All right, Joshua 24 today!
Today is all about last words, last words. You ever thought about, and in light of Nico’s teaching a couple of weeks back. Very powerful. Thank you again, brother. You ever thought about what you would say to someone if you knew it was the last time you would ever speak to them? Maybe your wife or husband, your kids, parents. Maybe your team that you’ve led, your group of friends. Today, we get to hear the last words of Joshua, after he had led Israel for many, many years after taking over for his mentor, Moses.
I remember when I was in college, I was in my senior year, and I took a class by a man by the name of James McPherson. Professor McPherson is the foremost scholar on the civil war in the world. And I didn’t know that that was the very last time he was going to be teaching a regular class in college. He still does some lectures for big events from time to time for historical societies and whatnot. But last time he was teaching a class. And I’ll never forget the very last class of that series of that semester, they moved our class from a room that met in something kind of like this into an auditorium like we usually meet in. And it was packed out. And the class was not unlike anything he had taught before. It was Civil War stuff, Abraham Lincoln, who was his particular area of expertise, and so on and so forth. But the room was full of an energy as people were taking in what Professor McPherson had to say. And at the end of it, I’ll never forget, because it was both ridiculous and fitting. There was a group of former and current students who were dressed up as Union soldiers. And they gave him a 21-gun salute with Nerf guns. Showing the respect for the man who had poured his life into the study of the Civil War, and teaching so many about it.
Well, our subject matter today is decidedly more important than American history. These are the last words of a man who have been leading the Lord’s people into the land of promise, in fulfillment of the words of God Almighty. The last two chapters, we’ve heard Joshua first, in Joshua Chapter 22, addressing the two and a half tribes that we’re going to stay on the eastern side of the Jordan River. You remember that he kind of said, “Hey, good job. Continue to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” Then, chapter 23, he addresses the leaders of the people. Which Nico did a wonderful job when packing for us, and giving his farewell address to the leaders and encouraging them to continue to lead well, and to live as examples for the Lord etc. And now we have the entire nation, all gathered together in a very special place. The proverbial auditorium for everyone to see and hear what Joshua has to say. And we hear Joshua’s final words to the nation, the entire nation.
We’re going to break this up into four parts today. And I’m going to try to go as fast as I can, because we’re also going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper after this. Four parts today, they’re all C’s, because alliteration. We have first the call to remember, then the charge to choose, then the challenge, and ultimately, the covenant renewal.
So first, we have the call to remember and we pick up in verse one of Joshua, chapter 24. Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem. And some of the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. First thing we see Joshua do is get everyone together, along with all the leaders, and they are all presenting themselves before God. This isn’t Joshua’s show. Even though these are his last words, Joshua right away makes very clear, it’s not about him. And we’ll see in the words he’s about to speak that it’s all about Yahweh. They present themselves before God. If you recall, Shechem has been a very significant place in the book of Joshua already. Shechem is where they recommitted themselves to the blessings and curses. Remember, Gerizim and Ebal the two mountains on either side with Shechem in the middle. Remember that? That was back in Joshua, chapter eight. But Shechem is also the place where Jacob in Genesis chapter 35, committed his household to following Yahweh, burying all of the idols in Shechem. And it’s also where Abraham built an altar, after God made him a promise that he would bless all the nations through him that he would give him the land. Shechem is an extremely important place in the history of Israel. And the people knew its significance, knew that gathering there was a big deal. And so they are gathered before the Lord. And we see the first thing that Joshua does is call them to remember. I’m going to read verses two through 13. And I want you, if you have a pen or something, I want you to circle one word that appears 17 times. It is a one letter word. And Joshua said to all the people “Thus says the Lord.” These are not Joshua’s words. These are the words of the Lord through Joshua. “Thus says the LORD the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham, and of Nehor. And they served other gods.” That’s the only place by the way at all the scripture, that we are given insight that Abraham was a pagan worshipper of a different God until Yahweh intervened. Verse three, and here we get our first occurrence of the 17. “Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the river, and lead him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac, I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward, I brought you out.
“Then I brought your father’s out of Egypt, and you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave him into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. Then Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites. It was not by your sword, or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards, and olive orchards that you did not plant.’”
We see who this is all about. We see right away that Joshua, giving his farewell address to the people wants it to be exceedingly clear who everything that they have earned, everything that they are entitled to, everything has in fact been given to them by God. He is the one who has done it. And for those of us perhaps, who have a tendency to become self-reliant, who have a tendency to be that overachieving perfectionist, A-type personality, or maybe you’re just really good at something. It is very, very easy, isn’t it, to forge;, we are nothing apart from God. And so leave it to a seasoned man at the end of his life who has accomplished so much. You ever see those lifetime award speeches that people give? They will often thank some people as part of their speech. But oftentimes, they are reflecting on what they’ve accomplished. You don’t see a single time in here, where Joshua is saying he did anything. Or Moses for that matter, his mentor, it’s all God. And likewise, as we look back on our lives, and we look forward to what God has called us to do, it’s critical that we remember where our help comes from. Amen? It is critical to remember who gives us that strength.
