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10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
SURVEY OF BIBLE HISTORY
Joshua Goes Home
Joshua Lesson 17; Works well with Jensen’s Chapter 11
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson
Copyright - Lester Hutson -
1998
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express
written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.
Josh. 23-24
By the beginning of Joshua 23, Joshua had grown old. He realized he would not live much longer. He called the elders, judges, and various heads of Israel to him at Shechem. (Compare Josh. 23:1-2 with Josh. 24:1.) Joshua 23:3 - 24:25 is Joshua's farewell address to Israel. It is the greatest testimonial and, credit to the power of God ever Written:
1. The first part of the address is Joshua's repeated crediting of the Lord for the victories Israel had enjoyed:
a. Even as the 23rd chapter begins, before Joshua begins to speak, the scripture says, "the Lord had given rest Unto Israel."
b. Once Joshua began to speak, he repeatedly pointed the men of Israel to the Lord; and said they were where they were only because the Lord brought them there; not because of who they were or what they'd done. Twice in Joshua 23:3 he points to the Lord. The Lord your God hath done unto a11 these nations", and "the Lord your God is he that hath fought, for you." He said in V. 5. "The Lord your, God, he shall expel them", and in. V. 9, "the Lord hath driven out from before you great: nations and strong." And in V. 10, he said the reason one of them had been more than a match for 1000 enemies, was because "the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you."
Beginning with Vs.12 and through the end of chapter 23, he turned up the negative side of the coin, and said the Lord is just as capable of working against people as he is capable of working for them. He said in verses 12-13 that "if ye do in any wise go back ...know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and. Traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you" Listen to him in vs.15, as he warns those who would quit trusting the Lord, "so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you"
2. In the e second part of this farewell address by Joshua, the Lord just seemed to take over Joshua's mouth and speak in the first person for himself. Seventeen times God uses the first person "I". God takes credit for accomplishing every major accomplishment of Israel from Abraham through Joshua. V. 3, "I took" Abraham and made him all he was and gave him Isaac. V. 4, "I gave" Isaac Jacob and Esau. "I gave Esau Mount Seir" V. 5., "I sent Moses" and "I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them." "I brought you out." -V. 6, "I brought your fathers out of Egypt. With the beginning of V. 7, he refers to himself in the third person as "the Lord" and says, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; and brought the sea upon them and covered them." Then he returns to the first person and says; "your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt." In V. 8 he says, "I brought you into the land of the Amorite" and "I gave them into your hand", and I destroyed them before you". In V, 10, "I would not hearken unto Balaam…so I delivered you out of his hand" In V. 11. he names the Canaanite tribes west of Jordan and says, "I delivered them into your hand." In Vs. 12 & 13 he gives the grand finale to his magnificent speech by saying, "And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy swords nor with thy bow. And I have given you a land for which ye did not labor and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and olive yards which ye planted not do ye eat."
3. Wow! What can we say except "to him be glory both now and forever" II Pet. 3:18 If there be any praise, if there by any glory, let it go to Calvary; and the ones who by his death there, makes all things possible.
Oh, what a hard lesson to learn! The old flesh is proud. It wants to say, "Look what we have done!" But, the reality is that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights", James 1:17. The apostle Paul asked, "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" I Cor. 4:7. We get a little money in our pockets or bank account, and we get to feeling pretty efficient and secure about it, forgetting that Deut. 8:18 says it is the Lord thy God that giveth thee power to get wealth," We're pretty handsome or beautiful, and we start glorying in our looks, oblivious to the fact that not one of us made ourselves what we are, as Jesus pointed out in Matt. 6:27. We get pretty good at teaching or preaching. The class or church is growing; and our old ego inflates like a hot air balloon. We forget about Psa. 127:1, which says, "Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." A bad habit is conquered in our life, and we gain over a weakness; and we are so proud of our will power.
My, it would have been so easy for Israel to have patted themselves on the back and have said, "Look who we are. We're a superior race. We're smarter and more intelligent than the rest of you." But God reminded them that he took them out of the heathens, and made them everything they were. Not because of who they were or what they'd done were they where they were. Their success was wholly because of him.
Believer, nothing has changed in this regard. All you and I are, we are by God's power and grace. By faith (as was Israel) we're the recipients and benefactors of the grace and power of God who has saved us, and who uses us in his great service. All of you who are bus captains, soul winners, teachers, singers, successful in business, and who have seen success in any area; you're there because God put you there. It was not your sword or bow that put you where you are or made you what you are.
Paul said, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God giveth the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he, that watereth, but God that giveth the increase," I Cor. 3:6-7. That's right.
"God" gave to you all you are, just like he did to Joshua, Israel, and Paul. Paul confessed to the Corinthians, in II Cor. 3:5, "Not that We are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." No wonder he wrote to the Romans and said, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith", Rom. 3:27. Not one man ever has had or ever shall have the right to boast in himself, for all he is, he is by grace from God. Thus, "He that g1orieth, let him glory in .the Lord", I Cor. 1:29-31.
