Men's Group Study Guide
Introduction
Here in this the 24th and final chapter we have Joshua continuing his admonition of his brothers and sisters. His words were not his own, they were directly from God (vs.2). Exodus 4:11-12 gives us an example of God telling His servant Moses how He would speak through Him. This method of communication by God has been in effect since way back then even until today. The Lord will speak to each one of us individually, whether through His Spirit, His Word, His creation or through other men. The obvious question is, are we listening, do we have humble hearts that will receive what He is trying to tell us? Or are we so focused on our own agendas that we can’t hear or can’t see anything but the idols we are making for ourselves (Jeremiah 17:5-6)? Or should I say the idols we are making of ourselves. Each new day we are faced with new challenges and with those come choices. Throughout our lives those choices number in the hundreds of thousands if not millions for each one of us. Through these choices we shape our futures and our lives. The only way that we as men can keep from picking up our own little ideas and making them into our own little gods (idols) is by refusing to let anything or anyone but the Lord God have our hearts……. daily, moment by moment. If we want to live in that promised land and experience daily victory, we must know God’s truth and hold fast to it with all of our meager existence. 2nd Peter 3:14-18 / 1 Corin. 15:58 / Psalm 51:10
STUDY NOTES: verses 1-33
Vs. 1-13 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel. For their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God…… vs.13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and the olive groves which you did not plant.’’ The beginning of this chapter is very similar to that of chapter 23. It’s hard to say if this is an entirely different speech, or a continuation. Whatever the case is, it is obvious that Joshua is very concerned for his people and that he again wants to emphasize God’s goodness (Psalm 111:3). In vs. 2 it states, “Thus says the Lord.” So this tells us that these words were not so much Joshua’s as they are God’s. But we can safely assume that Joshua had the same feelings as God, from his words in vs.14-15. One of the great things about our God is that He does not hold our sin over our heads if we will choose to turn from it (Hebrews 10:17 / Psalm 111:9 / Jeremiah 31:34). Throughout this mild but earnest rebuke from God we do not see one time where He brings up any of the past sins committed by Israel. They have all been strangely forgotten. We would all do well to remember from where we came and from what God has delivered us from and that on a regular basis. He wants to bring each one of His children into a place of promise and power, and He will if we would but hold fast to His statutes, precepts and commandments (Psalm 111:7-8).
Vs. 14-15 “ Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt….. vs. 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of 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.” These two verses hold so much truth and wisdom. Fear is defined as an unpleasant feeling of apprehension or distress caused by the presence or anticipation of danger. Are we to fear the Lord in this way? Yes. Revere Him and praise Him at the same time. In our churches today we are taught of the great sacrifice of Jesus and what He through His sacrifice has made available to us. Grace and life abundant (John 10:10). We want to hold on to these truths with all of our hearts and there is nothing wrong with that. But at the same time we should continue to remember the seriousness of sin and what it brings to so many people including Christians. A proper fear of God has been replaced by the constant desire to feel comfortable and at ease (Job 28:28 / Psalm 111:10 / Prov. 9:10). Mankind continually struggles to understand the sufferings of life, and to alleviate the sorrow and pain by his own methods. We begin to worship our intellect and our own ways of doing things and we begin to forget about the Holy God. While the specific features of God’s wisdom may not be revealed to us, the beginning and ending of wisdom is to fear and revere God and avoid sin, leaving all the unanswered questions to Him in trusting submission (Eccl. 12:13 / 2nd Corinthians 1:12).
So here is another question. In vs.14 why would Joshua need to tell the Israelites to “put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side.” Could it be that even though they had come all this way and been delivered so many times that they were still hanging on to the things (idols) which their fathers had previously been destroyed by. Hundreds and thousands of years go by and man still does the same things today. Sin is passed from generation to generation (Jeremiah 16:19-20). God brings us out of slavery and we hold on to our sin. He takes us through the dry places and provides for us and we hold on to our sin. From glory to glory He takes us and we manage to hold on to sin. Only a gracious and loving God could put up with so much ugliness. It seems to me that in a sarcastic manner, Joshua throws down a final challenge to his brethren in vs. 15. The commandments of God must not have appealed to them or why else would Joshua say something like, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord.” Cause you are obviously going to worship this god over here or that good over there. But me and my family will worship the one and only true God. Bob Dylan said it best when he sang the words, “It might be the devil or it might be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” You see, there is not an option. You are choosing each day whom you will serve. How do you like them apples.
