Joshua 24

Sunday Morning Bible Study

June 19, 2011

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision

The book of Joshua is a book about the Promised Land.

The Israelites had been set free from slavery in Egypt, and after forty years in the wilderness, Joshua led them to conquer the land of Canaan. (Play Israel Promo)

Joshua is now about to die, and there’s one thing left to do – make sure the people are right with God.

24:1-28 Covenant at Shechem

:1 Then 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.

:1 Shechem – “back” or “shoulder”, currently the Palestinian city of Nablus.

Play Shiloh – Shechem map clip. Earlier in the book of Joshua we saw that the city of Shiloh had been established as the center for worship and government (22:12).

So why does this meeting take place at Shechem, some ten miles to the north?

Lesson

Come back to commitment.

Some ten years earlier, after the victory at Jericho and Ai, Joshua had taken the people to a place that had two mountains.

(Play Shechem map clip) Shechem is the city located in the valley between the two mountains. It was here that Joshua had built an altar with the words of the Law painted on it in fulfillment of Moses’ command (Deut. 27). Half of the people had stood on Mount Ebal, the other half on Mount Gerazim, and there they had rehearsed the blessings and the curses of the Law of Moses. (Josh. 8:30-35)

(Jos 8:30–35 NKJV) —30 Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, 31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.

Shechem was where the nation had been reminded of what they were all about. They were a nation that served Yahweh.

God’s people are constantly being called back to the place of commitment.

You might think it a little silly that some preachers keep calling you to take a stand for the Lord. But the truth is that we can all face the temptation to backslide and take it easy in our walk.

Jesus warned the church of Ephesus that they had left the place of commitment.

(Re 2:4–5 NKJV) —4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Calling the people back to Shechem is a little like calling them back to the place of the “first works”, calling them back to choosing whether or not to serve the Yahweh.

Do you need to go back to “Shechem”?

:2 And 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.

:2 Thus says the LORD God of Israel

Joshua is speaking prophetically through this passage. When you read things like “I did this…” or “I did that…”, keep in mind that it’s God who is speaking.

:3 Then 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.

:2 Your fathers …

Joshua is going to do a little historical review for the people before challenging them to serve God.

:3 the other side of the River

The “River” refers to the Euphrates River. which starts in modern Armenia and runs through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.

Abraham was originally from the city of Ur, but God led him on a journey that went north to Haran, then south to the land of Canaan, the land of Israel.

The first place Abraham stopped in the land of Canaan was a city called Shechem.

:4 To 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.

:4 Esau –

Isaac was Abraham’s son. Jacob and Esau were Isaac’s sons.

Esau’s descendants settled in the land southeast of the Dead Sea in modern Jordan, the land of Edom.

While Esau’s descendants were settled into their territory, Jacob took his family to Egypt during the famine and after 400 years they ended up as slaves.

:5 Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.

:5 Moses and Aaron

This was the book of Exodus.

: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.

:7 So 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.

:7 your eyes saw

At this point in Israel’s history, Joshua is still talking to some people who were eyewitnesses of these events. Some of the people before Joshua were children who crossed the Red Sea.

They spent forty years in the wilderness.

:8 And 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.

:8 the land of the Amorites

Before conquering the land on the western side of the Jordan River, Moses led the battles as they conquered the kingdoms of Sihon and Og on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

:9 Then 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.

:10 But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand.

:9 Balaam

Balaam was a sort of “rent-a-prophet”. He was hired by the king of the Moabites to put a curse on the nation of Israel.

Yet whenever he tried to conjure up a curse, all that came out of his mouth were blessings. (Num. 22-24)

It was also Balaam who cooked up the idea to actually hurt the Israelites. He was the one that encouraged the young Moabite women to go into the Israeli camp and seduce the Israelite men into worshipping their gods through sex. And that caused the actual problems for Israel, not the attempts at cursing.

Lesson

Just Live Right

The Israelites had run into trouble, but it wasn’t because some powerful magician named Balaam had conjured up a curse on them.

They got into trouble simply because they were disobedient to the simple, clear, right ways of God.

Sometimes we can get superstitious about things like curses or horoscopes, but the real thing you ought to pay attention to is your life.

(Pr 26:2 NKJV) Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.

:11 Then 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.

:12 I 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.

:12 I sent the hornet before you

I don't think he's talking about the old AMC car or the Green Hornet.

But the point is that God sent something, whether insects or Egyptians, to weaken the Canaanites before Israel showed up.

Possible theories:

1. Egyptian armies attacking Canaan before the conquest.

2. The fear the Canaanites felt when Israel got closer

3. Actual real insects.

The point is that God had done most of the work for them.

