Joshua
chapter 24 begins with Joshua making his final address to the nation.
We read, “Joshua
assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem… and they presented
themselves before God“.
He begins by saying, “This
is what the Lord, the God of Israel says“.
He does not rely on his own eloquence; he simply quotes God. “Long
ago, your forefathers…lived beyond the River and worshipped other
gods. I took your father Abraham from the land and led him
throughout Canaan and gave him many descendents… When I brought
your fathers out of Egypt… you saw with your own eyes what I did to
the Egyptians… I brought you to the land of the Amorites… I gave
them into your hands… you crossed the Jordan… The Amorites, the
Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites… I gave them into your
hands… You did not do it with your sword and bow. So I gave you
the land… you eat from the vineyards and olive groves you did not
plant.”
Joshua comes to one firm conclusion, “Now
fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness“.
After
presenting the evidence for his faith, Joshua offers the people a
choice. “But
if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for
yourself this day whom you will serve“.
This is the choice every person must also make. There is no middle
ground of neutrality. The Bible teaches that each of us must decide
if we will rely on our own righteousness or accept our need for a
Savior. According to the Bible, you must be perfect, or you are a
sinner in need of the Savior. In Matthew 12:30, Jesus said, “He
who is not for Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me,
scatters“.
Joshua boldly declares, “But
as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord“.
Joshua is as unwavering in his commitment at the end of his life as
he has been since his youth. Please notice Joshua does not say, I
will follow God, but I will let my children decide for themselves
what they want to do. If you have lukewarm commitment to your faith,
do not expect your children to follow it. Joshua is firm in his
understanding of God and the chapter concludes, “Israel
served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who
outlived him“.
What will be your spiritual legacy?
The
sermon ends with Joshua giving the people the same choice. “If
you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring
disaster on you, after He has been good to you“.
But the people said to Joshua, “No!
We will serve the Lord“.
And Joshua exhorts, “Yield
your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel“.
The book of Joshua ends with both Joshua and Eleazar the priest
dieing and being buried in the land of their inheritance. We also
read that the bones of Joseph, which had been carried out of Egypt,
were also buried in the land that his father, Jacob purchased.
Hebrews 11:21 explains that Joseph believed God’s promise that the
nation would return to the land; “By
faith… he gave instructions about his bones“.
Faith always requires action. In Revelation 22:20 Jesus promises,
“Yes,
I am coming soon“.
Do you believe it?