15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good
things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD
will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this
good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16 When you have transgressed
the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and
served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn
against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given
you."
Again, let me thank you for your prayer for Luke. At this time,
it appears that his surgery was successful and he has be upgraded to an regular
pediatric room. It is a possibility that he could go home later today or
tomorrow if he continues this good progress. Thanks again for all your prayers!
In Joshua 23-24, Joshua is giving his last words to the
leaders and the nation of Israel. In verses 1-2, he calls them together either
at Shiloh or at his home in Ephraim. In verses 3-4, Joshua reminds the people
what the LORD did for Israel. In verses 5-9, he reminds them what the LORD said
to Israel in the Book of the Law of Moses. In verse 10, Joshua quotes the promise
that God gave to Israel through Moses in his last words to Israel before he
died. This shows how well Joshua knew the Word of God. He meditated on God's
Word day and night (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2) and hid it in his heart (Ps. 119:11).
Now, in Joshua 23:11-16, Joshua reminds them what the LORD
would do to Israel. The Word of God is like a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12): If
we obey it, God will bless and help us; if we disobey it, God will chasten us
until we submit to Him. If we love the Lord (Josh. 23:11), we'll want to obey
Him and please Him. It is so essential that we cultivate a satisfying
relationship with God.
In verse 14, Joshua reminded the people that God's Word
never fails, whether it's the Word of promise for blessing or the Word of
promise for chastening. Both are evidences of His love, for "whom the Lord
loveth He chastens" (Prov. 3:11-12; Heb. 12:6). Charles Spurgeon said,
"God will not allow His children to sin successfully."
Moses had warned Israel against compromising with the evil
nations in the land (Ex. 23:20-33; 34:10-17; Deut. 7:12-26), and Joshua
reaffirmed that warning (Josh. 23:13). If Israel began to mingle with these
nations, two things would happen: God would remove His blessing, and Israel
would be defeated; and these nations would bring distress and defeat to Israel.
Joshua used vivid words like snares, traps, scourges, and thorns to impress the
Jews with the suffering they would experience if they disobeyed the Lord. The
final stroke of chastening would be Israel's removal from their land to a land
of exile. After all, if you want to live and worship like the Gentiles, then
live with the Gentiles! This happened when God permitted Babylon to conquer
Judah, destroy Jerusalem, and take thousands of the Jews into exile in Babylon.
Three times in this brief address Joshua called Canaan "this
good land" (vv. 13,15-16). When God called Moses at the burning bush,
He promised to take Israel into a "good land" (Ex. 3:8); and Joshua
and Caleb described Canaan as "a good land" after forty days
of investigation (Num. 14:7). In his farewell message Moses used the phrase "good
land" at least ten times (Deut. 1:25, 35; 3:25; 4:21-22; 6:18; 8:7,
10; 9:6; 11:17).
The argument is obvious: Since God has given us such a good
land, the least we can do is live to please Him.
God bless!