:13 I 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.’

:13 a land for which you did not labor

The land that the Israelites were moving in to had farms and cities that were already planted and built. It’s like the work had already been done for them.

It reminds me that:

Salvation is not by works.

Jesus did the work for us.

:2 Your fathers …

Lesson

Don’t forget your history

Joshua is going to be challenging the Israelites to a fresh commitment to God, but he starts with reminding them of their history with their God, Yahweh.

The fathers turned to Yahweh (vs. 2-3)

Their “fathers” had one time served “other gods”. But they learned to leave the “other gods” and serve Yahweh. (vs. 2-3)

Yahweh delivered them from Egypt (vs. 6)

When they were in Egypt, it was Yahweh who had delivered them from slavery. (vs.6)

Yahweh fought the Amorites (vs. 8)

When they faced the Amorite kings, it was Yahweh who had fought for them (vs. 8)

Balaam: Safer following Yahweh (vs. 9-10)

The lesson they learned from Balaam was that as long as they followed Yahweh in purity, they were blessed, but when they turned their back on Yahweh and lived in immorality, life was difficult (vs. 9-10)

Yahweh won the Promised Land (vs. 11-13)

With each battle in the Promised Land, the people had learned that Yahweh was fighting for them (vs. 11-12)

Yahweh had given them this wonderful place to live (vs. 13)

Does history show that it makes sense to follow Yahweh?

It’s important from time to time to do a little review of history.

Illustration

Author Norman Cousins called history “a vast early warning system”

Philosopher George Santayana wrote, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Sometimes it’s our own history we need to review.

Do you remember how you got saved? Do you remember what life used to be like before you met Jesus Christ?

Sometimes we can learn plenty just from the history of what God has done in the lives of other people.

We learn life lessons as we study the people in the Bible.

Those around us - I had an older sister who was sort of the black sheep of our family. I learned a lot about what not to do in life by watching her.

We can learn a lot even from the history of our nation.

One of the things I enjoy about the Truth Project is how we get a glimpse into our own American History and see the roots of our nation.

Learn from history. Take time to review.

: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!

:14 serve Him in sincerity and in truth

sincerity – tamiym – complete, whole, entire, sound; unimpaired, innocent, having integrity

Our English word “sincerity” is based on the Latin meaning “without wax” (sin + cere). Wax was used by sculptors and potters to fill in the cracks of works that had been cracked or chipped. If you were a merchant looking to buy a statue or pottery, you’d ask the seller, “Is this piece sincere?” In other words, is it without wax? Are you hiding anything? Is it going to fall apart on the first hot day of spring?

Do you serve God with sincerity? Are you trying to hide anything from Him?

It’s about being “real” with God.

truth – ‘emeth – firmness, faithfulness, truth; reliableness

Lesson

Real and Reliable

God is looking for servants that are sincere, real.

God is looking for servants that are reliable.

When He hands out rewards He’ll say,

(Mt 25:21 NKJV) His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

I’m not sure God is looking necessarily for the most talented servants. He’s looking for ones that consistently show up to do their job. They may not be the best that has ever done the job, they may not be particularly inspiring, but they’re there.

God isn’t necessarily looking for those big name home run hitters who get temperamental and don’t get along with their managers or fellow players very well. He’s looking for the “iron men”, the guys who just show up for every game. They may not hit home runs, but they’re there doing their job.

:14 put away the other gods

This is what it means to be real and reliable.

They need to turn away from the things that have led them away from God.

:15 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.”

:15 as for me and my house

Lesson

Healthy Parenting

Joshua, as head of his family, makes a firm statement of where he intends his family to be.

Joshua’s intention is that his family would follow the Lord.

His commitment to serve the Lord doesn’t get the rest of the family off the hook.

Each person in a family makes a personal commitment to serve the Lord.

You see the same principle working in the life of the man whose job it was to guard Paul and Silas when they were in jail in Philippi. Paul and Silas had been beaten and put in jail because they had cast a demon out of a man’s little slave girl.

(Ac 16:25–34 NKJV) —25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

When Paul promised the jailer:

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Paul didn’t mean that the rest of the family didn’t have to believe, but that salvation for that man’s household would begin with the jailer.

Each person in the family still had to make a choice to follow Jesus, and for this man, they all did.

Parents, you set the tone for your family.

Make it clear where you want your family to be.

You can’t force your kids to believe, but you can tell them what you desire and what you are going to do.

1. Sometimes Firm

The best Father in the world sometimes will use “chastisement” (discipline, punishment) with His children because of His love for them.