This grand finale of the book of Joshua is the Bible's grandest exposition on the insufficiency of human efforts versus the all sufficiency of our God to sustain us as we walk by faith: trust him. This is one of the huge concepts of the Bible. Here's a man who is the very epitome of success, confessing that it was all of the Lord.
And, no believer can expect sustained joy and fruitfulness in the service of God until he learns that "it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure", Phil. 2:13.
5. At the end of this great testimonial and credit to God, Joshua issued one of the classic challenges of the Bible in Josh. 24: 15, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Down through the centuries comes the clear and ringing words, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." To every lost man: will it be Christ, or will it be Satan and death? To every believer: Will it be the way of the Lord and usefulness, or will it be the way of worldliness and uselessness?
And, the choice is yours: individual and personal for every man. No one chooses for you, and no one but you will answer for you.
6. Joshua said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Vs. 15, Not only did he speak for himself; he spoke for his family. He was their spiritual leader; and commanded such respect, he knew they'd follow him. My, how this world needs more Joshuas!
7. Shortly after, Joshua died at 110 years of age; and was buried on his inheritance in Mount Ephraim, Josh. 24:29-30. Eleazer, Aaron’s son also died and was buried on Mount Ephraim. Phinehas his son was then the high priest, Josh. 24:33.
8. An interesting note is given in Josh, 24:32, "And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt buried they in Shechem in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph." Before he died, Joseph specifically requested his bones be taken out of Egypt. (Gen. 50:25) This he did as the second man in power in Egypt. He claimed God's promise of Gen. 15:13-14, that the time of the Israelis in Egypt would be only temporary. So when Israel left Egypt in Ex. 13:19, they took Joseph's bones, and buried them here at Shechem in Josh 24:32.
SUMMARY:
JOSHUA'S FAREWELL ADDRESS
Joshua 23:3 - 24:23
Bible's greatest testimonial and credit to the power of God in human vessels.
FIRST SEGMENT:
23:1 "The Lord had given rest."
Vs. 3 "The Lord your God hath done unto all these nations."
Vs. 3 "The Lord your God is He that hath fought for you."
Vs. 5 "The Lord your God, he shall expel them."
Vs. 9 "The Lord hath driven out from before you great nations and strong."
Vs. 10 "for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you."
Vs. 13 "The Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you."
Vs. 15 "so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things."
Vs. 15 "until He have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you."
Vs. 16 "then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you."
SECOND SEGMENT:
Vs. 3 "I took...Abraham...led him...multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac."
Vs. 4 "l gave unto lsaac"
Vs. 4 " gave Esau mount Stir."
Vs. 5 "I sent Moses also and Aaron"
Vs. 5 "I plagued Egypt."
Vs. 5 "I did"
Vs. 5 "I brought you out"
Vs. 6 "I brought your fathers out of Egypt."
Vs. 7 "The Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them."
Vs.7 "Your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt."
Vs. 8 "I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan."
Vs. 8 "I gave them into your hand"
Vs. 8 "I destroyed them from before you."
Vs. 10 "I would not hearken unto Balaam"
Vs.10 "I delivered you out of his hand."
Vs. 11 "I delivered them into your hand."
Vs. 12 "I sent the hornet before you."
Vs. 13 "I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not."
QUESTIONS ON JOSHUA COMES HOME
Joshua 23 - 24
1. How does Joshua 23 begin?
2. To what location did Joshua call the elders and various rulers of Israel?
3. In what Bible verse does Joshua's farewell address begin; and with which verse does it end?
4. Explain why we say Joshua's farewell is the Bible's greatest testimonial and credit to the power of God.
5. How is Joshua's farewell divided into two segments?
6. Explain how the first part of Joshua's farewell credits every major Israeli accomplishment to the Lord.
7. Why does Josh. 23:10 say one Jew was more than a match for 1000 enemies?
8. In what sense is there a change in Joshua's speech beginning with Josh. 23:12?
9. What would happen to Israel, if they quit trusting the Lord?
10. What is so unique about the second segment of Joshua's speech?
11. How many times is the first person "I " used in Joshua 24:3-13?
12. To whom does the pronoun "I" refer in Josh. 24?
13. What will Joshua 24:12-13 do for pride?
14. Why does Joshua's farewell go against the grain of human nature?
15. Explain why this lesson is still as viable today as it was when Joshua gave it.
16. Is any one of us more capable than Joshua & Israel were?
17. Cite three other scriptures that teach the same theme of Joshua's farewell?
18. How much do you personally need this farewell theme of Joshua?
19. Honestly with yourself, whom have you chosen to serve?
20. Tell the story of the bones of Joseph.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"