Untitled Sermon (25)

The End of Joshua’s Leadership

Joshua had a successful rule as the leader of Israel after Moses’ death. Not only was it Joshua who lead the people of God into the promised land; he was the one who served as General as they conquered the lands God promised to them. Furthermore, Joshua also divided the land between the 12 tribes and helped establish Israel as a self sustaining people who lived and prospered with God’s direction.

It is hard to overstate the importance of Joshua to the story of Israel and the story of God’s people. While many look to Moses as the father of the promised land, the truth is Joshua was just as big of part of the people inheriting the land as Joshua was.

So, at the age of 110 they buried Joshua in Timnath-heres a huge part of Israel’s story was buried with him. And some might assume that because of Joshua’s faith the people of Israel were on track for success. However, that was not exactly true.

Like many of us, Israel was about to learn that just because our forefathers or leaders lead from a position of Christ does not guarantee that the generations will follow.

The Faithfulness of God

The people of Israel had prospered and succeeded under the leadership of Joshua, because of God’s faithfulness to them. As Joshua lead the people he kept God and his promises at the forefront of the people. In fact, the one instance that Joshua found out that the people had disobeyed God was when Achan had taken some of the spoils from Jericho and kept them which lead to their defeat at Ai. In Joshua 6-7 we read of how Joshua lead the people in a time of repentance to allow God’s blessing to once again rule in their Midst.

All throughout the story of Joshua the emphasis is not placed on him, or what he did- but on God! The success of Israel was set into motion by God when he commissioned Joshua for leadership in ChaPeter 1:

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.””

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:6-9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The prosperity of the people was connected to God’s faithfulness; and how they would be faithful to God.

The Compromise of Israel

But the people lost sight of the faithfulness of God- they compromised. They did not follow through with what God asked them to do. God had given them this command in Joshua 1- do not make covenants with the people of the Promised Land- drive them out and make it a holy place of just my people. Well, if you read the last 4 chapters of Joshua and then Judges 1,2 you will see how the people got too relaxed on what God told them to do. The allowed some of the Cananites to stay. They made them slaves, or gave them part of the land to live on, or they just integrated them into their society.

They compromised on what God said—-

Let’s face it, we do it too. God tells us something or requires something from us and we say “this one time wont hurt” or “Maybe God was wrong about this” We convince ourselves that God didn’t really mean it, or that God will understand.

A very wise man once told me “compromise is defeat on an installment plan.” He reminded me that many times Satan cannot get you to turn your back on God in one huge spin; sometimes it just takes one small step at a time.

I think about people I know who used to be faithfully worshipping with us in this very sanctuary. If you would have said to them “you wont be going to church at all within 2 years” they would have said “no way! Church is too important to me” but a pandemic came, and sleeping in a little later on Sunday sure was nice, and I can watch online became convenient and now they have no real connection with a home church- why? What seemed like a small, temporary compromises.

Or how about the person raised in the church, who once had a relationship with Christ who now has been sucked into drugs..

Notice, friends, the people of Israel never just said “hey, let’s just abandon God!” They did not say “turn from your beliefs.” Nope, they compromised.

The culture has done a good job of tricking us, friends. They have pushed the idea of tolerance to an extreme. Let me be clear, as people of faith we are always called to be tolerant of people, but we are never to be tolerant of sin. They have told us that if we keep any kind of conviction strongly and push against someone or something who asks us to compromise our beliefs we are being intolerant. But the truth is that I can tolerate a person but reject their choices or behaviors,

In fact, the Bible commands us to be completely intolerant or ungodly behaviors. The word tells us in 1 Pt 1:16

1 Peter 1:16 (ESV)

since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Be holy- hagios. The word is concentrated- set apart for the Lord’s work or service. It is the same word that is used for things in the temple like the altar, or the furniture, that the things of God are to be treated differently. Peter tells us that it is not just things that are holy and need to be set apart, but WE ARE HOLY.

A friend of mine was a confessing Christian who like to use a lot of “colorful language” I remember talking with him one day and he made a comment that he would never curse in a church because it was “God’s house”…..

The Generational Consequence

Because here is the reality the Israelites found themselves in; because of their compromise a generation was lost. God was absent

“And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭2:11-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The consequences were grave and literally lasted for generations. This very transition began a 410 year spiral of God’s people.

I wonder how many of those people were banking of Joshua. Figuring that God’s promise to Joshua was good for them and that because of his position with God their blessing was secured.

At some point we must hand off the need for faithfulness to the next generation. I saw a post on Facebook that said:

When Jesus is optional to you he will be unnecessary to your kids and unknown to your grandkids.