Men's Group Study Guide
Introduction
In this chapter and the following chapter we see Joshua preparing his brothers and sisters for his final departure. In verse 1 of this chapter we see that a long time has gone by since the Israelites have come to rest in their new land. We have not seen any further mention of the Canaanites since earlier chapters, but it would be safe to say that these people still remained and that their influences were still known and felt by Israel. With this and other things in mind, Joshua calls together all of Israel to give them another word of warning to follow after the commandments of the Lord and to not open themselves up to the native influence (1 Thess. 5:19-22). Joshua encourages them to continue in obedience. He then reminds them that God is for them and that no one would successfully stand in their path. They are urged to persevere in their duty to God (vs.6,8,11). My question is simply this. While God has spoken to each mans heart through the course of this Bible study, have you taken in what He has told you? Have you meditated on it at work or at play? Do you believe in the deepest parts of your heart what He has said to you? It is my prayer that we would all take a good long look at the examples that have gone before us, and also the examples that we have all around us. That we would be more diligent to draw near to the Lord in our personal lives and not take for granted the mercy and grace and power that we have access to. Matt.6:30 / Matt. 8:26 / Matt. 17:20 / Mark 9:24 / Luke 17:5
STUDY NOTES: verses 1-16
Vs.1-5 Now it came to pass, a long time after the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age…….vs.5 And the Lord your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the Lord your God promised you.This all begins with an inescapable fact. You will grow old and you will die. The older you get the quicker death will come (James 4:14). Joshua was 110 years advanced in age as verse1 put it. In Hebrew the word advanced basically means that a person had entered and was about to exit. Joshua was wise to point out this fact in the intro to his speech as he probably understood the impact that it would have on his people. Everyone needs to understand just how short their life is and that the only thing worth anything is a life lived for God. He then harkens back to the memories of regular victory as they were first entering the land and driving forward through it as God directed (Psalm 2). Next he goes on to remind them of the covenant that had been fulfilled by bringing each tribe into its own allotment of land and driving out the inhabitants.
Vs.6-13 Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you…….vs.13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.If we look back at chapter 1 we can see very similar commandments given by God to Joshua. Be very courageous. Do all that is written in the book of the law. Do not associate with the locals. As a matter of fact, drive them out of the country. Etc. etc. It was essential that these commands be given to Joshua as he led his people into their new land. Now, it is even more crucial that those same commands be given to the people as Joshua prepares to leave them. The fact still remained that each individual tribe needed to fully possess what God had given them. These people had the promise of God and the awesome example of Joshua gone before them. We as Christians have the same opportunity to receive a great inheritance in this life and also to store up for the life to come (Ephesians 1:3 / Matthew 6:20-21). Just like the children of Israel, we have only two things to do. Trust and obey.
Most of the time what we tend to do is give lip service to the Lord with no real actions to back it up. We play Christian roles, but we don’t lead Christian lives. Too often we need someone else to remind us that this is serious stuff. Jude 20-23/ 2nd Peter 3:1-9/ Phil. 2:12
We must keep ourselves in harmony with God’s ever-present love. The unfortunate thing is that to many of us live on the dark side of the moon. The sun is always out there shining but we are never out there to receive its warmth. Joshua was able to receive both the admonition and approval of the Lord because he was in regular communion with the Lord. He led millions of people into battle and into victory. Now it is those same people who must take that example and be faithful to execute their own victories through their Lord. Christians all to often become dependent upon a man to show them the way. This is especially true in the American culture of ease and convenience. The past generations that have gone before us had it truly rough, but through it all they held fast to their God. They sought Him out with all their hearts and now our nation is one of the most blessed nations in all of history. Will we genuinely take to heart God’s word and the other lessons of history? Will our generation reveal the same character and continue to build itself up in its most holy faith? Colossians 2:6-10 / 1st Thess. 5:11
Vs.14-16 “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all our souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you……vs.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.You know in the deepest part of your soul that God has never been unfaithful. Psalm 89:2 / Isaiah 40:8 / Matt. 24:35 He has always done the things that He said He would do. His love is the only true unconditional love. His statutes and commandments are what all truth and wisdom are based upon. If you have even the tiniest thought otherwise, than it should be said that you actually know very little of the God you say you know. Verse 14 basically says it all. You know in all your heart and in all your soul. Unfortunately for most, this is tragically true. They all know in their heart and souls. In that deep part of you that is distinctively you, you know better. But what always seems to happen to us when we start to run the race for the kingdom of God? We make the right choices. We lay down our wills in exchange for His. We pray and read the Word and serve the body. Then the inevitable happens. The world, the flesh and the devil step in and try to hinder the godly life we are trying to follow after. Whatever they can do to stop us from continuing on that path they will throw it at us. For you have need of endurance…..Hebrews 10:35-39 We know in all our hearts and in all our souls that if we continue to hold fast to the Lord our God (vs. 8) He will continue to give us grace and provision for each moment each and every day. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I pray that we would all be reminded again of the example of endurance that Joshua was and more importantly, where that endurance came from.
TRUTH APPLIED:
Q. 1 What is your perspective on the length of your human life? Is it a mystery? 1st Corinthians 15:51-54 / Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
Q. 2 How do you choose to deal with adversity in your relationships with people, your wife (if you have one) and in your own soul?
Q. 3 Is there evidence of the fruit of righteousness in your life? If there is, do you understand how it got there? Isaiah 32:16-20 / Hebrews 12:11
Q. 4 Throughout this book we have been reminded to be strong and of good courage. Can you say that this has been a regular mantra for you through these last months? If not, then why? Why?!
Q. 5 Do you take seriously the warning to “take careful heed” in your life with God? What does it mean, and what does it look like?
CONCLUSION:
Sin can hold us back; but there are also things that may not be sin but may merely be hindrances that can keep us from fully experiencing the life that God has for us. Our choices may not always be between right and wrong, but between something that may hinder us and something that may not. How do we successfully maneuver these obstacles in our lives? (2nd Timothy 2:20-21) We need to be responsible and make sure to be prepared in and out of season. (2nd Timothy 4:2) This will also require the need for great endurance. It is an endurance that we can obviously not generate through our own means, but we can find it in a close relationship with our God. The only God there is, was or will be. The toughest, most discouraging trials are when we are called to obey God’s will when the fulfillment of His promise seems so far away. This is one of the main reasons of why we need endurance. James 1:2-8