Joshua 24

Joshua’s Farewell to Israel

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

Joshua 24 is a formal, public, ceremonial renewal of the covenant at Shechem.

Joshua reminds Israel of the proven faithfulness of the Lord. He then challenges Israel to choose their response to this faithful God. Joshua doubted that Israel would remain faithful to the Lord after he died - and he was right. Soon Israel began to disobey the Lord and embrace the behavior and beliefs of the world - which begins with the next book - the Book of the Judges.

(1) Then Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to *Shechem, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers. So they came and **presented themselves to God.

• *Shechem:
• Genesis 12:6-7: Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
• Genesis 33:19-20: Later, having traveled all the way from Paddan-aram, Jacob arrived safely at the town of Shechem, in the land of Canaan. There he set up camp outside the town. Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver. And there he built an altar and named it *El-Elohe-Israel.
  • *El-Elohe-Israel: God, the God of Israel
• The last time Israel was gathered together in that area Joshua had called the nation together into a large valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim - he’d called the people together into this huge natural amphitheater - for the people to hear the blessings and the cursings from the law in chapter 8.
• What had begun at Shechem perhaps 600-700 years earlier at a simple stone altar next to a Terebinth tree at a site that held no city and likely not even a village yet, came full circle. His promise of land had been kept by the Lord. With Joshua as the leader, Israel was now firmly entrenched in the Promised Land, territories allotted to the 12 tribes, the enemy subdued, a semi-permanent location for the Sanctuary had been established and God’s people were at rest. In fact, this was a time like no other in Israel’s history. Their obedience and dedication to the Lord was at its peak, and thus were their blessings. Sadly this state of affairs would be very short lived.
• **presented themselves to God: It is generally assumed that the ark of the covenant had been transferred on this occasion to Shechem, but it may simply denote that the people were "signing" a covenant between themselves and God with Joshua as the intermediary (as Jesus is to us).

(2) Joshua said to the people, “This is what *the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including **Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods.

• In the first part of this chapter, Joshua rehearses part of their history, as did Stephen in the Book of Acts.
• *the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “thus says YHWH the Elohim of Israel…”
• **Terah: Genesis 11:27: This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.

(3) But *I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac.

• *I: Notice how many I's are in verses 3-13 showing that it is God speaking either directly or through Joshua!
• Genesis 11:31: One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.
• Genesis 12:1: The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.

(4) To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the *mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

• *mountains of Seir:
  • Mount Seir is a mountain range in Edom extending from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba, the more eastern of the two arms of the Red Sea.
  • Petra in Jordan is located next to the mountain (or mountain range) of Mount Seir, and other nations and people often referred to Petra as Mount Seir.
  • Genesis 36:6-8: Esau took his wives, his children, and his entire household, along with his livestock and cattle - all the wealth he had acquired in the land of Canaan - and moved away from his brother, Jacob. There was not enough land to support them both because of all the livestock and possessions they had acquired. So Esau (also known as Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.
  • Deuteronomy 2:1-5: “Then we turned around and headed back across the wilderness toward the Red Sea, just as the Lord had instructed me, and we wandered around in the region of Mount Seir for a long time. “Then at last the Lord said to me, ‘You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north. Give these orders to the people: “You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land.
  • Deuteronomy 2:12, 22: In earlier times the Horites had lived in Seir, but they were driven out and displaced by the descendants of Esau, just as Israel drove out the people of Canaan when the Lord gave Israel their land.) ... He had done the same for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, for he destroyed the Horites so they could settle there in their place. The descendants of Esau live there to this day.
  • Ezekiel 35:5-9: “Your eternal hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come! I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return. I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your ravines will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

(5) “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought terrible plagues on Egypt; and afterward I brought you out as a free people.

(6) But when your ancestors arrived at the Red Sea, the Egyptians chased after you with chariots and charioteers.

(7) When your ancestors cried out to the Lord, I put darkness between you and the Egyptians. I brought the sea crashing down on the Egyptians, drowning them. With your very own eyes you saw what I did. Then you lived in the wilderness for many years.

(8) “Finally, I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land.

(9) Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, started a war against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you,

(10) but I would not listen to him. Instead, I made Balaam bless you, and so I rescued you from Balak.

(11) “When you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them.

(12) And I sent *terror **ahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. It was ***not your swords or bows that brought you victory.

• *terror (hornet in some versions):
• Hebrew: tsir'ah, meaning “stinging”. The word is used in these passages as referring to some means by which the Canaanites were to be driven out from before the Israelites. Some have supposed that the word is used in a metaphorical sense as the symbol of some panic which would seize the people as a “terror of God” (Genesis 35:5), the consternation with which God would inspire the Canaanites. In Palestine there are four species of hornets, differing from our hornets, being larger in size, and they are very abundant. They attack human beings in a ferocious manner. The ferocious attack of a swarm of hornets drives cattle and horses to madness, and has even caused the death of the animals.
• Joshua 2:11: No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
• Joshua 5:1: When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear because of them.
• Joshua 9:24: They replied, “We did it because we - your servants - were clearly told that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you this entire land and to destroy all the people living in it. So we feared greatly for our lives because of you. That is why we have done this.
• **ahead of you:
  • Exodus 23:20: “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.
  • Exodus 23:27: “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run
  • Exodus 23:28: I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites.
  • Psalm 44:3: They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.
• ***not your swords: If you've ever had your car "die" on you and you suddenly had to steer it to the side of the road, you realize that most of the steering had been coming from a " power" outside of yourself!

(13) I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build - the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.

• Notice what is missing from God’s review of Israel’s history: Their failures are strangely forgotten - no mention of the failure of the spies at Kadesh-Barnea. Here, He seems to have “forgotte ” Israel’s past sin.

(14) “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. *Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. **Serve the Lord alone.

• *Put away forever the idols:
• While in Egypt, they had been worshipping the Egyptian gods and idols.
• He's well aware that they have idols in their tents and try to worship both YWHW and the gods of the land - straddling the fence between YWHW and the gods of Canaan. Of course, they'll say they will worship YWHW alone, but they won't. The next book (Judges) gives us the result.
• Genesis 35:2: So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing.
• 1 Samuel 7:3-4: Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord.
• Amos 5:25-26: “Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel? No, you served your pagan gods - Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god - the images you made for yourselves.
• Acts 7:42-43: Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written, ‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel? No, you carried your pagan gods - the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon.’
• Ezekiel 20:6-8: I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them - a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere. Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, get rid of the vile images you are so obsessed with. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt, for I am the Lord your God.’ “But they rebelled against me and would not listen. They did not get rid of the vile images they were obsessed with, or forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I threatened to pour out my fury on them to satisfy my anger while they were still in Egypt.
• **Serve the Lord alone:
  • Matthew 6:21, 24: Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. ... “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
  • Romans 12:2: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

(15) But IF you refuse to serve the Lord, then CHOOSE TODAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? BUT *AS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.”

