does not live in the magical land of Narnia, but he lives in the ancient middle east, and he has a quest, laid out for him in Joshua 1:1-9. He had been Moses' aide, and now after Moses' death, he's is in charge of leading the nation of Israel (approximately 2 million people, according to historians) into the land of Canaan, promised to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

God tells Joshua: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them -- to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates -- all the Hittite country -- to the Great Sea on the west (the Mediterranean). No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:2-5).

It's no easy task Joshua is undertaking. He's got to mastermind the conquest of a hostile land, and -- even for people (like me) who have very little military understanding -- it's a task that allows for very few mistakes, given the might of the enemy and the length and breadth of the land they intend to take.

Joshua has some instructions from the Lord that he needs to pay attention to -- "signs," if you will. "Be strong and courageous (#1), because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous (#2). Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous (and #3; third time's the charm). Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:6-9).

Do you think the Lord wanted Joshua to be strong and courageous? ;)

God knew what a formidable task he was assigning to Joshua, but He also equipped him with the tools to complete the assignment. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

First: think about it. Memorize it. Consider it. Reflect on it. 
Second: Then obey it. Do it. Put feet to the words. Move.
Third: Mission accomplished. Task completed. 

This mission was conditional. If Joshua had decided -- like so many of the kings of Israel's history -- to forget God's instructions and turn to pagan idolatry instead, that third component listed above would not have happened. No mission accomplishment. No task completion. We see the evidence of this over and over and over and over throughout the lengthy story of the Israelites' cyclical loyalty to the Lord.

Worship God -- Israel is victorious over their enemies.
Worship false gods -- enemies are victorious over Israel.

It was not just important for Joshua, Israel's leader in military conquest, to remember the Book of God's Law, but it is essential in order for him to successfully complete the assignment, the quest, that the Lord has given him.

So... if you've read The Silver Chair, you know that Jill fumbles. She reunites with her pal Eustace too late for him to accomplish the first sign -- that is, talking to King Caspian, Eustace's old and dear friend (from Voyage of the Dawn Treader) -- and gaining the help needed for the quest. They do bumble their way north with the help of a few timid owls and a very Eeyore-ish-but-wise marshwiggle by the name of Puddleglum (who my children absolutely love; he really is the best character ever).

So they miss sign #1, they sort of accidentally complete sign #2, because they stumble across a city of giants and find themselves as the main course of a cannibalistic feast for the large creatures before they make their escape and accidentally make their way underground where they find a hidden city. They realize later that the writing on the stone said Under Me, so they are doing what they're supposed to be doing...

But it's a comedy of errors up to that point.

The final, saving grace for their mission comes when Rilian, manacled to the Silver Chair that holds him captive for the one hour each day when he is in his right mind, pleads with them to release him. "By all fears and all loves, by the bright skies of Overland, by the Great Lion, by Aslan himself, I charge you!"

Set. Me. Free.

And Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum are faced with this choice: Set free a man who seems to be a homicidal maniac, thus risking their own lives...

Or, following -- with strength and courage -- Aslan's fourth sign. Not fumbling it, not accidentally falling into it.

Directly and decisively obeying the clear instruction: In the name of Aslan...

And so Jill does. She pulls together her shredded courage, she puts aside her own fears, and she steps into the instruction set out for her -- even though she can't see the end result. She can only trust that Aslan knew what he was talking about.

We'll get to Jericho in a little while, but I love the fact that there is a whole Jordan River at flood stage (Joshua 3:15) as a physical boundary between the Israelites and their possession of Canaan. It lays out such a vivid picture of what it means to, quite literally, step out in faith.

Because the Lord said so, Joshua decides, I will do it. Whatever stands in my way, I'll step into it, no matter the consequences. Absolute trust and dependence on the Lord's word in the Book of the Law. Why? Because he repeated it to himself when he lay down at night and when he sat up in the morning. He thought about it, reflected on it, considered it, prayed through it... and he applied it.

Application is 9/10th's of the battle. We can own a Bible, we can even open it and read it now and then. But unless we step out onto this road laid out for us by the Lord Himself, follow our signs given to us, unless we remember our instructions...

We'll accidentally fall into every situation under the sun.

Directly and decisively stepping into that Jordan River, with strength and courage. In the name of the Lord, who goes before us.