JOSHUA 23

1 ¶ And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.

• We know that Joshua died at the age of 110 (Josh 24.29), so it is safe to say that he is at least 100 years old at this time. But, by the grace of God, we find him here in his golden years encouraging, instructing and exhorting the nation of Israel.
• So many people to “check out” of playing an active role in he church as they get older. Beloved, following Christ is not a spectator’s faith. We do not check out of The Lord’s service until The Lord calls us home. Granted, we may lose the physical ability to do some of the things that we did when we were younger, but we can all do something to benefit others in the body of Christ.
• We can pray, counsel, write…..remember, it is never our ability that matters to God, but our availability that matters.

 

2 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: 3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.

• Some 10 or 20 years after the end of the Conquest and distribution of the land Joshua … summoned Israel’s leaders, probably to Shiloh where the tabernacle was located, to warn them earnestly of the dangers of departing from Yahweh.
• How wise it was of Joshua who was old and stricken in years to remind the people of God that it was The Lord your God that had done great things for them, not him or anyone else. The reason why the people of God won those battles was because The Lord fought for them. Beloved, just as Joshua called upon Israel to remember all the things that He had done for them, remember all the great things that The Lord your God has done for you over the years. Every battle that we have faced in life and won, it was because The Lord fought them for us.
• 3 times in this chapter, Joshua is going to repeat the message of God’s unfailing faithfulness to Israel and their corresponding responsibility to be faithful to Him. I do not claim to have grasped the tension that exists within Scripture regarding God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, but it is so plain to see that nobody can miss it or deny it.

 

4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. 5 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.

• As for the Canaanites, who still lingered about the country, the Lord God would push them out also so that Israel could take possession of the land they partially occupied.
• Technically, the land had been conquered, but there were pockets of resistance that remained and needed to be conquered.
• Even though we are complete in Christ, and His atonement has satisfied the full debt of our sin, there is that remaining corruption that is in our flesh that needs to be crucified daily. Salvation is instantaneous, sanctification, or becoming more like Christ is a life long process that will never be completed this side of glory.  

 

6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; 7 That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:

• In addition to being obedient to The Word of God, the people of God were exhorted to be separate from the gods of their neighbors. God calls us to be separate, but not separatists or elitists. We are called to divinely infiltrate the world that we live in, work in, go to school in…we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world for Christ’s sake and the glory of God.
• Some of the pagan gods that were worshipped were, the sensual gods of fertility, the gods of materialism and intellectualism. Others worshipped mother earth, and the various “forces” of nature. Those gods are alive and well 24/7 in our society beloved.

 

8 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.

• They were to be affectionate towards The Lord. Oh how important it is for us to develop an intimate relationship with The Lord. This happens by spending time alone with Him every day.
• When The Spirit of God was moving mightily in the book of Acts, the church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to see what God was doing in that area. The report that we read in Scripture is Acts 11.23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
• The source of this work of God in the lives of these saints was the unmerited, underserved favor and grace of God. Thus, Barnabas exhorted them to cleave to The Lord, Who is the fount of all grace and gladness.

 

9 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

• If Israel would be separated unto the Lord, God would enable one man to do the work of a thousand! This was a promise that was contingent upon Israel walking in obedience to The commandments of The Lord.
• Le 26:7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
• But as we turn to Deuteronomy, we see that the cause of the victory was the power of God.
• Deut 32:30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?

 

11 Take good heed (guard, protect, attend to) therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.

• Please note beloved that loving The Lord is a command. This does not mean that such love lacks emotional depth, it means that obedience is more than an emotional experience, as much as it is an act of the will.

 

12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: 13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

• How is it possible that the people that have seen the hand of God working so powerfully in their lives could forsake the Living God and get unequally yoked and drawn into a pagan lifestyle? There are 2 reasons…..listen carefully, for they are the same for you and me. (1) The corrupt cravings of our flesh and (2) the deceitful temptations of the enemy.
• Instead of cleaving to The Lord and walking in His ways and wisdom, we get careless…due to the cravings of our flesh, we allow small and subtle compromises to take root in our lives here and there. Before you know it, we are lulled into a state of numbness and are trapped by the things of the old life. We are snared like an animal who bit the bait of the hunter and is about to perish.
• Beloved, the combination of our unredeemed flesh and our adversary the devil is no laughing matter. Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and you and I are in his sights. No matter how long you have walked with The Lord or how deep your love is for Him, there is a spiritual and moral war that is going on constantly inside of each and every one of us (Gal 5.-24). There is a spiriaul and moral war being waged against is 24/7 Eph 6.10-18!
• If the Israelites took the bait of the enemy and turned their back on The Lord, there would be serious consequences….there always are serious consequences when you turn away from the narrow path that leads to life and return to the broad path that leads to destruction. Beloved, you can never be too careful in your walk with The Lord.
• I want us to take note of the fact that Joshua did not contemplate any possibility of neutrality as he posed the choice to be made. The Israelites would either choose to go with Israel’s God or they would choose to embrace the pagan gods of the people of Canaan. So it is today. There is no middle course. “No one can serve two masters”

 

14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth (and so is every single person in this sanctuary tonight): and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

• As we saw Sunday morning, our God is faithful and true. He is faithful to bring to pass the promises that He makes.

