Joshua knew but had concerns, do we?
Maybe we do and therefore we have decided to be thankful for 'where' we are in God and in our journey in the Kingdom and accepted the status quo. That's the choice of all too many Christians.
This man had walked through the Wilderness, talked regularly with Moses and served him with determination of heart. He had most probably conversed with his companion, Caleb hundreds of hours in their tents.
He said ‘Adieu’ to his spiritual father Moses, crossed the Jordan, saw the supernatural falls of Jericho and Ai even though it was linked with casualties... and followed by a lot of costly insight.
He conquered the rest of the Land even though it stretched him extremely... couldn’t almost finish the assignment. And now he is at the end of his life, and he has some deep concerns.
"Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: "You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed. This is the land that yet remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all that of the Geshurites, from Sihor, which is east of Egypt, as far as the border of Ekron northward (which is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines - the Gazites, the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites; from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath; all the inhabitants of the mountains from Lebanon as far as the Brook Misrephoth, and all the Sidonians - them I will drive out from before the children of Israel; only divide it by lot to Israel as an inheritance, as I have commanded you." Josh. 13,1-6
And now he is at the end of his life, and he has been carrying deep concerns for a while.
The 24th chapter of the book of Joshua must have our full attention, like the 49th chapter of Genesis and the 32nd-33rd chapters of Deuteronomy.
For obvious transitional reasons.
Here we find God's Word to His people as it reached the end of a vital chapter of their history as well as the beginning of an even more vital chapter. Vital? Definitely.Because it had to do with their children and children's children and with God's eternal destiny for the nation according to His Word to Abraham and Sarah.
The core of the matter is to be positioned for ongoing and tangible progress through successful transitions. Demanding and possible.
Joshua is concerned because he knew about divine processes from the journey through the wilderness and the conquest of the Land. He was fully conscious of its challenges, its requirements and its cost. Caleb and he were eyewitnesses to what happened - and shouldn't have happened- and to what should have happened - and didn't happen -. They were Moses' closest friends and partners, they were his spiritual sons.
They saw him laugh, they heard him cry in his tent.
They surely had hours of deep and long conversations in his tent. Maybe together with Aron, Miriam and Hur.
They saw Moses at his highest point when the waters of the Red Sea separated before him.
They saw him when he hit the rock in desperation and frustration.
They saw him walk into the cloud of glory, and later they followed him up the mountain into the same glory. They saw him come down and crush the two tablets of stone and pulverize the golden idol.
They saw him regularly walk into the tent and walk out after having encountered God face to face.
They saw him climb the mountain to not come back.
However, Joshua had to face similar challenges in his own walk with God and with the nation. Moses had to lead in times of pressure, shortage of provisions and vulnerability to the climate. Joshua had to lead in times of comfort, wealth of provision (vineyards and olive groves) and when milk and honey were flowing... and it was not any easier.
1. Consider your journey with God and the work of His hands (Josh 24: 2-13)
The whole nation presented itself before its Creator, God and King. Joshua called them together and as they all stood before His face, there was no difference between leaders and not-leaders, between young and old, mature and immature. They all stood individually before their God with their personal life and walk, their heart and mindsets, their emotions, dreams and thoughts. And with their families. God had wanted that since Mount Sinai (Ex 19).
Read Ps 138:7-8
They all assembled together and represented different lineages, different positions and roles in society. It was elders, heads of tribes, judges, officers, priests, families. It was Joshua and his government.
2. Partnership (Josh 24:2-13)
God said: 'I did' 'I gave' 'I brought' 'I destroyed' 'I delivered’. Did they understand that God was ready for a new season for His walk with them and especially their walk with Him? The key-word was partnership. He wanted to include them and take the whole journey from ‘I’ to ‘we’.
3. Heart and attitudes (Josh 24:14)
God - and Joshua - knew that this partnership would pressurize their lives and bring to the surface all kinds of internal issues. Joshua zoomed on two: Sincerity and fear of God.
4. Clarity (Josh 24:15)
This is the famous verse: "For me and my house, we will serve the Lord." The man, the husband, the father and maybe the grandfather Josua understood the personal prophetic call. He was clear, his stand was clear, his statement was clear, his voice was clear and loud.
5. Order (Josh 24:14-15)
This verse is surprising, not to say shocking. How come they carried the gods which their "fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt".
There is no doubt that this issue had been wrong all the way, but it seems that God 'tolerated' it. However, in the light of the future (journey, assignments, processes, turbulences, internal and external struggles, disappointments, mistakes, deficiencies) it will not be tolerated anymore. This fundamental disorder would become dangerous and life-threatening making them weak and unnecessary vulnerable. It could even abort their Kingdom-mission.
6. Testing (Josh 24:19-24)
The unusual conversation between Joshua and the people is mind-buggling.
They said: "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."
Then Joshua said: "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."
Then they replied: "No, but we will serve the Lord!"
What is this?
I believe that Joshua is testing the spiritual strength of their conviction, the level of resilience in their lives. It could be called 'tested by fire'. Actually Paul wrote about it in 1Cor. 3. And Peter was tested by jesus in an identical way (John 21).
7. Accountability (Josh 24:25-28)
The place where they all stood was the place of judgment. Joshua was both an individual standing there with his family and he was also the father of the nation and its judge. Not condemning, not rejecting, but weighing and testing. Judgment is part of Kingdom-normality and surely calls on maturity, responsibility and stature.
Conclusion:
"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.” Josh 24:31
This is what concerned Joshua.
Will they keep the territory?
Will they take a stand?
Will they devote themselves?
Will they take the legacy from the fathers and continue?
Like Isaac and Rebekah continued after Abraham and Sarah.
No they didn't.
Extremely supernatural and extremely sad... until the days of Samuel and David, who were Men after God's heart.
Philip DuPont (May 2021)