• He is saying: "You think you can go on in a sort of neutral position between following the devil and following the Lord and simply follow both. You can't do it." This is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters." You must serve either God or Satan. You cannot serve both. There is no intermediate ground.
• Joshua makes it clear that if the Israelites don't serve the Lord then they will serve another God. How can he say this? Because it is human nature to serve a god. It's just a question of which one. Atheists and humanists are no exception to this rule. They may not serve a supernatural god but they do serve a god. Perhaps their work is their god or their possessions or their pleasures or their power. Whatever drives them is their god. That's human nature and we cannot change that. This is why Joshua challenges the Israelites to choose their god. But whatever their choice, he makes it clear that he and his house will serve the Lord. On what basis does he make this decision? Well, the historical prologue provides the basis.
• *AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE: Joshua’s parting word to the people is a word about the responsibility of fathers in the family:
  1. He is looked up to for strength.
  2. He is looked to as the provider.
  3. He sets the standard for good or evil.
  4. He sets the pattern of what a man is (or is not).
  5. Usually the rest of the family will follow his lead.
  6. What a disaster when the father influences his children for evil. When he fails to set a Godly example for the rest of the family.
  • However, as parents, we are responsible to make the best choice for ourselves and then teach it to our children. We cannot, of course, ultimately decide for them. When they are on their own, they will exercise their power to choose for themselves. But we can forbid all evil in our own homes, whether the evil of idolatrous worship or any other evil acts. And we can insist that those subject to us learn about the true God and be urged in every possible way to serve Him. This was the choice Joshua made for his family.
  • Genesis 18:19: I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”
  • Proverbs 22:6: Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it
  • Ephesians 6:4: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
• Millennia have passed since Joshua stood before Israel and commanded them to make their choice. Times have changed, but some things never change. They are still fighting in that land, but the weapons are different. Man must still make his choice as to which God he will serve.
  1. A man's false god may have been a chariot, whereas today it is his Harley.
  2. Whereas his false god may have been a little multi-breasted idol, today it is a X-rated video.
  3. The issue remains the same. Will these be first in my life, or will my love and service for God exceed my love and service to these things?
• 1 Kings 18:21: Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.
• Acts 16:31: They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”

(16) The people replied, “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods.

• Words are meaningless unless backed up by actions. James 2:14,26: What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ... Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

(17) For the Lord our God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us.

(18) It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the Lord, for he alone is our God.”

(19) Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.

• Joshua tells them they can't do it. The greatest peril of all in the Christian faith is false confidence. You say, "Well, certainly I can do what God wants. I've got what it takes. After all, I know the Scriptures. I have been raised in the right church. I can certainly walk faithfully and honestly before God. Don't talk to me about apostasy, defeat, back-sliding. I can serve the Lord." Joshua says, "You cannot serve God."
• Jon Courson said this: “Joshua knew the people had idols in their tents and in their homes. He knew they were talking the talk but not prepared to walk the walk. He knew they would say, “Hip, hip, hooray for the Lord” in the midst of the congregation. But in reality, their idols would be at home waiting for them.”
• This greatest lesson of the spiritual life is that you have no strength in yourself to stand, no matter how long you have walked before God. You can never have a moment of strength to stand by yourself. Your strength comes out of weakness and your sense of dependence. Your sense of your constant need of God's strength is the only thing that will keep you.

(20) IF you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”

(21) But the people answered Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!”

(22) “You are a witness to your own decision,” Joshua said. “You have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes,” they replied, “we are witnesses to what we have said.”

• Joshua is reminding them that they are taking a formal, legal vow placing themselves in a binding covenant relationship with God.
• This was a binding covenant before God.

(23) “All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

• He knew that idolatry was already present. How could they say they would serve the Lord when they were already entertaining idols?

(24) The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.”

• Easy words to say, but they fail to do it! That is why the next book, the book of Judges, is the book of defeat.

(25) So Joshua made a *covenant with the people that day at Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of the Lord.

• *covenant: He is summoning Israel to a solemn and binding ritual of rededication and a re-consecration to the Lord and His Word. Characteristically, this was often done in the Old Testament by the forging of a covenant. And the word covenant occurs somewhere between 200 and 250 times and is a word used to describe the relationship of God to His people.

(26) Joshua recorded these things in the Book of God’s Instructions. As a reminder of their agreement, he took a huge *stone and rolled it beneath the **terebinth tree beside the ***Tabernacle of the Lord.

• *stone: The purpose of this stone is the key. This was a third covenant renewal service! This is the ninth and last memorial mentioned in the Book of Joshua.
• The stones in the midst of the Jordan (4:9).
• The stones on the western bank of the Jordan (4:20-24).
• The stones in the Valley of Achor (7:26).
• The heap of stones at Ai (8:29).
• The altar on Mt. Ebal (8:30).
• The stones of the law on Mt. Ebal (8:32).
• The stones at the cave at Makkedah (10:27).
• The altar built by the tribes east of the Jordan (22:10ff).
• Joshua's stone of witness (24:26-28).
• **terebinth tree: Probably the same tree under which Jacob buried the idols found in his family.
  • Genesis 35:4: So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.
• ***Tabernacle: Either the spot where the ark had stood, or else the place around, so called from that religious meeting, as Jacob named Beth-el the house of God.

(27) Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you IF you go back on your word to God.”

• These were the last recorded words of Joshua to Israel, and the setting up of the stone of witness his last recorded act.

(28) Then Joshua sent all the people away to their own homelands.

(29) After this, Joshua son of Nun, the *servant of the Lord, died at the age of **110.

• *servant of the Lord:
  • No greater tribute could be paid to Joshua than the fact that he was called simply the servant of the Lord. He aspired to no greater rank than this.
  • Joshua 1:1: After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: (NKJV)
  • Luke 22:25-27: Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
• **110: This is also the age of Joseph when he died: Genesis 50:26: So Joseph died at the age of 110. The Egyptians embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
• Phinehas or Samuel must have completed this book.

