Last week we saw how Joshua divided the Promised Land according to how the Lord commanded. This week we see the death of Joshua, but before his death he encouraged Israel to have strength and courage and to continue to serve only God.
Joshua 23 – Joshua’s Farewell
We
don’t know how much time had passed. It
may have been many years, but we know that Israel lived in peace. The Lord gave Israel a time of rest from all
their battles and now Joshua was well advance in his years. Joshua summoned all the elders, leaders,
judges and officials of Israel and reminded them of all they had seen God do
for them. It was the Lord who fought for
them in conquering the land. The Lord
will dive out the remaining nations and they will again take possession. (Joshua 23:1-5)
We as
Christians should remember all God has done for us. Sometimes we get wrapped up in our
circumstances and fail to see God working.
As I think back over my life I can see now when I couldn’t see then, He
was there. He was with me when I thought
no one else was or could understand. He
was there when I made those wrong decisions bringing me through them as I
learned and grew from them.
I was
in a Bible study several years ago and our group was asked to section off our
life in increments of ten year periods.
Then write down each event that happened to us during those times –
school, job, marriage, birth of a child, divorce, etc. When I did that, I could see how God was
there guiding me and how I matured in my faith.
It showed me how I got to where I am today and how God was with me in
each event. He is and has always been on
my side as He is on yours. He is working
and fighting for us and He always keeps His promises.
When in
your past, have you seen God working in your life?
Did you
recognize God in your circumstance?
How did
you grow in that circumstance?
Joshua
told them to be very strong and careful to obey the Book of the Law of
Moses. He reminded them to not associate
with these nations and worship their gods.
They are to hold fast to God. The
Lord made Israel into a powerful nation.
He fought for them as He promised.
So they are to love Him and Him alone.
(Joshua 23:6-11)
BUT –
if Israel associates with the survivors of these remaining nations and if they
intermarry with them, God will no longer drive them out. These nations will become snares and traps
for Israel. Israel will lose the
land. (Joshua 23:12-13)
We can
follow the world or we can follow God.
That is the only option you have.
Who do you follow? We need
to hold to the ways of God. Being with
other Christians, going to church, praying, and doing Bible studies are all
important. If we listen to God, we will
not listen to the world. We need to be
obedient. Disobedience does not bring
blessings. We have a choice. Anytime you obey God’s Word you will be
blessed and will also bring blessings to others.
Joshua
reminded them that all the Lord’s promises had been fulfilled and none had
failed. Just as the good promises were
fulfilled so will the evil He threatened.
If Israel violates the covenant with God and serves other gods, the
Lord’s anger will burn against them and they will quickly perish from the land
He has given them. (Joshua 23:14-16)
Christians
must be careful, too. We must be strong
and careful to obey God’s commands. God
will not forget us if we sin, but it will spoil our fellowship with Him and
cause us trouble.
What
will be your last words?
Will
they be words of encouragement?
Do you
encourage others to keep God’s commands?
Principle: God’s promises never fail.
Joshua 24:1-27 – Covenant Renewed
Joshua
assembled all of Israel and reminded them of what the Lord had done for
them. He charged them to fear and serve
the Lord. The people agreed that they
would serve Him. Joshua told them that
God is holy and jealous and will not forgive them if they rebel or if they
serve other gods. The people again said,
“No! We will
serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:21. Joshua said they would be witnesses for
themselves that they had chosen to serve.
On that
day Joshua made a covenant for the people and recorded it in the Book of Law of
God. Then he took a large stone and set
it under a tree near the holy place of the Lord. “This stone will be
witness against us.” – Joshua 24:27.
This is like signing an agreement to
keep the Law of Moses and the stone was the seal of the agreement.
The Israelites
chose to serve God. We have a choice,
too. We can serve God or other
gods. What is the #1 thing you give most of your
attention? Where we spend most of
our time, money and energy is worship.
It becomes our god or idol. The
other gods that we sometime serve are our families, sports, entertainment,
money, our job, shopping, and even false prophets. If we focus on these things more and put them
before God, that’s idolatry. We take a
good thing and make it an idol.
