Read Joshua 24

The Choice is Yours

In his farewell address to the children of Israel, Joshua reminded them of all God had done from the time of Abraham to their present possession o the land of Canaan. He reminded them of the Lord’s guidance through Moses out of Egypt, and of His faithful blessings as they conquered their enemies, and of His gracious gift of “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 24:13).

The aged leader urges faithfulness. How many times had God’s chosen people complained, grumbled, and murmured? How many times had they lamented their current situation, longing for the days of slavery in Egypt? Joshua reminds them that the false gods of Egypt did nothing for them; only the one, true God of heaven could bless them. Yet, they had the choice to make: the “little g” gods that don’t exist outside of one’s own imagination, or the God who made everything. “And 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” (Joshua 24:15).

This is a choice man must continue to make today. There are many false “little g” gods in the traditional sense found in world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Then there are the false doctrines about God, found in denominationalism, that promote “a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5).

Let us never forget, however, that anything we place before God becomes a god. Whether money, or sports, or education, or even family, if we do not exalt God to the proper place above everything, then we are setting ourselves up for spiritual failure.

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). The things of this life are temporary; God is eternal. May we ever focus on Him. “Serve the Lord!” (Joshua 24:14).

Read Joshua 21:43-45

The Promise Fulfilled

The book of Joshua deals with the Israelites’ many conquests as they took possession of the land promised long ago by God. “As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses” (Joshua 11:15). It was an enormous task that took many years, but it was accomplished with God’s guidance. “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war” (Joshua 11:23).

After recording the divisions of the land by tribes, as well as the cities of refuge and the cities of the Levites, Joshua 21:43 affirms, “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.” No longer was it a promise in prospect; the promise had been fulfilled. Indeed, “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass” (Joshua 21:45).

Why, then, was Israel taken into captivity many years later? It was no shortcoming of God! It was the failure of the people to fully execute God’s orders! The late brother James Burton Coffman wrote in his commentary on Joshua, “These verses state that God had delivered all their enemies ‘into their hands,’ and of course, He had. Nothing remained for Israel to do, but to apply themselves to the task and do it!”

God did not fail then, and He does not fail today. He has provided for man a conquest over sin. All we have to do is take advantage of it! Take action upon the belief that God sent His Son into this world to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sin!

There is more to Christianity than reciting a so-called “sinner’s prayer” that is nowhere found in the Bible. We must “obey the gospel” (2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17). How do we do that? By repenting of our sins and reenacting the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord in baptism (Romans 6:3-6), an action which washes away the guilt of past sin (Acts 22:16). Then, as a new creature, we “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7), faithfully obeying all that He has commanded (Matthew 28:20). God will fulfill His promise to save you, contingent upon your obedience.

Read Joshua 7

Get Sin Out of Your Life

The children of Israel defeated many enemies that would have been too strong without God’s divine assistance. When they approached Ai, the Israelite spies told Joshua that a smaller group of men could take the land because “the people of Ai are few” (Joshua 7:3); there was no need to tire the whole company in the battle. Joshua followed their advice and sent only three thousand men to fight. They had full confidence that they would win the battle without trouble.

Thirty-six Israelite soldiers perished while retreating from Ai. They were unable to triumph in what should have been one of their easiest battles yet. What was the problem? Why didn’t God help them? That was Joshua’s question to the Lord, with torn clothes and dust on his head, his face to the earth.

God answered, “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff” (Joshua 7:10-11).

When we allow sin in our lives, it hinders us spiritually. When we are too close to others who are sinning grievously, it hinders us spiritually. The closer we are to sin, the further we are from God—and the further God is from us.

Joshua and the children of Israel had to remove the sin from the camp; Achan, the one who had taken the garment, gold, and silver, was punished for his sin and removed from the Israelites. In so doing, Israel was again blessed by God, and they were allowed to defeat Ai.

What battles are you losing because of your sin, or the sin of others close to you? You may not be guilty of another’s sin, but you can still suffer consequences through your association with them. Paul warned the Corinthians, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). He further writes, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14). He then makes application: “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17). In other words, get sin out of your life!

Read Joshua 6

Keeping God’s Word (And Our Own!)

God was precise in His instructions for taking Jericho: take the ark of the Lord and march around the city once for six days with the priests blowing their trumpets, and after you march around it once, return to camp. Then march seven times on the seventh day, and when the priests finish blowing their trumpets on that seventh day, shout! With that shout, God said that “the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him” (Joshua 6:5).

Can you imagine what the people of Jericho must have thought? The Israelites march around once, then walk away. The second day the same thing happens. Every day for six days straight, they walk away after marching around the city once. What are they doing?

Then, on the seventh day, they don’t stop after one lap. They don’t stop the second time around. They keep marching. Three times. Four. Jericho must have wondered why they were not attacking. Five, six, seven. And now they’re shouting after that seventh trip. Jericho’s watchmen, standing on top of the wall, feel the stones shift under their feet. The wall is coming down. All around the city, the wall is crumbling, falling apart. Nothing is left standing, except for one section.

Inside that one section is the house of the harlot, Rahab. The spies had promised to spare her and her family if they remained in their house. The Israelites had obeyed God, the harlot had followed the spies’ instructions, and all of Jericho was destroyed except for her family.

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Joshua had not told Israel to obey God’s orders? What would have happened if they refused to march? If they questioned His wisdom? If they said, “We don’t see the point”? Those stones would not have shifted. The wall would have stood still. Israel would not have defeated Jericho.

Faithful obedience is required of all who desire to follow God. Keeping His Word, and keeping our own word, is required! The children of Israel followed His instructions, and they kept the promise they had made to Rahab.

Are you keeping God’s Word? Are you keeping your own?

Read Joshua 5:13-15

“Are You For Us Or For Our Adversaries?”

It was a fair question, wasn’t it? You are the leader of the people ready to fight and take the land away from Jericho, and you see “a Man…with His sword drawn in His hand” (Joshua 5:13). He appears powerful, but not menacing. Would you not ask Him the same question? “Whose side are you on? Are you for us or for them?”

The answer is telling. “No.” This Man was on no one’s side. What mattered was whose side Joshua and the children of Israel chose. “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come” (Joshua 5:14).

Eliza E. Hewitt and William J. Kirkpatrick wrote a song in the late nineteenth century, “Who Will Follow Jesus?” That’s the proper way to look at it. It is not a matter of, “I want to do this, and I hope Jesus goes with me.” We should instead say, “I want to know what Jesus wants me to do, and I will follow Him!” As the songwriters asked in their song, “Who will follow Jesus? Who will make reply, ‘I am on the Lord’s side; Master, here am I’?”

The Man that stood opposite Joshua before Israel took Jordan was none other than the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ Himself. “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

Notice Joshua’s immediate response to this declaration: “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’” (Joshua 5:14). Is this our response to the Lord’s presence? When we open His Word to study, do we approach it with this attitude? Or do we simply look for justification for our actions, not seeking to follow Jesus but hoping that He will follow us?

We must approach God’s inspired Word with reverence. It is the “Holy” Bible. The “Holy” Scriptures. “Holy” Writ. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Do not treat His Word as a snack that you occasionally nibble on during the week as you wait for Sunday. Sit down and feast on the spiritual diet every day, asking as you read, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”