Buried in the Promised Land

(30) They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

• Joshua was buried "in the land he had been allocated," giving us a contrast with the burial of the patriarchs who had to be buried in places bought from strangers. Joshua was not buried in a strange land, but on his own property!
• Deuteronomy and Joshua conclude in similar ways, one with the final speech and burial of Moses and the other with the final speech of and burial of Joshua.

(31) The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him - those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel.

• His spiritual energy had effect on the elders who outlived him, so that Israel continued to serve the Lord during their lives. They had first hand knowledge of the great works of the Lord on behalf of Israel, but failed to so impress their children as to preserve them from departure.
• As we will see in the book of Judges, faithfulness to God extended only to the next generation.
• It is amazing to read Kings and Chronicles and see how often a godly king was succeeded by an evil, idol worshipping son!

(32) The *bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the parcel of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for 100 pieces of silver. This land was located in the territory allotted to the descendants of Joseph.

• *bones of Joseph:
  • Genesis 50:24-26: “Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, “When God comes to help you and lead you back you must take my bones with you.” So Joseph died at the age of 110. The Egyptians embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
  • Exodus 13:19: Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear to do this. He said, “God will certainly come to help you. When he does, you must take my bones with you from this place.”
  • Hebrews 11:22: It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.
  • So, why do you think it was so important to Joseph to have his bones buried in the Promised Land?

(33) *Eleazar son of Aaron also died. He was buried in the hill country of Ephraim, in the town of Gibeah, which had been given to his son **Phinehas.

• *Eleazar:
• So the old generation is passing away and the new generation is coming in. And as we move into Judges, we'll begin to see how soon they moved away from God, how soon they went into apostasy.
• The sepulcher is at the modern village Awertah, which, according to Jewish travelers, contains the graves also of Ithamar, the brother of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar.
• Eleazar had been a faithful priest in the establishing of Israel in the land, but he too passes off the scene, so that the Book of Judges introduces an era much different than that of Joshua. In the main, Joshua has been a book of victory, though not without setbacks. Judges deals mainly with Israel's failure, not without grace shining through.
• Numbers 20:28: At the summit, Moses removed the priestly garments from Aaron and put them on Eleazar, Aaron’s son. Then Aaron died there on top of the mountain, and Moses and Eleazar went back down.
• The family of Eleazar held the high priesthood until about (1162 BC, when Eli, of the line of Ithamar, became judge and high priest. Solomon restored the high priesthood to the line of Eleazar during his reign, with the investiture of Zadok as high priest.
• Eleazar is a name meaning "God helps." He was the third son to be born among the four brothers [Numbers 3:2]. We know that Nadab and Abihu "had no children" [Numbers 3:4], so it was through Eleazar and Ithamar that "the line of priestly descent from Aaron is traced" [Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, p. 389]. Eleazar, as the older of the two surviving sons, was given the seniority in matters of priestly responsibility over his younger brother, and succeeded to the high priestly office after his father's death [Numbers 20:23-29; Deuteronomy 10:6]. Prior to that, however, he was "the chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary" [Numbers 3:32]. He was further responsible for "all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings" [Numbers 4:16]. It was in the presence of Eleazar that Joshua was commissioned by Moses as the new leader of the people of Israel -- "And Moses did just as the Lord commanded him: he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him" [Numbers 27:22-23]. After entering the promised land, "Eleazar and Joshua, according to Joshua 14:1 [see also: Numbers 34:17], were the key figures in the distribution of Canaanite territories among the Israelite tribes" [Holman Bible Dictionary, page 407].
• **Phinehas:
• Exodus 6:25: Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she gave birth to his son, Phinehas.
• Numbers 25:6-8,11: Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into his tent, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as everyone was weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle. When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. He took a spear and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man’s body and into the woman’s stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, ... “Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest has turned my anger away from the Israelites by being as zealous among them as I was. So I stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended to do in my zealous anger.
• Psalm 106:28-31: Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor; they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead! They angered the Lord with all these things, so a plague broke out among them. But Phinehas had the courage to intervene, and the plague was stopped. So he has been regarded as a righteous man ever since that time.
• "After Joshua, the history of Israel goes downhill [until David]. Joshua 24 thus marks the high point of Israel's history, the full realization of her identity as people of God." - Butler, Trent C. Joshua. Word Biblical Commentaries series. Waco: Word Books, 1983.

APPLICATION and LESSONS to LEARN:

1. Talk to God about trusting Him with your dreams and about having the kind of faith that Joseph, Moses and Joshua had, believing that God will bring about the dreams that He gives, even if they are delayed beyond your lifetime.
2. This greatest lesson of the spiritual life is that you have no strength in yourself to stand, no matter how long you have walked before God. You can never have a moment of strength to stand by yourself. Your strength comes out of weakness and your sense of dependence. Your sense of your constant need of God's strength is the only thing that will keep you.
3. It was relatively easy for the Israelites to worship the other gods – they didn’t demand much. It was easy to carry a wooden carving, throw a bit of grain at the feet of an altar, bow to the sun. But God demands all. It is relatively easy for us to carry our own dreams and desires and live for them, throw a bit of money at a charitable cause, raise our hands and shout praise to a sports hero. But God demands all.
4. Joshua doesn’t leave room for casual faith, for serving God when it is convenient or when things are going well or when life is easy. He doesn’t leave room for doing faith on our terms. He calls us to serve “with all faithfulness.” What if there is no reward? No appreciation? Nothing but opposition? Joshua says “serve the Lord with all faithfulness.”
5. Why didn't the next generation know the Lord and what He had done for Israel? Because the people of Joshua's generation failed to keep their promise and teach their children and grandchildren to fear and serve the Lord.
6. May God grant that over our grave someone might erect a simple stone, with a name, and the words "Servant of the Lord." May God grant on that Day that we will hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord."
7. Why did Joshua's generation fail to pass their values on to the next generation? Why did the next generation lack obedience? The truth is we don't know, but that lesson has been repeated through all of history. So how do biblical values correctly get passed on to the next generation? The Bible tells us to raise our children in the way they should go (i.e., teach them to follow God) and when they are older, they will not depart from that teaching. (This is a paraphrase of Proverbs 22:6).
8. God will never do EVERYTHING for us, for that negates any responsibility on our part.
9. Joshua did not contemplate any possibility of neutrality as he posed the choice to be made. The Israelites would either choose to go with Israel’s God or they would choose to embrace the pagan gods of the people of Canaan. So it is today. There is no middle course. “No one can serve two masters”.
10. Verse 31 tells us that the lifestyle Joshua demonstrated, the leadership he exercised, and the message his life told, which was summarized in chapters 23 and 24, had a lasting impact on his generation and the generation that followed. I want God to use what I say and how I live in a way that will have an effect long after I'm gone. Joshua's epitaph was not written on a marble gravestone. It was engraved on the hearts and lives of people who had trusted him and submitted themselves to his leadership.
11. In the 21st century, Western world we tend to compartmentalize religion in our lives. We tend to see our religion (faith) as but one aspect of our lives, and as not terribly unlike exercise, or our favorite social activity, or (in most cases) our jobs. We have a place and a purpose and a time in our lives for each of these activities and we consciously attempt to keep them separate from one another; our jobs should not affect our family relationships; our hobbies should not affect our social activities, and our religion should have only to do with strictly religious activities under limited circumstances. Therefore the god of our jobs is our boss and our paycheck, the god of our social activity is pleasure and leisure, the god of our exercise is our physical body, and these do not necessarily have a tie to the god of our religion.

