One Last Thing

Remember What God Has Done

Jos.24:2-3 — God calls Abraham out from among the idol worshipers of his family lineage: marvel at God’s “Amazing Grace!”

Jos.24:3b-4 — God’s in no rush to multiply Abraham’s seed…one heir who has two heirs. Trust God’s timing even when it doesn’t make sense to us.

Jos.24:4-5 — Treasure the fact that God is honest up front, and that we won’t always understand His ways, but that He is honest.

He lists Esau’s inheritance first.

Then reminds us of the people of promise living in Egypt.

He is a God who may shut the mouths of lions and dance in the fire with us, while others are tortured, stoned, and sawn in two because the world isn’t worthy of them.

Never forget that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and He operates from an eternal and omniscient standpoint with perfect wisdom.

Jos.24:6-12 — The power of God has continually been on display as Israel has been lead from Egypt, in the wilderness, through battles on the west and east side of the Jordan, spared through the mouth of a donkey and confused prophet, and finally received the land. When and where God leads, He fights the battles. The biggest question still remains for us:

It’s not whether or not God is on our side, but rather, are we on God’s side?!

Jos.24:7, 13 — God’s providentially sustains Israel throughout her journey. They lived in the wilderness for a long time, and now they enjoy the fruit of vines they did not plant. God’s grace sustains us, sets us free, invites us to seek first His kingdom, and entrust provision to Him.

Remember What God Commands

All vv.14-28 are set in context by what God has done (I believe 17 x’s God mentions what He has done), it’s all set in context by the fact that He called Abraham out from idol worshipers, and the entire account recalls how false god’s were unable to thwart His work.

So now decide — if all of this means nothing, then pick which of these nothing gods you will serve (the irony of the famous Joshua verse!)

Beware of hasty, emotional decisions — Jos.24:19-20 “But Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to worship the Lord, because he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions and sins. If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy you, after he has been good to you.”

COUNT THE COST!

Finally, a stone to witness the matter. It is the last memorial stone in Joshua, the seventh, serving as a perpetual reminder of their commitment to a covenant God. And, as my favorite Joshua scholar notes, maybe “the greatest wonder lies in the fact that there is a covenant in the first place. ‘The ideas of a covenant between a deity and a people is unknown to us from other religions and cultures… It seems, however, that the covenantal idea was a special feature of the religion of Israel, the only one to demand exclusive loyalty and to preclude the possibility of dual or multiple loyalties such as were permitted in other religions, where the believer was bound in diverse relationships to many gods. The stipulation in political treaties demanding exclusive (fidelity) to one king corresponds strikingly with the religion’s belief in one single, exclusive deity.

“Where is there a God in the ancient world that binds Himself through covenant promise to a people? The only such peculiar God is YHWH, the God of Israel.”

And through Christ alone we are invited…called…to worship this peculiar God. Will you obey the first command and follow Him?!