(Heb 12:5–11 NKJV) —5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

When discipline is done carefully and in love, and when the child is affected by it in a way that they actually learn a lesson from it (“trained”), then there is a good result – the “peaceable fruit of righteousness”.

We learn to live a good (righteous) life and that’s a good (peaceable) thing.

Part of a parent’s responsibility is to be firm about certain things.

Play “Dad’s Duct Tape”

I hope you all know that I am not condoning the use of duct tape when your children misbehave.

My point is that there is a need for parents to learn to be firm with their kids.

Illustration

The late J. Edgar Hoover, former head of the FBI was once asked, “Should I make my child go to Sunday school and church?” His reply was both Scriptural and practical. “Yes,” said the former head of the FBI, “you certainly should, and with no further discussion about the matter. You may be startled by my answer, but what do you say to Junior when he comes to breakfast on Monday morning and announces he isn’t going to school anymore? You know! He goes! How do you answer him when he comes home covered with mud and says, ‘I’m not going to take a bath.’ Junior bathes, doesn’t he? Why all this timidity, then, in the realm of spiritual guidance and growth? You say you’re going to let him wait and decide what church he wants to go to when he is old enough? Quit your kidding! You wouldn’t wait until he’s grown up to choose whether he wishes to be clean or dirty, would you? Do you let him decide for himself whether to take medicine when he’s sick? Do you? How shall we respond, then, when Junior says he doesn’t want to go to Sunday school and church? That’s easy! Just be consistent. Tell him, ‘Son, in our house we ALL go to Sunday school and church, and that includes you!’ Your firmness and example will furnish a bridge over which youthful rebellion will then travel into many rich and satisfying spiritual experiences.”

Now take this advice with a little grain of salt. As important as good parenting is, there are no guarantees that your kids will always go down the right path in life. Some of the best parents in the world have kids who have walked away from God.

Look at God the Father and His children in the garden of Eden.

2. Sometimes Gentle

Sometimes parents can be deceived into thinking that good parenting is all being firm. They think that as long as they keep yelling, spanking, and giving time outs that they must be doing their job.

That’s a little like trying to play a Beethoven piano sonata on a piano with only one note. And because it doesn’t sound very good, you just keep playing that one key harder and harder, hoping that things will sound better. You need a few more notes.

Illustration

I remember when our kids were very, very little that we would get frustrated when it came time to pack them up and go somewhere as a family. They didn’t like being suddenly pulled away from their toys or games. We didn’t like their unwillingness to come when we asked.

Somewhere along the way, we picked up on the notion that its helpful to let your kids know that they are going to go to grandma’s house in ten minutes and later to remind them in five minutes. Things got a lot easier – not perfect – but easier.

The best Father in the world is “gentle” with His children.

(Ps 103:8–14 NKJV) —8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

Sometimes the right thing to do is not to be firm and punish everything that your child does.

Some parents are so afraid of their child going astray, or so afraid of their child embarrassing them, that they leave no room for the child’s mistakes. Everything is punished.

Yet God remembers that we are just made of dust. He does not deal with us like He could if He punished every single sin.

Healthy parenting is learning the balance between firm and gentle.

Parenting isn’t easy. Nobody does it perfectly. We all make mistakes.

One last note – in a sense the influence of parents does not end when your kids become adults.

You no longer make decisions for your kids, but you do have influence.

Joshua is 110 years old. He’s still stating confidently that it’s his intent that his family serve God.

:16 So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

:17 for 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.

:18 And 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.”

:18 the LORD drove out …

The people remember very well what God had done for them.

They intend to serve the Lord.

:19 But 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.

:20 If 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.”

:19 you cannot serve the LORD

This is not something you will often hear from an evangelist making a plea for people to follow the Lord.

Joshua is warning them that it’s not going to be easy.

The challenge for the people is that God is holy and He wants those who follow Him to be holy as well.

God wants those who follow Him to represent Him well.

Lesson

Can you follow?

In a way, Joshua might be saying:

Don’t follow God if you’re not willing to be holy.

Don’t follow God if you’re not willing to forsake all other gods.

Don’t follow God if you’re going to cheapen His grace by sinning while you are thinking that God doesn’t mind, and you’ll just ask for forgiveness later.

Yes, Jesus does forgive our sins and promises eternity in heaven.

What He has done for us should make us want to follow Him. But to be honest, being a Christian can be difficult.

Paul said,

(2 Ti 3:12 NKJV) Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

What will you do when life gets tough?

