Reading: Joshua 22-24
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. 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(Josh. 24:19-20).
And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware
to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt
therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according
to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not
a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered
all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of
any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house
of Israel; all came to pass (Josh. 21:43-45). After seven years
of near-constant conflict, God had brought peace to the land
of Israel. No longer was a standing army required; each man
was now free to return to the land God had granted him. Yet
even though the land was at peace, Joshua was troubled by
the fact that the Israelites had not succeeded in fully driving out
the previous inhabitants of the land (16:10; 17:13; 23:67). He
well remembered the warning God had given to Moses, and he
feared for the spiritual health of the people. But if ye will not
drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it
shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them
shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and
shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell (Num. 33:55). With this concern in the forefront of his mind, Joshua addressed
the people for the last time. Just as Moses had before
him, Joshua tried to make the people see their need for God.
He had first-hand experience with the fickle nature of the heart
of God’s people. He worried that now that the battle was over,
the fear that had bound them to the Lord would dissipate, and
they would become susceptible to the siren call of the pagan
cultures that they had foolishly allowed to remain in their midst.
Joshua urged them to always keep God in the forefront of their
thoughts. He warned them of the trouble that would come unless
they actively chose to serve God. To serve God fully, we must consciously choose to follow Him
and Him alone. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before (besides) me (Ex.
20:2-3). Our God is a jealous God (20:5), and He will tolerate
no other. The Israelites had stopped short of God’s command to
clear the land of its original inhabitants, and Joshua challenged
them to choose once and for all to whom their loyalty belonged.
He didn’t urge them to think about it, nor did he encourage them
to ‘try their best’ to follow God’s Laws. He commanded them
to make a permanent choice and then to stand as witnesses
to (live their lives in declarative proof of) their decision. 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. Now therefore
put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you,
and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel. And the
people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve,
and His voice will we obey(Josh. 24:22-24). Thought For Today:True victory over sin can only be achieved
with God and a lifetime of devotion following rebirth into the
body of Christ (no matter how long or short that life may be). Christ Revealed:Through the peace offering (Josh. 22:27). Our Lord offered
Himself to God as our means of peace with the Father. Being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). Word Studies:22:9 were possessed = had acquired; 22:10 to see to
= for all to see; 22:19 unclean = unfit; 22:20 accursed = banned; 22:23
require it = call us to account; 22:25 fearing = having reverential heartfelt
submission to; 22:27 part = share; 22:34 Ed = Witness; 23:1 waxed =
grew; 23:4 cut off = destroyed; 23:7 swear = promise, make a vow; 23:9
stand before = withstand. Pray For Staff:Jennifer Palafox • Country: Tuvalu (10,782) Southwestern
Pacific • Major Languages: Tuvaluan, English • Religious Freedom • 98.4%
Protestant; 1% Baha’i; 0.6% Other • Prayer Suggestion: Have faith in the
Word of God (John 4:49-53). Optional ReadingJohn 12