What
are your idols that compete with God?
Where
or who does your approval come from?
What do
you long for or desire?
Exodus 20:3-5a – “You shall have no other
gods before me. You shall not make for
yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth
beneath or in the waters below. You
shall not bow down to them or worship them…”
We must
serve and worship the one true and living God.
He freed us from sin by sending His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for
us. Jesus bought us with His blood. We belong to Him. That is why we should and must worship Him on
Him alone.
What
false gods are you seeking instead of the one true God?
What
consumes your thoughts, time, energy and emotions?
Is it
God Himself, or is it some idol which leaves you with nothing to give to the
Lord?
Principle: God wants us to serve Him and Him alone.
Note:
See my older post “What is Worship”
http://devotionsbylv.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-is-worship.html
Joshua 24:28-33 – Joshua’s Death
Joshua
died at 110 years of age. Three people
were buried. Joshua was buried in the
land of his inheritance. Joseph’s bones
that were brought up from Egypt were buried in the land Jacob bought, which was
the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.
Eleazar, Aaron’s son died and was buried also. (Joshua 24:29-33)
Israel
served God throughout Joshua’s lifetime.
Joshua was a great leader of great faith. He feared God, believed God, obeyed God, and
glorified God. He knew God would keep
His promises. He was only concerned with
doing the will of God. He tried to do
the commands of God to the fullest. Joshua
died, but the God of Joshua is still alive.
Joshua like Moses and Aaron was buried on a mountain. We are all to be like Joshua. “Be strong and do not
be afraid. 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 do.
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from our mouth; meditate on it
day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:7-9.
Do you
fear God, believe God, obey God, and glorify God?
Do
expect God to keep His promises?
What
legacy will you leave behind?
Will
others say you were of great faith?
Joshua
was by Moses’ side since his youth. He was
appointed Israel’s leader when Moses died.
He was a warrior for God. He was gifted
with leadership. God confirmed his
position with the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River. At the end of his life he encouraged Israel
to choose God over all else. He did
everything that God commanded. Under his
leadership, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to
the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled”. – Joshua 21:45.
Joshua
was told 7 times to “be strong and courageous”.
All of the battles were won in the Lord’s strength and not by the hands
of men. If we choose to fight our
battles in our own strength and power, we will lose. But if we choose to recognize how God gives
us power, we will win. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord
Almighty” – Zech. 4:6. Through prayer the Spirit will destroy evil
influences in our lives.
How
devoted to prayer are you in fighting the enemy?
Do you
try to fight your own battles?
Do you
turn to God only as the last resort?
How do
you recognize God’s power in you?
Principle: We must choose to recognize God’s power and
strength in our battles with the enemy.
God
continued to be with Israel in their future battles. God continues to be with us. We just need to listen, trust, and obey His
commands. We need to be strong and
courageous like Joshua. You can see the
next chapter of the Israelites in the book of Judges.
I hope
you have enjoyed this study and have learned many lessons from it. I know I have. This book of Joshua gives us insights into
God’s character and nature:
God is
Creator – His creation is subject to His sovereign control. He stopped the Jordan so Israel could cross,
He shattered the walls of Jericho, He sent hail from heaven to destroy the
enemy, and He lengthened the hours of a day.
God is
faithful – He led Joshua and Israel to the Promised Land fulfilling
His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
He gave each tribe their inheritance leaving no one out. He even allowed Joseph’s bones to rest in the
Promised Land as promised.
God
hates sin – He waged war against the wicked Canaanites and anyone who
sinned in Israel.
God is
our eternal leader – He appointed Moses and Joshua to serve
Israel. He is our Great Leader.
Jesus
is revealed – Joshua’s names means “Lord is my Savior” or
“Jehovah is Savior” which points to Christ as the Captain of our salvation
leading His people by the power of the Holy Spirit.
For the
rest of the summer I will not be posting on a specific book of the Bible, but
on several different topics. Next week
we will talk about “How to Study the Bible”.
See you next week. Until then,
“be strong and courageous”.
________________________________________
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