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“Joshua's Final Words Pt.2” • 2.23.14
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- Thirteen to seventeen years had transpired
between Joshua 22 and 23. In that time, Joshua had noted
trends and tendencies that were indicative of Israel's direction.
- On the final day of his life, he directly
speaks to the people, with the very impassioned heart of God!
- In these final verses, you're going to hear
from a man with a heart only for the honor and glory of God. He is speaking to
a nation who has settled into comfort and ease.
- The majority of their enemies have been
deposed, but an enemy lies much closer to them in the form of compromise and
divided loyalty of heart.
- Perhaps, you will hear him speaking and sense
that he is speaking to you! I pray that our hearts will be ready for this final
spiritual onslaught.
Text
• Joshua
24:1 : "Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and
called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for
their officers; and they presented themselves before God." : In the previous chapter, Joshua had instructed the leaders of
Israel. It is now time for him to directly address the entire nation.
- They came to Shechem, which is in the region
of Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim, where Israel had recited the blessings and the
cursings related to God's law.
- It was a perfect place for Joshua to gather
God's people, especially for this occasion.
- Note the last phrase: They presented
themselves before God. Joshua called this meeting, but the people understood
that they were coming before the Lord.
- It's no different for you and I as God is
here with us now, speaking through His diviniely inspired, Holy Word.
- We are coming into His presence, ministering
to Him with our praise and worship and receiving instruction from Him as we
study. You and I are here to meet with Him!
• Joshua
24:2-5 : "And Joshua said to all the people, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers,
including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the
other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham
from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan,
and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To
Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went
down to Egypt. Also
I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among
them. Afterward I brought you out." : Joshua
speaks, but God is the One who is addressing His people. "Thus says the
Lord." This phrase is employed over 400 times in scripture.
- The authors claim to be relating the very
words of God Himself! This is a vital point of comprehension regarding the Word
of God.
- God inspired or breathed out through Joshua
who was the vehicle through which He spoke. God chose the actual words and
personally addressed this crowd.
- Here, God brings them back to their beginning
with Abraham's Father Terah. Genesis 11:28
tells us that they lived in Ur of the Chaldeans, beyond the Euphrates river.
- Joshua discloses that they had served other
gods. According to Jewish oral tradition, Abram's Father was a high ranking
official in Nimrod's administration.
- On the side, he had a government contract to
manufacture the nation's idols! Abram came to understand that these idols were
worthless and challenged their place in life.
- Abram survived Nimrod's persecution and the
family left Ur to seek after the true God.
- This decision led to the existence of the
people that Joshua is talking to at this moment, who were Abraham's descendants
through Isaac and Jacob.
- Esau had his own possession in the mountains
of Seir that God had given to them. But it was these children, who had been
slaves in Egypt, that God brought out and gave this land to.
- Don't miss the significance: The land belongs
to a people who had once been idolators, but had now forged a life of faith in
the true God of heaven and Earth. That was their history!
- If it had not been for God, they would have
died in Ur of the Chaldees! On the same note, where would you be today if God
hadn't moved in yours or your parent's lives? Be grateful He did!
• Joshua
24:6-13 : "Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the
sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the
Red Sea. So they
cried out to the Lord; and He put darkness between you
and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes
saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time. And I brought you into the land of
the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with
you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I
destroyed them from before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war
against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. But I would not listen to Balaam;
therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand. Then you went over the Jordan and
came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites,
the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and
the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. I sent the hornet before you which
drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not
with your sword or with your bow. I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities
which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and
olive groves which you did not plant.’" : Did
you notice the pattern? There were insurmountable odds and a devastating enemy threatening
Israel's existence.
- In each of the four examples, the people who
sought the lives of the Israelites had superior technology or resources on
their side.
- The Egyptians had their chariots, the
Amorites had size and their giant King, Moab had it's magic and the Canaanites had
numbers.
- The people of God cried out to the Lord and
He responded with what He alone could do. When the Egyptians trapped God's
people at the Red Sea, God sent a darkness between them.