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at http://joshua-biblestudy.blogspot.com/2011/07/joshua-references-and-sources.html

Joshua 23

Joshua 23 - Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders

Joshua begins his farewell address – 23:1-5

(1) The years passed, and the Lord had given the people of Israel rest from all their enemies. Joshua, who was now very old,

• This is about 13 or 14 years after the conquest of Canaan, and seven after the division of the land among the tribes.
• Remember he was 80 years old when the Israelites left Sinai.
• Joshua 13:1: When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.
• Judges 2:7-12: And the Israelites served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him - those who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. The Israelites did evil in the Lord ’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord.

(2) called together all the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. He said to them, “I am now a very old man.

• We do not know whether this took place at Timmoth-serah where Joshua lived or at Shiloh where the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant were located or at Shechem, the location of the speech recorded in Joshua 24.
• Chapter 23 is a farewell speech just to the leaders of Israel. Chapter 24 is a speech to all the Israelites.

(3) You have seen everything the Lord your God has done for you during my lifetime. The Lord your God has fought for you against your enemies.

• It was natural for the Israelites to credit Joshua for the success. But, Joshua shows them that all their enemies had been defeated because the Lord their God had fought for them and that God alone should have the glory. A good example for us! If only our country's leaders had this attitude! True humility seems to be lacking in our political leaders today. A big ego seems to be a requirement for office in this land of ours.
• Joshua is giving a brief history lesson to remind the leaders what God has done for them in the past and can yet do for them - if they remain faithful and do not follow the ways of the Gentile inhabitants of the land.

(4) I have allotted to you as your homeland ALL the land of the nations YET UNCONQUERED, as well as the land of those we have already conquered - from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

• The power of the Canaanite armies had been broken so that they could make no defeat the Israelites, but they were still strong enough in some areas, especially along the coast, to keep the Israelites out without major warfare - which the tribes were unwilling to conduct.

(5) This land will be yours, for the Lord your God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.

• So he had divided the land up. However, they had not yet taken all of the land. They had taken enough to settle but they had not yet fully driven out all of the enemies. And so Joshua is telling them that God will lead them to victory and encourages them to take the rest of the territory that God had promised to them.
• To fail to finish taking and occupying the rest of the land was sinful!
• Israel was ordered to finish the work of totally conquering the remaining heathen and to fully dispossess them. God would be with Israel in the remaining conflict, Joshua declared. But, they did not fully obey Joshua’s command as given here.

Warning to keep God’s law and be faithful to Him – 23:6-10

(6) “So be very careful to follow EVERYTHING Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. DO NOT DEVIATE from it, turning either to the right or to the left.

• Joshua’s words are a reminder of Moses’ exhortation to the nation of Israel just before his death to keep all that had been written in the Law. Now Joshua did the same thing. But, he knew their heart and knew they'd quickly depart from the laws set down by God through Moses.
• The Torah was then in written form and complete and was to be the strict rule of faith and conduct for all Israel! It is evident that Joshua ended the Torah after Moses' death. Who will wrap up Joshua's book after his death?

(7) Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them.

• Daniel 3:16-18: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
• John 17:15-16: I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do.
• Romans 12:2: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
• 1 Corinthians 15:33: Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
• 2 Corinthians 6:14-15: Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?
• Philippians 2:14-15: Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
• James 4:4: You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
• Joshua was now concerned  about Israel’s winning the spiritual war just as he had been dedicated to their victory in the military realm.
• Israel was to have no dealings, social, commercial, civil, religious or business, with their heathen neighbors. If Israel became involved with their heathen  neighbors, these pagans would lead them astray from following the true God of heaven and earth.
• During the closing years of Joshua's life, he became increasingly aware of Israel's growing complacency and their tendency to compromise with the heathen. Some of the heathen had already been put into slavery to the Israelites rather than being eliminated, and that was a source of wealth that added new power to the temptation to allow the nations a place among God's people. The former slaves enjoyed becoming slave owners.
• This is the problem we have today of living with worldly people around us. The influence of these people can be very strong. We are in the world, but we must not be of the world. We must not practice the ways of the world. God wants His people to be holy, for He is holy.

(8) RATHER, *CLING tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

• *CLING:
• Same word is used in verse 12 to provide a direct contrast!
• Cling has three definitions: To hold fast or adhere, remain close (resist separation) or remain emotionally attached. Vines and their tendrils physically cling to an object. A child clings to his parents. This is emotional but also can be physical.
• The word cling means to be diligent. It means persistence. It means commitment.
• Genesis 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.(ASV). An intimate inseparable oneness of mind - body - soul. "Cleave" in Genesis is the same Hebrew word for "Cling" here.
• Deuteronomy 10:20: You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone.
• Ruth 1:14: And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi.
• Jeremiah 13:11: As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory - an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.
• Clinging to the Lord does not come naturally to those living by the flesh.
• They are to remain so tightly to the Lord that they are inseparable.
• Madvig notes: “ The Hebrew word translated “cling” (dabaq) is used in Genesis 2:24 to describe the intimate and binding relationship between husband and wife. It is used several times in Deuteronomy to describe a close relationship between God and man (4:4; 10:20; 11:22; 13:4). In spite of occasional lapses, Israel’s behavior was characterized as holding fast to the Lord.”
• They have been faithful up to this point but there were signs of moral breakdown among the people. It was not yet complete but it was already beginning.

(9) “For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you.

• It was because God fought for Israel that they won, not because they were better soldiers or Joshua was a better general.
• Psalm 44:1-3: O God, we have heard it with our own ears - our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago: You drove out the pagan nations by your power and gave all the land to our ancestors. You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free. They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.

