Joshua’s Farewell Addresses

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Joshua’s Farewell Addresses

Sermon by  Thomas Thornhill Jr

Passage: Joshua 23-24


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Journey Through the Bible (39)

 

As we continue our “Journey through the Bible”, tonight we conclude the 7th time period (of 17) of Bible history – dividing and conquering Canaan.  In this section thus far we have noted crossing the Jordan, the 3 campaigns (central – Jericho & Ai), southern and northern.  We see the hand of YHWH in all 3 of them.  This was followed by instructions to divide the land which we noted in our last lesson, along with assigning cities to the Levites, including 6 cities of refuge.   Tonight, we conclude this 7th period by noticing the farewell addresses of Joshua.

  1. The Addresses of Joshua
    1. We have recorded 2 addresses of Joshua. One to the leaders of Israel and the other to the whole nation.
    2. Joshua is approaching the end of his life. He has led Israel into their promised land and subdued the land.  There is still work to be done and he gives them instructions to keep going.  He has likely dwelt in his land after conquest for 20-30 years.
    3. An estimated timeline of Joshua’s life is:
      1. 30-40 years old – He is with Moses at Mt. Sinai and the first spying of the land.  Exodus 33:11 described him as a young man by the side of Moses at Mt. Sinai.  2 years later, he was one of the 12 spies.
      2. 68-78 years old – He becomes leader after Moses dies and leads Israel in conquering the land.
      3. 80-90 years old – the land has been conquered and divided (~7 years of war and ~5 years dividing the land).
      4. 110 years old – he dies (Joshua 24:29) – his final addresses and death.
    4. His first address – Joshua 23
      1. They had rest for a long time (25-35 years, including the years of dividing the land). Joshua calls for all Israel – their leaders in particular – elders, heads, judges, and officers.
      2. Vs. 3 – he is old and reminds them to consider all that the LORD had done to the nations before them. He has fought for you.
      3. Vs. 4 – the land has been divided.
      4. Vs. 5 – The LORD will expel them from before you and drive them out. As a reminder there is still work to be done.
      5. Vs. 6-8 – Be very courageous to keep and do all that is written in the LOM, do not turn to the right or the left. Do NOT mention the names of their gods.
      6. Vs. 9-11 – They have been very victorious – “Therefore take careful heed… that you love the LORD your God.”
      7. Vs. 12-13 – IF you go after these foreign nations, He will no longer be with you. They will become snares and traps.
      8. Vs. 14 – As Joshua prepared to “go the way of all flesh”, he again notes that God has kept His word. “Not one word of them has failed”.
      9. Vs. 15-16 – If you turn against Him, just as they had experienced good things, they would face His wrath – harmful things until they are destroyed from His sight. They would lose the land.
    5. Joshua’s 2nd address – Joshua 24:1-15
      1. Vs.1 – Joshua gathers together all the tribes at Shechem.
        1. Shechem is where a parcel of land that had been purchased by Jacob (Israel) centuries earlier as he returned to Canaan after 20 years with Laban and settles in Canaan with his 12 sons. Genesis 33:18-20.
        2. Acts 20:16 also reveals this as the place where Abraham purchase the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23). We will read again about this place toward the end of this lesson.
        3. Joshua 8:30-35 – Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim are in the region of Shechem, where Joshua renewed the covenant with Israel after conquering the land.
      2. 24:2-10 Joshua gives a short history of Israel’s heritage beginning with Terah, father of Abraham. He led Abrham in Canaan and his descendants multiplied.  To Isaac He gave Jocob and Esau (to whom he gave the mountains of Seir – mentioned here as a reminder of their distant brethren).  But Jacob went to Egypt and was eventually delivered by Moses and Aaron.  Mentioned are the plagues, the exodus and the Red Sea.  This was followed by dwelling in the wilderness for a long time (NOTE: A handful of the elders likely remembered these events some 70 years later).  In the wilderness, Balak tried to hire Balaam to cure Israel but he could not.
      3. 24:11-13 – Then Jericho and the nations of Canaan were defeated. They were driven out by YHWH (He sent the hornet).  NOTE They conquered but “not with your sword or your bow.”  Vs. 13 reminds them of what they received from the LORD.  They didn’t build it or plant it, but enjoyed the fruits God left for them.
      4. 24:14-15 – the charge of Joshua. Fear God, serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away your gods. With strong words, Joshua said, CHOOSE! He also boldly declared his choice – “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
      5. 24:16-28 – the people responded to Joshua
      6. 24:16-18 – far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD for other gods. They acknowledged it was YHWH that brought them out of Egypt and gave them the land.  “We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”
      7. 24:19-20 – Joshua knows the people too well. “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.”  This is not about what YHWH is unable to do, but a reflection of their less than loyal service to Him.
      8. 24:21 – the people again insist they will be faithful to YHWH.
      9. 24:22-24 – Joshua puts them under a oath, which they openly and publicly accept (you may recall, they did the same thing at Mt. Sinai – Exodus 19:8, 24:3-8 – they made a covenant with YHWH (which they broke within 2 months).
      10. 24:25-27- Joshua made a covenant with the people and wrote the words in “The Book of the Law of God.” He took a large stone and set up under the oak by the sanctuary of the LORD and declared that the stone was a witness to they had made the covenant with YHWH.