I think it’s also funny, not funny, wrong word. It’s also appropriate that a word that appears six times in here is the word gave. Right? It’s all about God. And what did God do? He gave these things. This text is a clear reminder of God’s grace. Right? He is a God who gives freely of himself, not because of anything anyone has done. Not because anyone, anything, anything anyone has earned, or they are entitled to. But because that’s who our God is. He is a God who gives, right? We know the verse in Ephesians chapter two, very famous, I would encourage us all to remember-ize it. That means you remember it and you memorize it all at the same time. It’s an effective way to hide scripture in your heart. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Right? And Joshua without uttering the words of Paul is expressing the same thought. It’s all about God. Amen.
And so after he calls them to remember who this is all about, he then, second part, charges them to choose who they’re going to serve. Now, it’s one thing to know, it’s all about God and that He is Yahweh. That he’s the one who’s all powerful. Do you know who would agree with you in that statement? Satan. Satan would agree that, yep, God is God. He’s all powerful. So, it’s not just enough to acknowledge that. There needs to be a response to that truth, of humility. And that’s ultimately, if we’re boiling down Joshua’s final words, what he’s driving at, it doesn’t matter what you know, doesn’t matter what you’ve been raised with. It doesn’t matter what you intellectually assent to. All that matters, is who you are going to choose to serve every single day.
So he continues in verse 14. Now, therefore… if we’re building a proof text here, ‘therefore’, of course, refers back to what he just said. So he’s saying, look, in light of everything I just said, Therefore, because of that, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Joshua’s saying, look, the only logical conclusion to the reality of who God is, and what he has done is that you will choose to serve him. That’s it. That’s the only logical conclusion. Any other conclusion apart from that is foolish. It is full of self, it’s full of pride, it’s not, doesn’t make sense in the light of the facts of what Yahweh has done. It’s the same approach that Paul takes in his letter to the Romans, a very kind of legal type of writing, proof-text, rational letter. After going through all of the theology of the letter, he gets to chapter 12. And he says, very similarly to Joshua, I appeal to you, Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. It’s the only logical conclusion in light of who God is and what he’s done. The verb ‘serve’ here in verse 14, is a key word in Joshua 24. It actually occurs 19 times. You can go back and you can circle all those, maybe do a little square around the word serve. Since you already circled all the I’s, you know, you don’t want to get confused with your shapes. But the word the verb serve here in Hebrew, is translated into the Greek in a word in the word that means worship. And so the idea that Joshua is expressing is not one of simply doing stuff for God. It is, choosing who your heart is going to devote itself to. Who you are going to live your life in worship of. Because service is an act of worship, right? But the word serve does not in our English does not quite capture the depth of what Joshua is calling them to. He’s calling them to evaluate who and what they worship. And he’s saying don’t just do that as a pretense. Don’t just say “Oh, yep, yep, your way up above about Yahweh you always good dude. He’s my bro.” Yahweh is not your bro.
Joshua says to worship Him in sincerity and faithfulness. This has to be something that comes deep from within your heart. And it’s something that you learn to do as you mature, as you grow, as you develop with a deeper and deeper sense of sincerity and faithfulness, devotedness, stick-to-itiveness.
And so he continues in verse for the second half of verse 14 and verse 15. He says, “Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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.”
Joshua had just got done showing how Yahweh put to shame every other god. Who does he reference? He references the gods of Babylon, basically, Egypt, and Canaan. And he just showed how Abraham left the gods of Babylon, they weren’t as good as Yahweh. Yahweh absolutely wiped the floor with the gods of Egypt, with each of his plagues showing his reign over all 10 of the main Egyptian gods. And look what we just did to Canaan. Yahweh just absolutely wiped the floor with all of the gods of Canaan, the Baals and the Astros and the Molechs, etc. But if you’re going to choose them, that’s fine, then choose them. Don’t pretend. Don’t be a player. Right? Know who you are, and own it. If you’re going to choose one of those gods choose those gods. As for me, in my house, we are choosing to worship Yahweh, the everlasting God, the defeater of all of the wannabes. Right? And he doesn’t say that they’re not gods, he doesn’t say that they’re without power. Because how many of you know that fallen angels who hold themselves out as gods have real power. It’s been given to them by Yahweh, they’ve adulterated it, and now are using it with in the bounds and confines of what Yahweh allows. Right? So it’s not like this is fake stuff here. It’s real. But it doesn’t compare to what Yahweh is. Who Yahweh is and what he does. Joshua says, That’s my God, and my God whoops your god. Right, but choose. And it’s interesting that he’s calling them to this at the end of his life. Because it’s the same message he’s been calling them to throughout his life. Which means what? They still weren’t listening. There was still idolatry going on in their midst. Joshua says, not a single thing that is new to the people of God here. He repeats the same message that he’s been telling them. Remember God and commit to him, choose him, serve him. Why does he have to do that? Well, I mean, there’s some new ones, that’s good. We love babies, praise God, they’re gifts, right? Maybe some folks who didn’t hear the message, but by and large, remember this is all the nation of Israel has come together, the text says. There’s folks who are saying one thing with their words, and who are living their lives in worship of these false gods. And most likely, what they were doing is what’s called syncretism. It’s not like they were saying, oh I’m going to worship Yahweh, and then they were going in the corner and worshiping Molech. Like, thinking that it was hidden. Syncretism is where I take aspects of a bunch of different religious practices and worships and kind of put them all together. They were most likely worshiping those who were falling into idolatry and how do we know this? We see this actually in Judges, because this is exactly what happens. We see this happen where they’re just worshipping a whole pantheon of gods and Yahweh is one of many, instead of the one above all.
