Greek philosopher Heraclitus advised: “No man ever steps in the same river twice.” As time passes, rivers continue to flow and people continue to change. At any later point, “It's not the same river, and he's not the same man.”
What if the man is crossing the river? What is the effect of delaying that first step into the waters? That was the situation in 49 BC when a fellow named Julius considered adding “Caesar” to his name. He led his army to the edge of a small river, the Rubicon. As long as they stayed on one side of the river, all would be as it had been. But should they decide to cross the Rubicon, well.…
The penalty for just crossing that river would be death, not only for Julius, but for every soldier in his service.
Whichever choice Julius made would have consequences. If he decided to stay on his side of the Rubicon, nothing would change—and change was needed. If he did cross the Rubicon, everything would change—and there would be no turning back.
It was, truly, the point of no return.
Today, when someone says "cross the Rubicon," there is no actual river involved. When we say it, we mean a decision must be made that cannot be taken back. Once made, we will have to face the consequences of the decision—and live with them from that moment on. But don’t be fooled: Not making a decision is also a decision. And the consequences for not choosing may be just as costly—maybe more so.
That’s what’s happening in this week's Joshua passage. Joshua first calls together all the leaders of Israel. He reminds them of all God has done for them: the exodus from their slavery in Egypt, the provision of their needs during the wilderness years, and the gift of the Promised Land.
Then Joshua invites them to "cross the Rubicon."
"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
God wants each of us to make that choice. Will we commit to God, or will we choose another path? It’s a decision we make of our own free will. Do we yield our hearts as the Israelites were invited to do? Or do we, by action or inaction, decide to do something else? Time passes and circumstances change. We change. But at some point each of us comes to our own Rubicon, our moment of decision. It’s not the size of our Rubicon that matters—it may seem inconsequential, perhaps no more than a “trickle.” It’s the consequences of the choice we make that really matters. Do we turn back?
Or do we cross it—and change everything?
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PHOTO of the Rubicon River as it is, today, in northern Italy. There’s even a bridge you can use to cross it. Also, a brief history of Caesar’s actions that day and afterword:
https://www.italyonthisday.com/2020/01/caesar-crosses-rubicon-fiume-rubicone.html?m=1
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Join us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet on Zoom** and in person at Our Breakfast Place. We gather at 8:00 and enjoy an hour of Bible, discussion, food, fellowship, and laughter.
Blessings,
Steve
**Contact me for the Zoom link:
NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK
Find them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=168
Print them from here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_Proper27.pdf
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Psalm 78:1-7
Amos 5:18-24
Psalm 70
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13
Proper 27 (32) (November 12, 2023)
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