- When the Moabites came looking for a fight,
they got one when God delivered them into Israel's hands.
- When Balak hired Balaam, God kept twisting
his tongue and instead of cursings, blessings came out! And then God saved the
best for last.
- When they came against inhabitants of Canaan,
God used a hornet invasion to drive them out before the Israelites. There isn't
a record in scripture except for this remembrance.
- They didn't lift their swords up! They didn't
put the arrow in their bow! God brought these tiny hornets and cleared out a
path before them!
- In every instance, it was God who did these
things. He brought the darkness. He delivered the enemy into their hands. He
sent the hornets to drive out the people!
- 17 times, God takes the personal credit for
having moved on their behalf!
- The people of Israel enjoyed the benefit of
that relationship, coming into cities that were prefabricated, vineyards that
were thriving and olive groves that were already in bloom!
- What a great work that God had done and how
much more is that true for us? He saw you were a helpless slave to sin and He
delivered you when He turned on the light that shone on Christ!
- He moved in you to respond to His love and
mercy and He gave you a new heart that desired the things of holiness and
righteousness.
- He changed who you were from the inside out
and gave you gifts that made you useful to His Kingdom. And more than any of
that, He gave you life everlasting and a rightful place at His table!
- What should our response be? What would be
logical? Look at what Joshua tells Israel.
• Joshua
24:14,15 : "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods
which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve
the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to
serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day
whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on
the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you
dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'" : Joshua lays down the gauntlet. Because of all of this, fear the
Lord! This isn't an option!
- The commander of Israel's army,
the General is issuing his most important command, the one which will sit at
the foundation of his nation's future success.
- Later in Israel's history, King
Solomon will call this "the beginning of wisdom!" (Proverbs 1:7)
- Revere the Lord. Honor His Name and the place
that He rightfully deserves in your life for all that He has done for you! Is
that your heart?
- When you fear the Lord foundationally, it
issues in a desire to serve Him and to rid oneself of every other competing
allegiance of the heart!
- The word "sincerity" speaks of a
whole desire and truth speaks to fidelity and reliability.
- Whatever gods remained, Joshua tells them to
put or lay them aside and utterly reject them! No matter how much you wish it
were true, you cannot serve two masters!
- There isn't room to compromise! If serving
the Lord displeases you, then make a decision who you will serve! Don't
vascillate! Choose a side and stay there! That's a word for them and us!
- Whatever they decided to do, Joshua declares
clearly that when it came to him, he and his family would serve the Lord! This
is an incredible statement on so many fronts.
- Joshua had intimate knowledge of the book of
Moses, in which God tells Moses that the people of God will rebel and go after
idols. (Deuteronomy 31:14-18)
- This was an existent issue at Joshua's time,
otherwise, he would have no need to say this!
- The spiritual slide is taking place all
around him and it will inevitably become worse. "But as for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord!"
- "But everyone is doing it!"
"But my family didn't raise me right!" "This is just the way I
am."
- No excuses! You either serve Him with all or
not at all!
- As for me. This is personal. Where was Joshua
going to stand? He was going to serve the Lord. His body, his mind, his energy,
his resource, his talent would serve the Lord!
- What will you serve? What will have all of
you? Can people point to your life and find this to be true of you or will they
name another Master?
- As for my house. The house speaks to all that
his life would represent. It speaks of children who are raised and given a form
of life.
- It speaks of activities that will be allowed
and things that would be prohibited. It speaks of redeemable space and a zone
of refuge that God is allowed to work in.
- This house and all that comes in and goes out
serves the interests of the living God! What a profound statement!
•
Joshua 24:16-22 : "So the people answered and said: 'Far
be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land
of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight,
and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through
whom we passed. And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites
who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.' But Joshua said to the people, 'You
cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a
jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He
will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.' And the people said to Joshua, 'No,
but we will serve the Lord!' So
Joshua said to the people, 'You are witnesses against yourselves that you have
chosen the Lord
for yourselves, to serve Him.' And they said, 'We are witnesses!'" : The people barely let Joshua finish. "We won't forsake the
Lord to serve other gods!" They acknowledge their history with Him and
their present condition which had been affected by Him.