 

15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 16 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

• This promise of land conquest was contingent upon them cleaving to The Lord, and making no covenant with the false gods of the nations. The warning from The Lord was that there would be consequences if they turned from His holy commandment and indulged in wicked behaviour.
• When Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the failures of the people in the wilderness wanderings, he send this warning to them, 1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Being confident in Christ is not to be interpreted as an excuse for being careless.

 

JOSHUA 24

1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

• The geographical setting is of interest. Shechem, a few miles northwest of Shiloh, was where Abraham first received the promise that God would give his seed the land of Canaan. Abraham responded by building an altar to demonstrate his faith in the one true God (Gen. 12:6-7).
• They presented themselves before God. What is the biblical “altar call” response to the preaching of the gospel? Ro 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 

2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

• The other side of the flood does not refer to the Noahic flood but to the flood plain of the Euphrates River.

 

3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

• Note all of the mention of the personal pronoun I in these verses. Any greatness Israel achieved was not by her effort but through God’s grace and enablement.
• Psa 44:3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

 

4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out. 6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.

7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.

9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you: 10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

 

11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

• Truly, every good and perfect gift comes from the hand of our God. The generosity of our God is amazing, as seen in His undeserved goodness to the Israelites—and to us.

 

14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity (entirety, integrity, completely) and in truth (with certainty): and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

• Joshua had heard the pledge on their lips; now he challenged them to prove their sincerity by their works. Knowing that many of them were secretly practicing idolatry Joshua forthrightly demanded that they put away their foreign gods and wholeheartedly serve The Lord.  
• At one hundred and ten years of age, Joshua was still saying, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
• 1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

 

16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: 18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.

• They make an affirmation that in light of all that God has done for us, we are going to serve Him. But an affirmation of truth in the head apart from an application of that truth from the heart is an empty profession, void of saving faith.  

 

19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

• Joshua’s response here is a word of knowledge from The Holy Spirit.  Jon Courson said this: “Joshua knew the people had idols in their tents and in their homes. He knew they were talking the talk but not prepared to walk the walk. He knew they would say, “Hip, hip, hooray for the Lord” in the midst of the congregation. But in reality, their idols would be at home waiting for them.”
• Whenever God gives us a warning, it is because we need to be warned. God never gives warnings for no purpose. Therefore, it would do us well to heed them.
• We need to remember that the true God is a Jealous God, and He will not share His glory with another.

 

20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. 21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.

• A 2nd affirmation of commitment to The Lord.

 

22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

• If you are serious about following God, then get rid of those idols that have been controlling your thoughts, desires and lifestyle.

 

24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

• A 3^rd affirmation of commitment to The Lord.

 

25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.

• Each generation needs to reaffirm its faithfulness to God, so Joshua renews the covenant with the people. He writes the words in the Book of the Law, and then sets up a stone to remind the people of their vows. This recalls to mind the stones set up when Israel crossed Jordan (chap. 4). We are so prone to forget that God has to use reminders (such as the Lord’s Supper) to keep His people in the path of obedience.

 

28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance. 29 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

• Joshua kept going strong until the day he went home. How did he do it? Isaiah declared that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). The older and more tired you are is all the more reason why we should spend the time to wait on the Lord, to learn about Him, to spend time with Him. And as you do, you’ll mount up with wings as eagles. You’ll run and not be weary. You’ll walk and not faint. When fatigue sets in to the soul of a man, it’s indicative of a failure to wait on the Lord—because the promise of God’s Word is that if we wait on Him, He’ll renew our strength.

 

30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

• No greater tribute could be paid to Joshua than the fact that he was called simply the servant of the Lord. He aspired to no greater rank than this.

 

31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.

• As we will see in the book of Judges, faithfulness to God extended only to the next generation.

 

32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

• The burial of Joseph’s bones is also recorded. His dying request was that he be buried in the Promised Land (Gen. 50:25). Moses, knowing of this request, took Joseph’s bones with him in the Exodus (Ex. 13:19). Now after the long years of the wanderings and the Conquest, Joseph’s remains, which had been embalmed in Egypt (Gen. 50:26) more than 400 years earlier, were now laid to rest in Shechem (cf. Gen. 33:18-20).

 

33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.

 

Lord willing, next Wednesday, we move on to the book of Judges. So, read ahead.