Introduction Joshua began his farewell address in chapter 23. He reminded the children of Israel what the Lord has done (vv.1-5; 9-10) and the impressive victories God has given them over their enemies. Then Joshua reminded them of what Israel must do: obey the Lord (v.6); separate from the pagan peoples (v.7); be faithful to the Lord (v.8); and warning of the disastrous consequences of disobedience (vv.12-16). Now Joshua will give a final address. Joshua gives a summary of the people s history; in the days of Abraham (vv.1-4); in the days of Moses (vv.5-10); in the days of Joshua (vv.11-13). Then Joshua reminds Israel that he and his family have decided to serve the Lord (vv.14-24). In short the chapter contains a summary of Israel s history (vv.1-24) and a symbol (vv.25-28) to remind the nation. The chapter ends with the deaths of Joshua and Eleazar the Priest (vv.29-33) and the burial of the bones of Joseph at Shechem (v.32). The key concept in this chapter is found in Joshua s use of the term serve! The people of Israel are called to serve the Lord. The expression serve the Lord or serve Him is found nine times in the chapter (vv.14,15, 18,19,21,22, and 24). Joshua reminds us that salvation is the basis or foundation or ground for service. God saved Israel out of bitter slavery, preserved them in the wilderness, and gave them a land and defeated their enemies. And as a consequence of these things they ought to serve the Lord. The same principle applies to the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not serve to be saved we serve because we are saved! We are saved and we serve! In that most powerful passage in Ephesians (2:8-10) Paul writes; For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We do not serve to experience forgiveness we have experienced forgiveness and so we serve! What God Has Done (vv.1-14) Joshua 24:1 13 (NKJV)1Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Shechem was the place where the Lord first promised the Land to Abraham (see Genesis 12:6-7). This was the place where Jacob built an altar to the Lord (Genesis 33:20) and exhorted his own children to put away their idols (Genesis 35:1-4). The name Shechem means shoulder or back and was located in the hill country of Ephraim. It was the first capitol of the northern kingdom 1
of Israel and was built on the shoulder or slope of Mount Ebal. It was a major crossroads in the land. This is the place where Jacob s children watched sheep-and Joseph was sent to check on their welfare. This is the place where Joseph will be buried next to his father (Jacob see v.24). It is here that Jesus will visit with the woman at the well (John 4). This was a place filled with memories. Joshua was deeply concerned that the people would lapse into idol worship and adopt the worldview of their neighbors. The worship of idols would cost the people of Israel and later cause them to forfeit their inheritance. 2And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. 3Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out. 6 Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7So they cried out to the Lord; and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time. 8And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. 9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. 12I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. 13I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant. Joshua gives them a short summary of their history. Abraham s fathers were idolaters in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). God called Abram to Himself by grace. The other side of the river (vv.2-3) is a reference to the Euphrates River (see also vv.14-15). Why in the world did God call Abraham? For the same reason Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord God in His grace and goodness calls people. God gave the land to Abraham Isaac and Jacob. God provided 2
protection in the land of Egypt and then deliverance from that land. God delivered them through a series of miracles. He led and kept them and provided for them in the wilderness. God defeated their enemies. With a powerful miracle they crossed the Jordan river and through even more miracles defeated the enemies who occupied the land. What more could God have possibly done for his people? What Israel Must Do (vv.14-24) 14 Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Bob Dylan famously sang; You gotta serve somebody. Joshua does not simply believe the choice is between false gods and the true God Joshua assumes they will decide against serving the Lord. Joshua has already made his choice he will serve the Lord. Israel would serve some god either the gods of the pagan nations or the true God Jehovah God. Joshua says both me and my house Joshua will serve the Lord In his home and provide a godly example of that service in the home! The word therefore provides the incentive for service. In what sense? Think about the context. The Lord has said to His people I took your father Abraham (v.3) I sent Jacob down to Egypt (v.4); I sent Moses (v.5); I brought your fathers out of Egypt (v.6); I brought you into the land of the Amorites (v.8) I destroyed your enemies (vv.8,9) I would not listen to Balaam (v.10); I sent the hornet before you (v.12); I have given you a land that you did not work for (v.13). God called Abraham. God protected them and gave them a land. All without merit. All absent deserve. God s love constrains us. God s grace motivates us. God s salvation empowers us. His faithfulness provides the basis for our faithfulness. The death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus is the supernatural force that allows us to die to sin and live for Christ. If salvation is the ground or basis for salvation then separation from sin is the forerunner of service. Joshua is blunt put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt (Abram s father in Mesopotamia the children of Israel who toyed with the Egyptian pagan pantheon of gods). Fear the Lord serve Him in sincerity and truth. The vessels that God uses requires that they be clean! We put away the idols of the love of the world, the flesh, the pride of life, the worship of man (see 1 John 2:15; 1 Corinthians 1:12). We have to face the constant temptation to love 3
