The book of Joshua teaches us that we can experience
victory in our lives every day by faith in the LORD! “And this is the
victory that overcomes the world, even our faith…” (1 John 5:4-5). In this
last chapter Joshua reminds the people and admonishes them never to forget the
LORD’s blessings they have experienced in the past. A blessed people should be
a grateful and thankful people. Paul
warns us in Romans 1:21-22, “Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be
wise, they became fools”.
In verses 1-4, Joshua recalls how the LORD chose Israel to
be His special people and how they were set apart to serve Him and be a
blessing to the world. In verses 5-7, he recounts the history of their
deliverance out of Egypt. God sent Joseph ahead to Egypt to preserve the nation
during the famine, and then He sent Moses and Aaron to deliver the nation from
bondage. All of this was a fulfillment of what God had promised to Abraham
centuries before (Gen. 15:1-17).
God judged the gods and rulers of Egypt by sending ten
plagues to the land, climaxing with the death of the firstborn (Exodus 7-12).
God not only brought His people out, but He also led them through the Red Sea
and drowned the Egyptian army in its waters (Exodus 14-15). God instructed His
people to observe the Passover as an annual reminder of their redemption from
Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12-13). In his farewell speech in Deuteronomy, Moses
frequently reminded the Jews that they had once been slaves in Egypt, but the
Lord had set them free (Deut. 5:15; 6:12; 8:14; 13:5,10; 15:15; 16:3, 6; 20:1;
24:22). It does a believer good to remember what it was like to be in bondage
to sin and then to rejoice in the redemption that was purchased so dearly for
us on the cross. It's a dangerous thing to take the gift of salvation for
granted.
In Joshua 24:8-10, Joshua recalls how the LORD guided
Israel. God brought Israel out that He might bring them in (Deut. 6:23). His
goal for them was the Promised Land, but their sin at Kadesh Barnea caused them
to wander in the wilderness until the old unbelieving generation had died off.
When Balaam tried to curse Israel, God turned the curse into a blessing (Num.
22-24; Deut. 23:5; Neh. 13:2). Whether Satan came against Israel as the lion
(the army of the Amorites) or as the serpent (the curses of Balaam), the Lord
defeated him.
Then in verses 11-13, Joshua reminds them that it was the
LORD that gave them their land. The same God who took Israel through the Red
Sea also took them across the Jordan River and into their inheritance. Except
for a temporary defeat at Ai (Josh. 7), and a humiliating compromise with
Gibeon (chap. 9), Joshua and his army defeated every enemy in the land because
the Lord was with them. In Joshua 24:13, God's words remind us of what Moses
said to Israel in Deuteronomy 6:10. Once again, the emphasis is on the goodness
of God and all that He did for Israel because He loved them.
Sadly, later when the Jews started taking their blessings
for granted, they began drifting away from sincere worship of the Lord. And the
same thing can happen to us if we are not careful! We should never forget the
LORD’s blessings, because a grateful heart is a strong defense against the
devil's temptations.
God bless!