Vs. 16-28 So the people answered and said : “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods;……..vs. 28 So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance. The dialogue continues. Even to this day religious people know what to say to appear as though they are living in obedience to God’s Word. Oh yeah, sure I remember that God is holy and that He is good to us and so on and so on. But meanwhile in the machinery of the heart we long for things of this world and of the flesh. And we pursue them vigorously. Again in vs. 19-20 Joshua reprimands his people. He reminds them that they cannot serve foreign gods and the one true God at the same time (Matt. 6:24). They will be consumed and destroyed. There is an unavoidable fact that there will be a lifelong struggle for all Christian men and women. The struggle of living in this world and having to be subjected to the principalities and powers that are in place which rule over this world for the time being (2 Corin. 10:4-5 / Ephesians 6:12). That does not mean that we are to bow in the face of these things and give them any authority in our lives. There is a balance to be had by a Christian, and I know of no simpler truth than what is found in the first half of Proverbs chapter 3. These are the things which we must fight against and bring under the subjection of the light of God’s truth. Without the illumination of God’s truth and promises to us we would be slaves to these things (Romans 6:16). Ask yourselves now, “To whom and to what do I present myself to?” The Israelites carved images for themselves. They carved ideas and principals of which to live by and govern themselves with. These were ideas and principals that were contrary to the law of God which they willfully chose. Unfortunately we tend to do the same. These are just a few reasons why we should constantly be seeking God’s face through the reading of His Word and prayer and fellowship with other growing Christian people. A war is not something that we can just cruise through. It is a series of battles that require an understanding of the battlefield and of offensive and defensive strategies for which we must be rightly prepared (Ephesians 6:10-20). To God be the glory!
Vs. 29-33 Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old....... vs.33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim. And so the story goes. A godly man will live and die the same as all the rest and the only thing of any value that will remain from his life will be what he did in love for his God.
TRUTH APPLIED:
Q. 1 Are there things in your life that could possibly be idols? What are they and what will you do with them?
Q. 2 Are you familiar with the trusty companions of humility and brokenness?
(hint: true humility = repentance and growth / false humility = self pity and stagnation)
Q. 3 What are your personal perceptions of God and do they match up with the characteristics of God that are in the Bible?
Q. 4 Do you analyze all of the things that happen in your life and by doing so try to alleviate any future discomfort or pain? Is your heart really able to let go of the worries from day to day and trust God for a breath of life?
Q. 5 Do you talk with God? Is there a silent awareness of God that threads your day even in the most mundane times? Do you know that all those ordinary prayers count? Do you know that not only do they count, but that fluid, seamless life with God is actually what He has been hoping for all along?
CONCLUSION:
How was it that the Israelites came to be enslaved in Egypt in the first place? Wasn’t it the great man of God Joseph who was originally brought there through the engineering of circumstances by God Himself? It was his brothers who were the humble beginnings of the twelve tribes of Israel. They were also included in God’s grand plan for the salvation of man (Genesis15:13-14). Joseph died when he was 110 years old (Genesis 50:26) and so did Joshua. So many questions to be answered, questions that can only be answered by the Lord. A man could easily spend the majority of his days trying to figure out and understand what he is ultimately here for and why God allows the things that He does. Isaiah 55:8-9 can give us the proper perspective. In the previous verses of this chapter, the wicked are urged to forsake their evil thoughts and ways and to return to God. In other words they are told to bring their ways and thoughts into agreement with God’s. Why? Because they come from a lower more earthly existence which does not have the capacity to comprehend the heavenly. For example, Matthew 18:21 gives an even deeper look into the supreme beauty of God. God always meets the returning sinner with pardoning mercy. He gives freely and He forgives freely and it is without castigation. We might be able to forgive others, but we cannot forget. When God forgives sin, He remembers no more (Isaiah 38:17). It is with thoughts like these that God draws us to Himself because He desires to have us close to His heart.
If we are to live a victorious life in the promised land then it is imperative that we regularly draw near to God. That we build up altars in our lives to Him (worship). That we be of good courage and take heed. And last but not least, we must choke out those last vestiges of rebellion (disobedience) in our lives through the Body of Christ. Amen.