Joshua 15-22; 23-24; 25

Intro and review

Joshua has taken over and gone to war and started taking the ground in Canaan God had given to Israel

Last week we read about Caleb as an old man taking the same dominion he could as a youth because Yahweh was fighting before and working through him!

Chapter 15-19

Continue telling us how the land was distributed to the people of Israel

Chapter 16-17

Joshua 16:1 “1 And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,”

Joshua 16:4 “4 So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.”

The problem was: Joshua 16:10 “10 And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.”

Joshua 17:12–13 “12 Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. 13 Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out.”

They had no problem taking the land given to them by draw and had no problem making a deal with the Canaanites to collect money from them for them to remain in the land

But taking filthy lucre is more evil than just not finishing the job

Then they have the gall to say they didn’t have enough room: Joshua 17:14 “14 And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?”

Joshua’s response is great: Joshua 17:15 “15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.”

But they keep whining: Joshua 17:16 “16 And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.”

Like so many today, this isn’t an issue with ability. They were strong enough to make the Canaanites slaves by tax. This is an issue of work ethic. They were strong enough but didn’t want to do the hard thing of taking the land and utterly driving them out the way Yahweh God told them to do. Man a week before a presidential election and that sounds familiar. What’s the answer?

Joshua 17:17–18 “17 And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only: 18 But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.”

Thankfully through the Helene damage I have seen signs of the church standing up and doing the hard thing of taking care of those who’ve lost everything and doing the job God gave the church but the church passed off the to government. Now we need to keep working and start taking back the dominion we have given up which is the churches birthright until Jesus comes back!

Chapter 20

Cities of refuge - cities to run to if you accidentally killed someone so the family couldn’t come and kill you

Chapter 21

Levitical cities - Levite priest wasn’t given a land of their own but would rely on the Lord and the people. Spread the priest throughout the land and every tribe would have a priest nearby.

Joshua 21:43–45 “43 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44 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. 45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.”

Chapter 22

Altar of Witness Controversy

Joshua 22:11–12 “11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel. 12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.”

Joshua 22:21–22 “21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)”

Joshua 22:26–27 “26 Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: 27 But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.”

Joshua 22:29 “29 God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.”

Joshua 22:30–31 “30 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.”

Peaceful resolution to division in the church

Chapters 23-24 are Joshua’s farewell commendation to the people of Israel

Chapter 23

Joshua 23:1-13

In his old age, Joshua calls together all of Israel's leaders for a final pep talk, reminding them how God has fought all their battles and given them the land just as He promised.

Joshua then gives them a serious warning that they must continue to obey everything written in the Law of Moses, stay strong, and not mix with the remaining Canaanite peoples or worship their gods.

He explains that if they remain faithful, God will continue to fight for them and drive out their enemies, but if they intermarry with the Canaanites or worship their gods, these nations will become like traps and thorns to them, leading to their destruction.

Joshua 23:14–16 KJV

14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: 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. 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.

Joshua warns the people that he’s dying but they know that Yahweh God almighty has kept every promise to them and hasn’t failed in one little thing.

And because of that, if they break the covenant with Yahweh God and chase the gods of this land and worship them, God will be just as faithful to His promise to judge them! To the point of Joshua 23:15 “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.”

America is under the judging hand of God right now. We only have the lesser of two evils in unjust judges to rule over us, we kill over 2500 babies every day, and we have not only profaned God’s institution of marriage but are do deep in wicked rebellion we call men women and women men and allow our schools to teach our kids it’s good and very good to do all the above.

Chapter 24

Joshua 24:1-13

Joshua 24:1 “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.”

Joshua 24:2–3 “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. 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.”

Joshua goes on giving the history of all Yahweh God has done to this point for the nation of Israel. Yahweh God was with them from taking them out of Egypt to the blessings of Balaam in the wilderness and crossing the Jordan into the promised land and God driving out the enemies before them.

Joshua 24:12–13 “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.”

Joshua reminds them all that was done, was done by Yahweh God and not by any strength or ability of their own.

This is an exact picture of where we are today! We live in cities we didn’t build and eat and drink what God grew.

“I have no use for a God (or gods) who would decide to send a disaster like this. This is a deal breaker for me.” -Andrew Gaertner Was Hurricane Helene an Act of God? Medium.com

I’ve seen less of these kind of statements and articles this time than in times past which tells us God is extending grace and mercy and I sure don’t want to get hung up on the negatives. Zebras have stripes and leopards have spots. But when the God deniers constantly accuse Christians of inconsistency in my moments in the flesh it can grate on me. Mr. Gaertner can write that line in an article on the same site he wrote this:

“We have had students here on the farm for the last two weeks. It has taken all of our attention and energy to support this Montessori community experience for 13 and 14-year-olds. It is satisfying to see the farm being occupied to its full potential. The young adults are hiking the land, caring for the animals, starting seeds, tapping maple trees, monitoring wild bird populations, and making a variety of products to sell. Plus they have to play, study math, cook and clean up after, and make and eat many baked goods. I can barely keep up, and I am supposed to be leading.” -Andrew Gaertner Farm Friday, March 8th, 2024 Medium.com

“My surface identity is simple to talk about. I am a 53-year-old white man who grew up in Wisconsin. My dad is a retired Lutheran minister, and my mom, also retired, held various working-class jobs throughout her life. I have one younger brother, who lives in Michigan, and one older brother, who died in 1996. I currently live in rural northwest Wisconsin on a farm. I have worked for the last 22 years as a farm manager for a Montessori school, where I mostly work with middle schoolers. I’m married, and my partner and I have a dog, Pippa, but no children of our own. I think and write about the existential threats we face: exploitative capitalism, climate change, racial injustice, Indigenous rights, ocean acidification, anti-fascism, and more. I especially think about how I can be part of the positive potential for us all to do more than survive.” -About me by Andrew Gaertner

But we in the church do the same thing! We We live in cities we didn’t build and eat and drink what God grew then wonder how God made Joe Biden president, the government our tax slave owners, and pray Psalm 94:3–5 “3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? 4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? 5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage.” and plead with Jesus to come back not because we long to be with the one that saved us but to rescue us from the hard thing!

What does God call us to do?

Joshua 24:14–15 KJV

14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: 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.

God calls us to serve Him! Joshua tells them AND US to “choose you this day whom ye will serve”

Joshua 24:16–18 “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.”

Joshua 24:19–22 “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. 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. 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.”

Joshua 24:23–28 “23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. 24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. 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. 28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.”

Joshua 24:29–31 “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. 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. 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.”

Conclusion

If you weren’t a part of the family of Israel, you’re getting chased out at best destroyed at worst. If you aren’t saved today, at some point in God’s time there is no best case. Your life will be destroyed and your soul will spend eternity seeing land you’ll never own, food you’ll never eat, water you’ll never drink, running and never getting away, falling and never landing, and worse. Coming to Jesus and asking Him to save you and trusting His work on Calvary’s Cross is the only way to become a part of the family of God!

Moses dies and Joshua takes over. God clears the land through miracles and the blood and sweat of Israel. God promises to walk with them from then on. They follow God and serve the the Lord....and then they’ll chase after foreign gods.

We follow the same pattern today in the church. We, I need to choose this day whom I will serve, I need to cleave unto the Lord my God as I have until now and then serve the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlive Joshua, and all the days of the elders that lead the church today, and all the days of those that outlive them. That way I can model for my children and my children’s children serving the Lord until the Day that’s approaching!