(10) Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.

• Here and throughout this entire speech that Joshua is giving to the leaders, he is quoting from the book of Deuteronomy. There are about 12 quotes from Deuteronomy in his charge to these people. This “put to flight a thousand” comes from the song of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy. And it is interesting that this indeed has happened in their history where God has been with them and one has chased a thousand. Actually, in the next book (Judges), when we get to the case of Gideon, we find that three hundred chased a hundred and thirty-five thousand and put them to flight. God being with them, God strengthening them and God helping them, they were able to put to flight their enemies.
• Leviticus 26:8: Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword.
• Deuteronomy 32:30: How could one person chase a thousand of them, and two people put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
• The Lord often works through a group of believers. However, there are also many times when God works through one man. We may say we're only one person and can't make changes or influence others, but God only needs one person. Here are a few examples of the many times God used one person:
• ONE MAN SLEW A GIANT - David - 1 Samuel 17.
• ONE MAN STOOD AGAINST FALSE RELIGION - Elijah - 1 Kings 18.
• ONE MAN SHARED THE GOSPEL - Philip - Acts 8:5-12, 26-40.
• ONE MAN SUPPORTED A NEW CONVERT - Barnabas - Acts 9:26-28.
• Daniel, Gideon, Dinah, Samuel, Luther and so many others! Hebrews 11 lists many more.

Warning of consequences for being influenced by the nations – 23:11-16

(11) So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

• Deuteronomy 6:5: And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
• Luke 10:27: The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
• Jude 1:21: and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
• Joshua makes it clear the Israelites’ only future hope is to walk close to God. He is the one who had granted victory, even to the extent that one of their men could chase a thousand of the enemy. Sadly, today’s average Israeli doesn’t realize the only reason Israel as a nation exists against overwhelming odds is because God continues to protect His chosen people, in spite of their unbelief.

(12) “But IF you turn away from him and *CLING to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and IF you intermarry with them,

• *CLING: See verse 8! We either "cling" to the Lord or we "cling" to the things of the world. We can't "cling" to both!
• Joshua was worried that the Israelites would turn from God to idolatry. In order to keep the Israelites focused on God, Joshua is reminding them of the past where God has led them and kept them safe. Joshua knew this was an issue to bring up and fight.
• In the book of Judges, (the next book of the Bible) that next generation of Israelites did in fact turn to idolatry.
• Exodus 34:15-17: “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods. You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.
• Deuteronomy 8:19: “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.
• Judges 3:1-6: These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These people were left to test the Israelites - to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses. So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.
• 1 Kings 11:1-8: Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord. In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done. On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
  • A Christian young person must take great care in choosing a mate for life. He or she can help draw the other closer to the Lord or can draw the other away from the Lord.
• Jeremiah 3:6-8: During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution.
• 2 Corinthians 6:17: Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

(13) then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you.

• Numbers 33:55: BUT if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.
• Deuteronomy 7:16: “You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you.
• Note the conditional nature of the land promise. God had given them the land in fulfillment of His promise to the fathers. He was willing even to remove the remnant of the people of the nations from the land. But whether or not He did that and whether or not Israel would remain in the land would depend on their faithfulness in obedience to Him. Receiving the land was unconditional. Keeping it was conditional. See Leviticus 26:14-33; Deuteronomy 28:15-68. The record of Israel’s history after this point, of course, shows they were not faithful and were therefore eventually removed from the land as God promised here and elsewhere.
• 2 Kings 10 tells us that the Reubenites, Gadites, and one half Manasseh were the first to be cut off from Israel.  They’d totally succumbed to the sin of the ungodly people around them.

(14) “*Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed!

• Joshua 24:29: After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110.
• At the end of a long, full and fulfilled life, Joshua's greatest concern was not about himself but about the people and his concern about what was going to happen to them after he was gone. His fear is that bringing them into the Promised Land will have been in vain because he knows, as did Moses, that they will quickly turn from the Lord.
• Genesis 25:7-10: Abraham lived for 175 years, and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah.
• Genesis 49:29-33: Then Jacob instructed them, “Soon I will die and join my ancestors. Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site. There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites.” When Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his ancestors in death.
• Numbers 23:10: Who can count Jacob’s descendants, as numerous as dust? Who can count even a fourth of Israel’s people? Let me die like the righteous; let my life end like theirs.”
• 1 Kings 2:1-2: As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: “I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man.
• Acts 7:59-60: As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
• Hebrews 9:27: And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
• 2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me - the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

(15) But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely destroy you from this good land he has given you.

• God kept his His promises and expects Israel to keep His commandments.

(16) IF you break the covenant of the Lord your God by worshiping and serving other gods, his anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land he has given you.”

• Read Leviticus 26 for God's promise for obedience and His punishment for disobedience.
• Deuteronomy 4:26-27: “Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. IF you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive.
• Joshua 24:19-20: Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. IF you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”
• Today there can be many other gods that a believer can follow after. Money can become a god; career can become a god; sex can become a god; popularity can become a god; power can become a god. Anything that comes in the way of putting God first can become a god or idol.
• It wasn't long after Joshua's death that this disintegration began, though God was patient with Israel, seeking all through the history of the Judges and of the Kings to draw Israel back from their idolatry, until eventually their stubbornness became so determined that the nation was carried away from their land. Even then, God worked to restore Judah from the bondage of Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:22-23), bringing a remnant back, but that remnant became guilty of the enormous wickedness of crucifying the Lord of glory, and now for nearly 2000 years Israel has borne the solemn results of their rebellion.
  • 2 Chronicles 36:22-23: In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are the Lord’s people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!”
• He knows that they are going to fail. He has observed these people long enough through the forty years in the wilderness, through all the testings. He realizes that there’s going to be failure down the line.
• What does history show? That these people did forsake the covenant of God. They’ve begun to worship other gods. And first of all, the Assyrians came and conquered the ten northern tribes. Took them into captivity. And then the Babylonians came and conquered Judah and carried them away to the Babylonian captivity. Later, the Greeks, the Romans, the Muslims, the Crusaders and Hitler came to destroy the Israelites and now Persia (Iran) wants to "wipe them off the map."
• In the archaeological diggings in the Kidron valley just above the spring of Gihon in what is known as the city of Ophel which was the city of Jerusalem, the city of David, as they have been excavating this particular section of Jerusalem, Professor Yigal Shiloh in charge of the digs has uncovered the houses that were destroyed by the Babylonian army when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 607 and then later 595 B.C. In these houses, they found hundreds of little idols, idols of the pagan gods. Of course, Jeremiah cried out against this as did Isaiah and the other prophets. But the people forsook the living God as Jeremiah said, God has two complaints against them. First of all, you have forsaken Me, the fountain ofliving water and you’ve carved out for yourselves cisterns. But they’re broken cisterns that can hold no water. Turning from God they began to worship other gods and as the ultimate result, they were taken in captivity and they were taken away from the land that God had given them. Even as Joshua speaks of this as an event that surely will happen.
• This speech, Ziese explained, was a “recollection of past deeds, encouragement for present action, and warnings concerning the future.”
• Joshua’s one anxiety appears to have been about the nations that were left. Seven times he refers to the nations of the land. What God had done to them; how they were allotted to be an inheritance; how God was prepared to thrust them out; and especially how great a temptation would be suggested by their perpetual presence, lest the people should be tempted to cleave unto them, intermarry with them, and adopt their gods. It was as though the old man realized that he was the only barrier between Israel and the inroads of worldly conformity and idolatrous rites; and his exhortation anticipates that addressed by the apostle Paul to the elders of the church at Ephesus: Acts 20:29: I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.

