Joshua 23

Bible Passage:  Joshua 23

“When I grow up, I want to be just like Joshua”….

Yep… that’s what I said in an earlier post but something happened just before I wrote this that made me realize that I am so far from being the man of God that Joshua was.

A lot of us aspire to do great works for God.  But all this aspirations will come to nothing if we do not do anything… it just remains an idealistic hope.  And that’s exactly what happened with me.

But looking at Joshua’s final address to the Israelites in today’s chapter, there are several areas that I must work on right now… so that I can ever hope to be half the man of God that Joshua was.

Obey The Word of God

Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,

Joshua 23:6

Obedience is a natural emphasis for a solider like Joshua to make.  Remember, this was the charge given by God at the very onset of the book of Joshua.

Joshua is now reminding his people that God’s Word never fails.

And this reminder is critical for us today as well.  Unfortunately, it is easy to easy to forget how important it is to obey the instructions that have been given us.

How many times have we heard and read the Word of God?  How ingrained are the Words of God in our hearts?  Does your life show that you live in submission to God’s Word?  Are you reading the Bible with your family?

It’s very easy to write and talk about what we should or should not do … with God’s Word as our standard.  But it is very difficult to actually consistently put the Word into action in our lives… especially year after year after year.

But we can see that Joshua was someone who kept the Word of God in his heart and acted upon it.  If you find his words to the people familiar… it is because they are almost identical to what God said to him in Joshua 1!

So the first thing I really need to do is to walk the talk …. and obey God’s Words not just for some periods of my life… but all the days of my life.

Hold Fast to Jesus

but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.

Joshua 23:8

The Hebrew word translated “hold fast” is also used in Genesis 2:24 to describe the intimate and binding relationship between husband and wife.  The same term also appears several times in Deuteronomy to describe a close relationship between God and His people.

In Joshua 23:12, there is the use of the phrase “cling to” which is translated to roughly mean the same thing… this speaks of a devotion that belongs exclusively to God and is not directed at another.

Inspite of occasional lapses, Israel in the book of Joshua held fast to the Lord.  And Joshua is reminding them about faithfulness.

Especially during times of frustration, disappointment, distress, and trouble… we must learn how to hold fast to the Lord… to cling to Him and never let go…

Are you clinging to Jesus during the times of crisis in your life?  Remember people are watching and the way you respond, speaks to others who are watching.

Love the Lord

Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.

Joshua 23:11

It is interesting for me to hear Joshua say… “… take careful heed to yourselves that you love the Lord your God…”

“Be careful that you love God”.

Be careful?

Most of us will claim that we love God.  But do we really?  How do we show it?

Obeying God and loving God go together.  Do not say that you love God if you are not obeying His commands in the Bible.  To claim that is hypocrisy.  If you love God, you will keep His commands.

Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

Do your neighbors and co-workers know that you love God?  If you are confused at how they are to know this, you see here that they will know from the way you live.  As they listen to you talk or as they watch what you spend your money on, they know whom you love.

How about yourself?  Do you know if you really love the Lord?  To me right now…. I can only think of the fact that if I really love the Lord, I would really get down to doing all those things I told Him I would … but simply never got down to it.  🙁

A Final Warning

God’s faithfulness to His promises was proof positive that He would “keep” His threats as well.  The Israelites were not to assume that since they are recipient of God’s blessings…. it would mean that they are immune to His judgement (Joshua 23:15).

The threat contained in Joshua 23:15-16 would eventually be fullfilled in the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles of the northern and southern kingdoms respectively.

It is also a good reminder for me today…

While we enjoy God’s blessings and providence, we should not assume that we will always remain under God’s grace – especially when we choose to ignore His Word, do not draw close to Him and do not love Him with our actions.

The judgement proclaimed on the evil too can befall on us if we are not careful to regard the Lord.

May God help us all… especially me as I still aspire to grow up to be just like Joshua.