-
"Count us in Joshua! We're right there with you!" Great platitudes
and great affection and admiration for Joshua.
-
A lesser man would have said, "Oh, I'm so glad you are on board and I'm
excited for what God has in store for you!" Instead, Joshua is a killjoy! "You
cannot serve the Lord!"
-
Is he being elitist? Not at all. He is pointing out that they are already
divided in their loyalties and are badly misunderstanding the nature of their
relationship to Him.
-
Joshua is 110 years old and not willing for a second to stand on the wrong side
of truth! He's not going to placate the people with sappy sentiment. He's
giving it to them straight.
-
God is a holy God. He is altogether unique, pure and free from defilement. They
were not.
-
God is a jealous God. He is a husband to Israel, who sees a suitor that is
unwilling to recognize the off limit sign of his wife! He wants her whole
attention and her fidelity!
-
He will not forgive when you cross the line or mess up if you continue to forsake
Him and go after foreign gods! He will be your enemy as much as He has been
your help!
-
They continue to say the same words and Joshua tells them, you are condemning
yourself They agreed. Their own word would stand as a witness against them.
•
Joshua 24:23-28 : "Now therefore,' he said, 'put away
the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.' And the people said to Joshua, 'The
Lord our God we will serve, and His
voice we will obey!' So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for
them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. Then Joshua wrote these words in the
Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under
the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all
the people, 'Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all
the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to
you, lest you deny your God.' So Joshua let
the people depart, each to his own inheritance." : If you want God to be your God, then the foreign gods need to
be rejected.
-
Notice where they were: They were among them! This is the Lord's community.
-
These are the people who have been miraculously brought into the land of Canaan
and they have little statues with them!
-
The more things change, the more they stay the same!! How many in the church
today come to worship and go home to sin?
-
How many open their mouth to bless God in the church and go home and with their
same mouth, curse their spouse? How is that idolatry? We are worshipping
ourselves first!
-
Then, whatever desire that we are bowing to, which God has said is off limits,
has the claim to our hearts! Throw away your gods and serve the Lord God!
-
Incline your hearts to Him! The word speaks of being unfolded or stretched out
towards the Lord. The NIV uses the word "yield."
-
Tune your heart to what God wants and be inclined to listen to Him, come what
may!
-
The people again agreed and Joshua made things official, writing an official
agreement and writing what had been said into the book of the Law of God!
-
Then, he took a memorial stone and set it up next to an oak tree to provide yet
a third witness to their words. Joshua got what he came for, so the meeting was
adjourned.
•
Joshua 24:29-33 : " Now
it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of
the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten
years old. And
they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is
in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua,
and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works
of the Lord
which He had done for Israel. The bones of
Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried
at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor
the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an
inheritance of the children of Joseph. And
Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas
his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim." : Israel may have eventually failed in their relationship with
the Lord, but not during the days of Joshua and not during the days of his
elders!
-
Everyone who knew all the works of the Lord, the ones who had seen the walls of
Jericho fall, the city of Ai burnt, the massive southern and northern campaigns,
stayed faithful to the Lord.
-
They were faithful in following the Lord and honoring their promise to Joseph,
to allow his remains to rest in his own inheritance.
-
Then Eleazar, Aaron's son died. Where Joshua had public influence, Eleazar had
more a muted influence, seen in the zeal of Phinehas, whose sword brought the
plague of Peor to an end!
-
Later, the people and the priesthood would fall into unrecognizable shambles,
but that fall couldn't be tied to these men!
Conclusion
- As we come to
communion, what better time to reflect upon His great gift toward us and our
proper response toward Him. Are there other gods in your life? Are our hearts
His alone? Let it be so!