APPLICATION and LESSONS to LEARN:

1. Even though Joshua was not perfect, he proved that a life of obedience to God bears great rewards.
2. Obedience, faith, and dependence on God made Joshua one of Israel's strongest leaders. He provided a bold example for us to follow. Like us, Joshua was often besieged by other voices, but he chose to follow God, and he did it faithfully.
3. Romans 8:31: What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
1. It’s so important to be aligned with God and His plan. It’s important that we understand that God is for us, which gives us the confidence to face any kind of a problem or any kind of a situation.
2. If we're faithful, obedient and on God's side, we are unbeatable. But, if we depend upon our own strength and abilities, we are already defeated and robbed of the victory.
4. Consider our own lives where we have not completely given ourselves over to God. The danger is our own idolatry:
   1. To live the Christian life is to walk by faith. It is to trust that Jesus was a living human who gave His life for our sins and at the same time, understand that He was, is and always will be God.
   2. To act on that faith is all about living a life that makes a difference for Christ. It is about trusting God with EVERY aspect of our lives.
   3. When there are areas of our life we don't give to God, that is idolatry.
   4. When we are trusting in God and "something else" that too is idolatry.
5. The whole point is to get us to examine our own lives and ask ourselves, "Are there areas of my life where I am trusting in God and something else?"
6. The point for the Christian is just as God has given us spiritual victories as we draw close to Him, it is also a guarantee if we start to turn our lives against Him, we still start having real losses in whatever we face in life.
7. I know of cases where devout Christians turned to adultery or a "party all the time" lifestyle. I have then watched their lives go way downhill. I know of a few cases where people have turned back to God, but the warnings of these verses is true. Once we know God and decide to turn from that lifestyle, we do pay the price in this lifetime. It is almost as if God is saying to such people, "What do I have to do to get you to turn back to me? How low do you have to sink in life before you realize how much better it is to be obedient to me?" It is amazing to watch the lives of people go to very low levels and still such people would rather live in that lifestyle than turn back to God. That is the danger being presented in these verses.
8. The goal for Joshua's being called by God has been met. At the end of our life, like Joshua, we need to be able to say with Paul:
1. 2 Timothy 4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
9. We need to heed Joshua's admonitions to Israel and apply them to our own lives:
1. Remember what God has done for you (verse 3).
2. Finish the task God has give you (verse 5).
3. Keep God's Word (verse 6).
4. Don't let unbelievers to tempt you or move you away from the Lord or compromise (verse 7).
5. Cling tightly to the Lord (verse 8). Be faithful to the Lord.
6. Love the Lord (verse 11).
7. Bear in mind the consequences of backsliding (verse 12-16).
10. Moses was an example to Joshua. Joshua was an example to the people. We are to be an example to our family and those God brings to us and places around us.
11. Do you desire a life of impact and victory like Joshua’s?
12. There is one truth that we hold in common with the Israelites. It is irrefutable that God is faithful. We may not understand all that is going on in our lives, but if we will step back and look at the larger picture, we will see that God has been working in our lives all along. He has been faithful. So, let us respond to God’s fulfilled promises with faithfulness. Since God has been faithful, we should respond in the same way.
13. Jesus, please let my life make a difference like Joshua.
14. Joshua lived about twenty years in Egypt, forty years in the wilderness and fifty years in the promised land. He went from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the desert and then to the promised land. In a way, that is the journey of a Christian. We are born and live in sin until we put our faith in Jesus. We live in newness of life as Christians in this world, a place that is not our home. Eventually we die to live in our promised land – heaven where Jesus is waiting for us.
15. True success is not what the world thinks of you and what you have done, but what God thinks of you and what you have done.
16. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
17. What advice and statements would you give to others, especially your children, when you near the end of your life's journey?
18. Our idols may be more subtle than Israel’s, because they may include family, ministry, health, success, prosperity, the avoidance of pain, etc. In fact, our “gods” may be anything and everything of prime importance in our lives, anything other than God Himself.
19. Is your heart divided?  Have others things become more important to you than the things of God? If so, realign your priorities and put God first in your life.
20. It is often interesting in a journey to look back over the way which we have traveled, and it is interesting to remember events and experiences through which the years have brought us. Sometimes in old age people enjoy the memory of past years, especially recognizing the Lord's mercy which has led them. They see it now in events which at the time seemed hard. Such memory of the Lord's goodness in the past should make us grateful and should lead to stronger resolutions to be faithful to the Lord. Live with no regrets!

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources whenever possible at http://joshua-biblestudy.blogspot.com/2011/07/joshua-references-and-sources.html

Joshua 22

Joshua 22 begins a different section of the Book of Joshua. Chapters 1 to 21 focus on conquest - crossing the Jordan - the central, southern and northern campaigns to conquer the Promised Land - and the division of that land - among the tribes of Israel. This section of Joshua is framed by a concern for those parts of the people of God who live OUTSIDE of the Promised Land; for those who live away from Israel proper, away from the sanctuary of God and away from the priesthood of God.

What is the book of Joshua about? Real people facing enormous challenges and learning to trust God along the way.

(1) Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

(2) He told them, “*You have done as Moses, **the servant of the Lord, commanded you, and you have obeyed every order I have given you.