So Joshua tells them to put away (verse 14) put away the gods. In the Hebrew, that literally means to turn aside from the road that you’re walking on. That’s the metaphor that’s used. Turn away from that road. In the Greek, the closest word is what? Repent. There’s a messenger you’ve heard before, isn’t it? Right? It’s basically saying the same thing John the Baptist does: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, right? Saying the same thing that Jesus does: REPENT. Turn away from, turn aside, do not continue down that path, pull a 180 and return. And the reality is we know that God is sovereign in control, right? He is holy. He has a plan that is unfolding throughout history that will end with his maximum glory, amen? There are too many verses to count to show God’s sovereignty and his control over all things. But there is a clear reality here, that we as followers of Yahweh, as those submitted to Christ, and those who aren’t, have to make a choice every day who we are going to worship, have to make a choice every day who we will serve. Sometimes choices are hard.
Remember when Elijah was going against the prophets of bale on Mount Carmel? And remember when he tells the prophets “yah, yah, yah, yah, go ahead, call out to your God. I’m sure he’s just busy. Maybe he’s on the toilet or something. But you should yeah, call out to him.” It’s actually in the Bible. He tells them that. My favorite taunt in all of Scripture, it’s great. But after he then calls down the fire of God to consume the offering that’s there showing that Yahweh again is better than anyone else. He turns to the people of Israel. And he says this in 1 Kings 18. How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him. He Elijah puts them to the choice says what are you gonna do? We live in a culture where it is too easy to never choose. That’s what comfort does. That’s what pleasure and plenty do. They do not put you to the choice. You can just continue on in your little place and say one thing and do another. And this is what Joshua is calling all of his listeners throughout history, to be honest with themselves about. Because really what Joshua is doing here what he is challenging his listeners to be is honest with themselves. And you know what? Most of us have a hard time being honest with ourselves. That’s why James talks about self-deception, doesn’t he? To not be hearers of the word but doers of the word. Don’t deceive yourselves, James writes.
So Joshua’s calling that same thing out. And he says make the choice who you’re going to serve.
British evangelist G. Campbell Morgan puts it this way. “The implication of the appeal was recognition of a great necessity in all human life.” Man must worship, he must have a God, that is universally true. Every single person on this planet worships something. For many folks, they worship themselves, right? We all worship something. And we don’t live in a culture, which is as pronounced as these ancient pagan cultures with their Asherah poles, and their Baals and their Molech little carved statues. But the influence of those gods, those gods of pleasure, those gods of greed, those gods of power, those influence run rampant all around us, do they not? And so we need to be honest with ourselves. And that is, what the call is, the charge is to be honest with yourself, and choose Yahweh or don’t. And if you’re not, then get on with it. Because you’re gonna lose. He doesn’t say that. I’m not saying that, but he’s kind of implied right.
And so the people quickly respond, verse 16, as we move to part three in Joshua’s challenge. “Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’” I mean, that sounds pretty good. Right? You just delivered your final words, people who you love, who you’ve served for so long. And you tell them look, serve Yahweh and they’re like, “You know what, I think I’m going to do that. I think I’m going to serve Yahweh. You’ve convinced me, Joshua.” And you’d think Joshua would probably be like, All right. Now I can die in peace. That’s what Joshua does, right? No, let’s keep reading verses 19 and 20. “But Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.’” Clearly, Joshua doesn’t understand the art of pulling on the emotional heartstrings of people. He doesn’t know the art of giving a good altar call, getting that music going. Having them come on down. We’re going to make this profession right here in Jesus’ name.
Now there’s another guy by the name of Yeshua who kind of did the same thing. Remember him? Yeshuahamashiach? When people came to him and said, Hey, we want to follow you, Jesus. Jesus was like, are you sure? You see those doves? They got homes, you won’t. You see that tower over there? Have you counted the cost of what it’s going to take to build that sucker.