      11. 24:28 – the people departed to their inheritance.
    6. Final events
      1. 24:29-30 – Joshua, at 110 years of age dies and is buried in his inheritance at Timnath Serah in Ephraim.
      2. 24:31* – Israel served YHWH all the days of Joshua and his generation who outlived him – “who had known the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.”
      3. 24:32 – The bones of Joseph, which had been transported from Egypt, found their burial in Shechem in the plot that Jacob had purchased and was part of the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
      4. 24:33 – Eleazar, the son of Aaron, died and was buried in the hills of Ephraim.
  2. Lessons to Consider
    1. 23:3 – The Lord will fight for you.  One of the messages we continually find in the history books is how God is able to defend His people when needed.  Romans 8:31, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
    2. There is always still work to be done. Just as they were reminded that they had more to do, so we must constantly remind ourselves that as long as we live, we are not done.  Paul in Philippians 1:21 noted, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”   John 4:35 – a call for His disciples to open their eyes because the fields were ready for harvest. John 9:4, I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
    3. Keep all the law – do not deviate from it. 23:6 – we are again reminded that God’s word must be our standard of authority for everything we do.
    4. Do NOT put yourself at a disadvantage with unbelievers – 23:7-8 – the reason they needed to finish the work is they were in danger of the influences of their idolaters in their midst. Remember 2 Corinthians 6:14ff – do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.  Sometimes this means we must drive them out of our lives.   23:12-13 – When you ally yourself with the ungodly, you are making your task of faithfulness more difficult, if not impossible.  Sometimes we sabotage ourselves by the choices we make.
    5. 23:11 – Take careful heed to love God with your all. Just remember Matthew 22:37-39 – if we love God and others, it will motivate us to do the right thing. AND it is that love that keeps us trying to be faithful.
    6. God keeps His promises. 23:14 – not a word failed of what God promised to do. This is the anchor of our hope.
    7. There are consequences to rejecting God, both in this life and in eternity. 23:15-16 – as Joshua concluded his admonition to the leaders, he warns them of these consequences.
    8. Leaders first – WE have 2 speeches from Joshua. FIRST, he went to leaders and then to the whole assembly.  When planning takes place, it is typically good to begin with the leaders.  Much like Nehemiah, who 1) Surveyed the walls & 2) spoke with the leaders (Neh. 2:16-17) together, they then motivated the people.  Whatever our endeavors, if we have a plan that we have addressed, we reveal it to our spiritual family, THEN we step up and LEAD them in the process.
    9. Sometimes we need to consider our past. Numerous times, Israel was reminded of their heritage with Abraham, the wilderness and conquering the land.  It is a recurring theme in the psalms as well.  Such reminded them of God and their purpose.  There are so many lessons to learn from our past.  1) It can humble us – 1 Corinthians 15:10.  2) It can remind us of where we do NOT want to return – 1 Corinthians 6:11 – “Such were some of you”, etc.  NOTE: We are considering it, not for the sake of repeating it or beating ourselves up, but to keep us FROM returning.
    10. We are all faced with choices. 24:15 – is a powerful passage about making a choice.  Throughout life we will be faced with choices.  There are no more important choices than the ones that have a bearing on our souls.  Matthew 7:13-14 – there are 2 paths.  Which will you choose to serve.   HOW will you choose to serve Him?
    11. Will you put away your gods? 24:15, 23 – it is amazing that Joshua has to tell them this at all. And we need constant reminders as well.  Gods are not necessarily images of idols.  A god is anything or anyone whom you follow to shape your eternal destiny.  It can be things, activities, people or even yourself.  Recall that covetousness is idolatry – Colossians 3:5.
    12. Actions speak louder than words. The people promised that they would be faithful to God.  Sadly, we do know the overall outcome.  There was a degree of faithfulness that generation, but the next denied Him.  ALL day long, we can boast about what we are going to do, but in the end, our actions will betray the real us.  Remember Peter’s boastful declaration – Matthew 26:33.
    13. Joshua 24:29 – we are all going to die one day – at 110 years of age, Joshua passed from this life to his eternal reward. It is a reality we must all face – Hebrews 9:27. Knowing this will happen, what are we doing to prepare?

This closes another chapter of the history of the Bible.  It transitions into our next period – the judges.  We have seen the faithful hand of God do great things and how He has kept His word and preserved His people.   They are firmly established in the Promised Land where much of the rest of their history will unfold, including the events of the life of Jesus. As we have seen, there are many lessons for us to gain from a study of the history of His people.

As their history unfolds we will how they tragically forfeit their inheritance continually even as God remains faithful to His word.  A lesson for us – as His people we have hope of our eternal reward, but like Israel, we must take our covenant with Him seriously and understand that we can forfeit our inheritance as well.  But that is totally up to each one of us.  What about you?  Do you cherish your inheritance with Him?  Think about it!

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