Illustration

From Eric Greitens, “The SEAL Sensibility,” The Wall Street Journal (5-7-11)

The rigors that Navy SEALs go through begin on the day they walk into Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in Coronado, Calif., universally recognized as the hardest military training in the world. …only 10-20 percent of the men who begin BUD/S usually manage to finish ….

What kind of man makes it through Hell Week? That’s hard to say. But I do know—generally—who won’t make it. There are a dozen types that fail: the weight-lifting meatheads who think that the size of their biceps is an indication of their strength … the preening leaders who don’t want to get dirty, and the look-at-me former athletes who have always been told they are stars …. In short, those who fail are the ones who focus on show.

Some men who seemed impossibly weak at the beginning of SEAL training—men who puked on runs and had trouble with pull-ups—made it. Some men who were skinny and short and whose teeth chattered just looking at the ocean also made it. Some men who were visibly afraid, sometimes to the point of shaking, made it too.

Almost all the men who survived possessed one common quality. Even in great pain, faced with the test of their lives, they had the ability to step outside of their own pain, put aside their own fear and ask: How can I help the guy next to me? They had more than the “fist” of courage and physical strength. They also had a heart large enough to think about others, to dedicate themselves to a higher purpose.

Can you follow Him?

I remember years ago going to a Keith Green concert where he gave the most unusual altar call.

He warned the people that it was not going to be easy to be a Christian.

He quoted verses like:

(2 Ti 3:12 NKJV) Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

And

(Jn 15:20 NKJV) —20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

And

(Jn 16:2 NKJV) They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.

Before anyone came forward, he warned them that Jesus wasn’t going to take all their problems away but that their lives might become even harder.

Yes Jesus forgives our sins. Yes Jesus promises us heaven.

But being a Christian can be difficult.

I remember a lot of people thinking long and hard before they came forward.

:21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD!”

:22 So 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.”

:23 put away the foreign gods

Lesson

Committed repentance

Commitment isn’t just about raising a hand at a concert or going forward.

It’s about turning your life around.

We don’t earn our salvation by changing our lives.

But if we are sincere about following God, then we will respond to Him by taking action.

:24 And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”

Sometimes God’s people make promises that they can’t keep, but this is not one of those times.

This generation actually keeps their word. They do indeed serve the Lord.

:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

:26 Then 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.

:27 And 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.”

:28 So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance.

:27 this stone shall be a witness to us

Joshua even says that the stone “heard” all that was spoken.

Kind of an odd thing to say. It’s almost as if the stone was a living person.

In a sense thought, this stone will be a “memorial”, a place that reminds the people of the commitments made this day.

Jesus made a statement about stones:

(Lk 19:37–40 NKJV) —37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

24:29-33 Death of Joshua and Eleazar

The chapter ends with the death and burial of Joshua, the burial of the bones of Joseph at Shechem, and the death of Eleazar the high priest.

:29 Now 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.

:30 And 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.

:30 Timnath Serah

See map.

:31 Israel 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.

:31 Israel served the LORD

Joshua warned the people that they wouldn’t be able to serve the Lord and that they would backslide, but the people that were with Joshua actually followed through on their word.

History tells us that the people met Joshua’s challenge. that generation did follow the Lord, and even the one more generation followed the Lord (Jdg. 2:7)

In fact, it seems that even the next generation made the choice to follow the Lord.

(Jdg 2:7 NKJV) So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.

It wasn’t until after that generation that the people began to fall away.

Each generation must decide for themselves.

Each generation must make a choice.

:32 The 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.

:33 And 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.

:32 the bones of Joseph

When Joseph had died hundreds of years ago in Egypt, he made his descendants promise to bury him in the Promised Land when the day came that they would return.

Joseph was the son of Jacob who had been sold as a slave into Egypt, and then rose to become the second most powerful man in the world.

(Ge 50:24–26 NKJV) —24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they left with a coffin. Now some fifty years later Joseph’s coffin is buried in the Promised Land.

Closing

:15 choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve

Joshua lays before the people the big challenge – make a choice!

Lesson

Make your choice

Jesus said that you have to make a choice.

(Mt 6:24 NKJV) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Illustration

Remember the uncertain soldier in our Civil War who, figuring to play it safe, dressed himself in a blue coat and gray pants and tip- toed out unto the field of battle. He got shot from both directions. -- Paul Harvey News

You’re either for Jesus or against Him.

(Mt 12:30 NKJV) He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Are you in a place where you need to make a choice to follow Jesus?

Maybe you’ve never made that first step of saying “Yes” to Jesus.

Maybe you’ve made a commitment, but you’ve fallen away.

Make a choice. To be undecided is to be decided. It’s deciding against.