In fact, he continues in Luke. He says, for which of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it. The Scottish preacher Alexander McLaren said it this way: the best way to deepen and confirm good resolutions too swiftly formed, is to state very plainly, the difficulty of keeping them.
Yahweh is not in too easy believe-ism, or cheap grace as Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it. This isn’t just a flippant decision that anyone makes. This is a commitment of your entire life to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Praise God, He saves us. Amen? So it’s an easy decision to make when you understand the eternal consequences of things. But Joshua says, don’t just think about that eternal glory, although it’s amazing and worth it. And you should jump at the chance. Be aware of the cost. Be aware of the reality of what serving Jesus as Lord means.
And Joshua knew what Moses had already taught the people of Israel. What God told Moses to teach the people of Israel. He taught the people of Israel a song, in Deuteronomy, chapter 31. And part of the song says this, in the words of Yahweh, for when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.
Yahweh knows the conditions of our hearts. And lest we think that we can do this whole Christian thing, Joshua is quick to remind us no, you can’t. No, you can’t. Well, gosh, that’s kind of harsh, then isn’t it? What am I supposed to do? Well, Joshua doesn’t really, at least in the writing that we have here, get into the reality of how we can do it. Or rather, how we can be the instruments of how it’s done. It’s God who has to do it, right. And he does it in us and through us through His Holy Spirit. It’s only through the Holy Spirit that we can possibly ever serve God and keep His commandments. And it’s only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who died on the cross, that we have forgiveness for our sins. Which is why Joshua says no, no, no, no, no, you can’t serve Him and He won’t forgive your sins. If they try to do that in their own strength in their own power, their own goodness, they’re dead. They fail. So Joshua is simply confronting them with the reality that in committing to Yahweh, they are committing to Yahweh doing everything for them, and working through them as they serve the world for him.
Serving Lord is only possible through honest, self-aware, sincere devotedness that humbly submits to the Spirit of God working in us and through us. Right? Humbly submits, to receiving the grace, the gift I gave, I gave I gave… the grace of God that he gives to us because He loves us, but not because we’ve earned it. For by grace, you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing but the gift of God, not by works so that no one may boast. We are called, Paul calls us Philippians to work out our own salvation in fear and trembling. Knowing that it’s God who works in us to willing to work for His good pleasure. We choose. God allows us to choose. He gives us the strength to choose, the wisdom to choose, the insight, the experience, he does it. We choose, we exercise every day. We’re excited about it when we choose. And we praise God for His grace in our lives.
And so he’s challenged them. And he finished this text with the covenant renewal, we’ll finish through verses 28. “So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. And 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 terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.’ So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.”
This covenant renewal if you make write a reference, or your Bible might have a reference already, to Exodus chapter 24. They just are doing the same thing that their forefathers did at Mount Sinai when they made the covenant initially, after the Lord gave them the 10 commandments. And it in this place we already mentioned, it is a very special place, because this is the same place that Jacob called his household, to put away all of their idols. And Genesis chapter 35, we read, “so Jacob said to his household, and to all who are with him, put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.” Verse four, “so they gave to Jacob all the foreign Gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears, Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.” Putting that rock in the same spot that Jacob buried those idols, there is no coincidence. They are recognizing the commitment that was made once before in this very same place. And they’re making it again, as a people. Joshua’s household made that commitment? Nope. Jacob’s household made that commitment. And now Joshua has made that commitment for his household. What did he say, as for me in my house, his household, his oikos, his sphere of influence in the Greek, we will serve the Lord. Lest we think that this is some sort of individual choice, although it is, the context of this call to choose is that of a call to the community. Joshua is calling the community to live together in pursuit of Yahweh, the king.
And that’s why, by the way, the Lord’s Supper is often celebrated, most regularly celebrated in fact, every single time we see in scriptures, celebrated, done in community. Do you ever recognize that? We often make it an individualistic thing, and there is an individualistic aspect to it. But it’s meant to be in community, a communal celebration. This is why, by the way, all of these rocks are put all over the place. This is the seventh and final stone or monument in the book of Joshua, monument of remembrance. You can see I have a chart of all the different times of all the stones of remembrance. And those are all communal activities, communal declarations of remembrance.
Jesus gave us a stone of remembrance as well. Right? The one he rolled away victoriously. He said to remember his victory through the Lord’s Supper.
Church, we are called every day to choose who we’re going to serve. Don’t do it flippantly. Be honest with yourself. Repent, turn from, put away the things that are distracting us from Yahweh. Whatever that may be. Confess them to your community, the people who you know will be able to hold you accountable. That’s why it’s a communal remembrance, a communal declaration. And choose this day who you serve. Amen? Amen.