• *You have done: We would want said of us that we have done what we had said we would do.
• **the servant of the Lord: There is no greater designation than “the servant of the LORD.” Are you “the servant of the LORD.”

(3) During *all this time you have not deserted the other tribes. You have been careful to obey the commands of the Lord your God right up to the present day.

• *all this time: This had to have been hard - at least 7 years away from family and fighting for someone else. Now, it's up to each individual tribe to possess their territory.
• Numbers 32:28-29: So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the clans of Israel. He said, “The men of Gad and Reuben who are armed for battle must cross the Jordan with you to fight for the Lord. If they do, give them the land of Gilead as their property when the land is conquered.
• Deuteronomy 3:18-20: “At that time I gave this command to the tribes that would live east of the Jordan: ‘Although the Lord your God has given you this land as your property, all your fighting men must cross the Jordan ahead of your Israelite relatives, armed and ready to assist them. Your wives, children, and numerous livestock, however, may stay behind in the towns I have given you. When the Lord has given security to the rest of the Israelites, as he has to you, and when they occupy the land the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan River, then you may all return here to the land I have given you.’
• Joshua 1:12-18: Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He told them, “Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you: ‘The Lord your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’ Your wives, children, and livestock may remain here in the land Moses assigned to you on the east side of the Jordan River. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory. Stay with them until the Lord gives them rest, as he has given you rest, and until they, too, possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. Only then may you return and settle here on the east side of the Jordan River in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, assigned to you.” They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us. We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!”

(4) And now the Lord your God has given the other tribes *rest, as he promised them. So go back home to the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you as your possession on the east side of the Jordan River.

• *rest:
• Hebrews 4:8-9: Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God.
• This is the sixth time the word “rest” is used in Joshua. Each time it refers to the tribes on the west of the Jordan - not the east.
• An underlying point is that even after the "big mission" has been completed, life will still go on. There are always going to be new issues in life to deal with once the significant major issues have been resolved. That is a point of this chapter.
• The rest that they so desired in the land and which necessitated these battles with the previous occupants of the land was secured. Rest must not be equated with full possession for there were areas where the Canaanites still dwelt in the land. But there was peace in that the land had rest from war. The people on the Canaan side of the river were going to enjoy a period of rest and the warriors from the two and half tribes were to go to their tents

(5) But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

• It appears that Joshua feared that they'd quickly fall away from the Lord since they wanted to settle on the wrong side of the Jordan and since they'd be so far from the center of worship of God. Great advice to a believer today!

(6) So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home.

(7) Moses had given the land of Bashan, east of the Jordan River, to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The other half of the tribe was given land west of the Jordan.) As Joshua sent them away and blessed them,

• Of all the tribes to be taken into captivity the two and a half tribes were the first.

(8) he said to them, “Go back to your homes with the great wealth you have taken from your enemies—the vast herds of livestock, the silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and the large supply of clothing. Share the plunder with your relatives.”

• The Eastern Tribes had fought the Canaanites, had taken spoils from these victories and were permitted to return home with this great wealth. The soldiers, upon their return to Bashan  and Gilead, were ordered to share their wealth obtained in warfare with their relatives who had kept the “home fires burning” during the wars.
• Numbers 31:27: Then divide the plunder into two parts, and give half to the men who fought the battle and half to the rest of the people.

(9) So the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the rest of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. They started the journey back to their own land of Gilead, the territory that belonged to them according to the Lord’s command through Moses.

(10) BUT while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called *Geliloth near the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped to build a large and imposing altar.

• *Geliloth: (Gilgal) Or to the circle of stones.
• A. Coffman wrote that what was so serious about this action was that the Mosaic religion held the principle that there was to be “only one sanctuary” for the entire nation. This sanctuary was to be under the authority of the high priest. "This sanctuary as to location had been moved many times in the wilderness (no less than forty-two (42) times,” Coffman concluded and to Shiloh from Gilgal after Israel entered the Promised Land.
• That such an altar was actually built has been long ago verified by the discovery of the site.

(11) The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth at the edge of the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Jordan River.

(12) So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.

• Leviticus 17:3-4: “If any native Israelite sacrifices a bull or a lamb or a goat anywhere inside or outside the camp instead of bringing it to the entrance of the Tabernacle to present it as an offering to the Lord, that person will be as guilty as a murderer. Such a person has shed blood and will be cut off from the community.
• Deuteronomy 12:5-7,11,13-14: Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored. There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks. There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you. ... you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. ... Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you like. You may do so only at the place the Lord will choose within one of your tribal territories. There you must offer your burnt offerings and do everything I command you.

(13) FIRST, however, they sent a delegation led by *Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to talk with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

• *Phinehas: Psalm 106:30-31: But Phinehas had the courage to intervene, and the plague was stopped. So he has been regarded as a righteous man ever since that time.

(14) In this delegation were ten leaders of Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each the head of his family within the clans of Israel.

(15) When they arrived in the land of Gilead, they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

(16) “The whole community of the Lord demands to know why you are betraying the God of Israel. How could you turn away from the Lord and build an altar for yourselves in rebellion against him?

• Three accusations are made - verse 16.  You’ve acted unfaithfully towards us and God.  Second: You’ve turned away from God - backslidden. Third - you’ve rebelled against God. You’ve deliberately turned against God’s will.

(17) Was our sin at *Peor not enough? To this day we are not fully cleansed of it, even after the plague that struck the entire community of the Lord.

• *Peor:
• See Numbers 25:1-18 where they "defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. .. 24,000 people had died."
• This incident would be especially meaningful to Phinehas, because he was the one who stopped the plague by making a dramatic stand for righteousness in the midst of gross sin.

(18) And yet today you are turning away from following the Lord. If you rebel against the Lord today, he will be angry with ALL OF US tomorrow.

(19) “If you need the altar because the land you possess is defiled, then join us in the Lord’s land, where the Tabernacle of the Lord is situated, and share our land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar other than the one true altar of the Lord our God.

• Phinehas may be asserting that the land west of the Jordan was God’s country which, in his opinion, the land east of the Jordan was not God’s country. 

(20) Didn’t divine anger fall on the entire community of Israel when Achan, a member of the clan of Zerah, sinned by stealing the things set apart for the Lord? He was not the only one who died because of his sin.”

(21) Then the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the clans of Israel:

(22) “The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth, and may Israel know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the Lord. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day.

(23) If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from the Lord or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings, may the Lord himself punish us.

(24) “The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship the Lord, the God of Israel?

• The size of the monument would have made it visible from both sides of the river attesting to the solidarity of the tribes.