money instead of God, or look for worth and affection from human companions or the applause of man. Remember an idol is anyone or anything that comes between you and the Lord. The Lord reserves the right to use us but God requires separation from sin. Holiness. Don t let that word scare you. Joshua says fear the Lord serve Him in sincerity and in truth. Sincerity and truth are essential for service! In the Temple of Solomon there were twin towers two pillars called Jachin and Boaz (1 Kings 7:21). The names Jachin means He will establish and Boaz means In Him is strength. We must cultivate reverence sincerity truth they become pillars that establish heart, soul and life. We resist the world, Satan and the flesh evil and error and we have sincerity and truth as a part of our foundation. Not sincerity alone but sincerity with truth since it is possible to be sincerely wrong. Think about Joshua s charge salvation sincerity truth and a singular aim and strength in service. Over and over again Joshua will bring the charge; serve the Lord. The Lord does not permit insincerity, duplicity, dishonesty. Paul told the Colossians (3:23) Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord. Paul told the Corinthians (10:31) Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. DO ALL this is the divine call and the divine claim. We serve the Lord in our homes, in our workplace in our schools. The workman in his shop the artist in her studio. 16So the people answered and said: Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 18And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God. 19But Joshua said to the people, You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. Joshua is not saying they cannot serve the Lord but rather that God is holy and a holy God requires a holy people. They cannot serve God and false gods that is not an option. Joshua does not believe what so many Christians say today God understands my sin. God knows who I am and what I am and accepts me just the way I am. God doesn t care what I drink or who I sleep with. Idolatry was Israel s besetting sin (see MacDonald p.257). 4
The reoccurring testimony of the Scriptures is that God is holy (hagios). It means sacred, set apart, consecrated. In reference to God it means that God is intrinsically or substantially holy. He is holy in His very being. He is holy in His character, Word, everything about God breathes sanctity. God is holy in everything He is and therefore in everything that He does. God is incapable of acting apart from His holy nature. The Bible uses a number of illustrations to describe the character of His servants: 1. Priests who serve in the Temple Hebrews 9:14 2. The slave in the House Luke 17:8 3. The deacon in the Church Luke 22:26 4. The elder in the flock Romans 1:9 5. The son in the family Matthew 4:10 6. The maid in the home Acts 12:13 7. The member in the body 1 Corinthians 12:21 20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good. Joshua warns them that if they forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods there will be consequences. He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good. A good God does harm? Idolatry is an invitation to discipline chastening and for the Jews the loss of their land. The God Joshua serves is Holy. The God Joshua serves requires loyalty, affection, sincerity, truth, obedience faithfulness. There are lots of reasons why the Believer should be holy. The first and chief reason is that God is holy. The second reason is for all that He has done. The third reason is because He commands it (see Leviticus 19:2); Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord you God are holy. The fourth reason is because of His relationship to us. Sanctify yourselves, therefore and be ye holy, for I am the Lord your God (Leviticus 20:7). Newberry in the margin of his bible renders the title; Jehovah Mekaddeshem (Yahweh YHWHMe Kodeshim). This speaks of a covenant relationship (an enforceable contract). There are ten different aspects in which God reveals Himself as Jehovah; Jehovah Jireh to provide for us; Jehovah-Rapha or Ropheca to heal us; Jehovah Nissi to enable us to conquer; Jehovah Shalom to calm us give us peace; Jehovah Tsebahoth to lead us; Jehovah Rohi to care for us; Jehovah Shammah who is with us AND JEHOVAH Mekaddeschcem -to sanctify us. The Bible gives a few more reasons for our holiness 5
because He chose us -to save us from hell -? Yes and more we are chosen in Christ to have real friendship and relationship and that our lives should give evidence of the presence of Christ. 21And the people said to Joshua, No, but we will serve the Lord! 22So Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses! 23 Now therefore, he said, put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel. 24And the people said to Joshua, The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey! Three times the people assure Joshua they will serve the Lord (vv.16,21,24). Joshua knows that the lips may speak but isn t alway true in the heart (see Wiersbe s Outlines; p.226). Finding Ways To Remember (vv.25-33) Summary (vv.2-13) Service (vv.14-24) Symbol (v.27) 25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. God made covenants with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses. But each generation must reaffirm its faithfulness to God. So Joshua reaffirms the covenant with the people. 26Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. Joshua codifies (writes down) makes a permanent record of the agreement. He writes the words in the Book of the Law (attaches it next to the Torah). He then sets up a stone to remind them of their vows. This is like the stones that were set up when they crossed the Jordan River. It was to serve as a memorial. We are a most forgetful people. That is why God has set up reminders (we have communion the Lord s supper). But even with reminders in the years to come Israel would soon forget! Fast forward to the book of Judges where we read (21:25) In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 27And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God. 28So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance. 29Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old. 6
30And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. 31Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. The book of Joshua concludes with a marvelous testimony all Israel served the Lord in the days of Joshua. This is the greatest testimony to godly leadership service to the Lord by those that God has entrusted to you! The people continued to serve the Lord even after Joshua died. The tomb of Joshua was another reminder to Israel of the power and mercy of the Lord. It is right for God s people to remember godly leaders and to imitate their faith (Heb. 13:7-8). (see Wiersbe s Outlines p. 227). 32The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph. 33And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim. Three burials are recorded in these verses: Joshua s, Joseph s and Eleazar s. Joseph s brothers had promised to bury his remains in Canaan (Gen.50:25), so the Jews had carried his coffin out of Egypt (Ex.13:19). This is a picture of our future resurrection, for just as Joseph s body was redeemed from Egypt, so our bodies will be one day not only at rest in their rightful home, but also transformed to be like the body of Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20-21). It is easy to believe that Joseph s grave would also be a reminder to the people of the faithfulness of God. Joseph had been used to keep the nation alive in famine, and he had been faithful to the Lord even in the heathen land of Egypt (Wiersbe s Outlines p. 227). All three burials are in Joseph s territory (the son s of Joseph). All three served the Lord and their people. Both Joseph and Joshua led their people and delivered their people from enemies. Remember Eleazar was also a deliverer when he died all the people who fled to the cities of refuge were free to return to their homes and their lives! God buries His servants but the work continues. Conclusion We serve the Lord. Jesus our Savior fights our battles and helps us claim our inheritance. 7