Joshua 24:1-33


As we close out the book of Joshua today, we see one of the few men in Scripture about whom we really see very little sin recorded.  In fact the only things that the Scripture reveal about him that could be considered as sinful are: that he did not consult God prior to attacking Ai or before making a treaty with the Gibeonites.  He is now ready to die, but before he goes he wants to challenge the people one more time and urge them to live faithfully before the Lord.  Joshua was a great leader who was used by God to conquer the land that God had promised to His children so many generations ago.  In this last act of leadership Joshua does three things that are important for every leader to do as a service to the people over whom God has placed him.
REHEARSE THE WORKS OF GOD BEFORE THE PEOPLE: As one of Joshua’s last acts on this earth, he calls the people together and rehearses all of the works of God before the people.  He starts with the call of Abraham and goes quickly through all that God had done up until the present time.  One of the key functions of leadership is to not allow the people to forget the works of the Lord.  People have a tendency to live exclusively in the present moment.  We easily forget the blessing of the past and we often ignore the consequences that our present actions might bring in the future.  The godly leader will regularly and faithfully remind his people of all that they Lord has done.  Remembering God’s many blessings of the past is vital to being able to live faithfully in the present.
REQUIRE THE WORSHIP OF GOD BY THE PEOPLE: Joshua then requires his people to make a commitment to worship God and God alone.  He makes it clear that they people have a choice.  They can either worship God or they can choose to follow the gods of Abraham before God called him; or they can follow the gods of the people of Canaan.  The point is that they must make a choice.  Joshua sets the tone by making it clear that this is not a democracy, but that he has already made his choice, but he requires the people to make their choice as well.  Good leaders will call their people to obedience, set a good example and then require that they commit to a decision.  We all choose who or what we will worship and we cannot worship a variety of gods.  True worship will always be exclusive.  If God is God than He requires that we worship Him and Him alone.  We must faithfully call people to make this choice.
REPRESENT THE WORD OF GOD BESIDE THE PEOPLE: Finally, Joshua leaves a written testament before the people to represent the commitment that the people had made before God.  He wants to be sure that long after he is gone that his people will have a reminder to the promises that they had made before God.  A good leader has the insight and vision to look to the future and do all he can to insure that his people will remain faithful long after he is gone.  Our lives should leave a legacy that future generations will know and strive to follow.  Certainly this was true of Joshua’s life.  The people were faithful under Joshua’s leadership and remained faithful for as long as the people who knew Joshua were alive.  His life and leadership left a lasting imprint on all who knew him and continues to impact our lives today through the Word of God that records the life of this great man of God.  May we faithfully imitate his leadership, demonstrate his character and follow in his footsteps.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more