(25) The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a *barrier between our people and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no claim to the Lord.’ So your descendants may prevent our descendants from worshiping the Lord.

• *barrier:
• The Lord didn't place the Jordan as a barrier - they did by insisting with Moses to stay on the East side of the river! The nation was divided and those East of the Jordan quickly took on the sins of their neighbors.
• “It’s interesting that the Transjordanic tribes pointed to the children as their concern. But it wasn’t their children who would ask, “What have we to do with the Lord God of Israel?” No, their children would be provoked by the children of the tribes in Canaan! Reuben, Gad and Manasseh were not even living in the land of God’s choice, yet they feared lest the children across the river would lead their children astray! The danger was just the opposite. In choosing to live east of the Jordan, the two and a half tribes separated themselves from their own people and from the land God had given to all of them. They put their cattle ahead of their children and their fellow Jews, but they blamed God and other tribes for the problem they created. But what kind of “witness” was this huge pile of stones? It was in reality a witness to expediency, the wisdom of man in trying to enjoy “the best of both worlds.” The two and a half tribes talked piously about their children, but it was their wealth that really motivated their decision to live east of the Jordan.” - Wiersbe

(26) “So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,

(27) but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no claim to the Lord.’

(28) “If they say this, our descendants can reply, ‘Look at this copy of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the Lord.’

• Israel sought to be and was one nation, but the geography of the region separates the east from the west by the Great Rift Valley including the Sea of Galilee, the descending Jordan River and the Dead Sea. 

(29) Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the Lord our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”

(30) When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied.

(31) Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know the Lord is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the Lord.”

(32) Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the other leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Israelites what had happened.

(33) And all the Israelites were satisfied and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.

(34) The people of Reuben and Gad named the *altar “Witness,” for they said, “It is a witness between us and them that the Lord is our God, too.”

• Some believe that an inscription was put on this altar, which pointed out the purposes for which it was erected. The real intention of building this altar was to be a witness or a testimony of the unity of the 12 tribes for future generations.
  
• They built eight altars of witness in the land:
  1. Pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan in 4:9.
  2. Pile of twelve stones in Gilgal in 4:20.
  3. Over Achan in 7:26.
  4. Over the king of Ai in 8:28-29.
  5. Joshua engraves a copy of the law in 8:30-32.
  6. Over the Amorite kings at Gibeon in 10:27.
  7. Peace in the land of Gilead in 22:34.
  8. Covenant renewed at Shechem in 24:26-27.

APPLICATION and LESSONS to LEARN:

1. Be very careful about believing and acting upon gossip, rumor and innuendo! Always get the facts and then decide what God would have you do.
2. If only the people of the tribes on the West of the Jordan had continued with this attitude of obedience to the Lord and avoidance of even a hint of straying from Him. We need to be just as careful not to compromise.
3. We must worship God in the way He has commanded. Unauthorized worship is unacceptable, even if it is not specifically condemned in Scripture.
4. We cannot worship God any way we please, or justify a manner of worship just because we like it.  First and always, our worship must be pleasing to God.  We must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
5. The two and a half tribes were content to stay on the east side of Jordan. The blessings were to be found on the west side of Jordan. They were content with second best. The land flowed with milk and honey but that was beyond the river. There may be giants in the land but with God on their side these would be overcome. Sadly, there many Christians who do not come into the full blessing that God wants each Christian to enjoy. They remain baby Christians with one foot in the world and allowing the flesh to dictate when the Spirit wants to be in the ascendancy.'
6. The following is adapted from the work of H. Rossier 1852-1942 - "It was their circumstances which led them to choose the east side of Jordan. They had much cattle and that was uppermost in their mind. It was not what lay beyond Jordan but they had acquired much cattle and what was best for them. They had not seen nor considered what lay beyond the river. The place they chose was a place for cattle - adapted to their circumstances. (Numbers 32:1) It is the same with many Christians. The main point in the Christian life of some believers is the circumstances of this life, the everyday needs, abundance or want (Numbers 32.16). Their Christianity is worldly in the sense that, although they have no wish to go back to Egypt, they want a life of faith for earthly circumstances only. They do not want to enter into that which speaks of the blessing of heavenly places. Moses was at first indignant with the two and a half tribes but he afterwards bore with them, seeing that although their faith was weak, still it was faith, and that these earthly links did not separate them from their brethren. This Christianity trusts the Lord Jesus for His providential care, and in the details, great or small, of daily life. The Lord Jesus is known as the Shepherd but the Shepherd is not just able to care for the things of time and sense. There is a spiritual dimension to His Shepherd care. He leads us through this world but it is not in material things that He gives us rest. The green pastures and the still waters are not the fields, nor the sheepfolds, nor the cities of Gilead, but the rich pastures of the land of Canaan. The picture is clear. These did not set their hearts 'on things which are above' (of the enjoyment of which things Canaan speaks). There is nothing wrong in confiding in Him for everything but let us know something of the joy of entrance into the blessings of the place where a glorified Christ is to be found, of being attached outside this world, drawn away from this scene, to be introduced, dead and risen with Him, into a heavenly Canaan. There, the motive for our walk will no longer be 'much cattle'. It will not be a question of arranging our life more or less faithfully according to what we possess but, having left all behind, self, and the affairs of this life, in the bottom of the river of death, we have now to fight to take possession of all our privileges in Christ, realizing them by faith, and enjoying them in the power of the Spirit."
7. God promises Reuben, Gad, and 1/2 Manasseh the same thing He promises the other 9½ tribes - the whole Promised Land is theirs. But Reuben, Gad and 1/2 Manasseh choose what is less than God’s choice for them. Why? Looks like the better part of the deal for us.
8. Rest comes when we learn to choose to trust in God - to leave our lives in His hands.
9. We want the blessings west of the Jordan. But we can’t let go of the east. We experience God’s victory - see God do amazing things in our lives - but ultimately we choose to hang on to our selfish desires - choose to remain with the comfortable - choose to hold back from totally trusting God. We want God on our terms. Spiritual growth at our pace. Stepping out in faith when we choose. Worship that entertains us. Sermons that don’t step over the line and challenge us - too much. It is crucial for us to see that we either live west of the Jordan or east of the Jordan. There’s no island in the middle.
10. Chapters 22 to 24 focus on what it means for God’s people to live by faith as possessors of the Promised Land - the promises of God. How do we live by faith now?

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.
• Sources and References are on line at: http://joshua-biblestudy.blogspot.com/2011/07/joshua-references-and-sources.html