“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Psalm 138:8 ESV
US Military Academy Chapel- West Point, NY
Joshua 15-23 (Recap & summary)
Recap
•The Israelites are in the Promised Land and took out the biggest Canaanite stronghold- Jericho. •They had a minor setback when the entire nation was punished and they suffered a loss from Achan keeping things from Jericho that he wasn’t supposed to keep. •The example that is made from Achan is that now-a-days the idea of being held accountable for your actions is almost foreign. The entire Israelite nation is punished for the disobedience of one man. •After Achan is punished for his disobedience the Israelites take out the city of Ai with a fake-out move. •The Gibeonites realize that the Israelites shouldn’t be messed with. They trick Joshua into signing a peace deal with them. •They use deception to enter into a peace deal with the Israelites and are allowed to live protected in Israelite society as slaves. Given their options- lose in battle and be wiped out- this wasn’t a bad option. •There were several kings who had the exact same evidence as the Gibeonites and who went a different route- they tried to join together to fight back. •Their idea was such a bad one that the sun stood still in the sky and extended the day so that the Israelites could finish killing them. •Maybe they should have gone the slave route. |
Setting Down the Boundaries
•In Joshua chapters 15-23 there is a very tedious reading of where every single clan from every single tribe has their boundaries fixed.
•There is even a detailed list of every city that is inside every tribe’s allotted land given.
•There are certain cities set aside for man-slayers to flee to while they await a fair trial, which is something that was alluded to in the books of Moses.
•In Joshua chapters 15-23 there is a very tedious reading of where every single clan from every single tribe has their boundaries fixed.
•There is even a detailed list of every city that is inside every tribe’s allotted land given.
•There are certain cities set aside for man-slayers to flee to while they await a fair trial, which is something that was alluded to in the books of Moses.
Joshua 24
Service is the Key
•Joshua lived an amazing life and led Israel to the destination that the Lord had promised them and their offspring for several generations. •When he speaks to the assembly of all the people at Shechem one of the first things he does is remind everyone that it is the Lord who is speaking through him- Joshua will take no credit for this. •The recounting of Yahweh’s greatness and faithfulness is a recurring theme here in the Old Testament, it just so happens that there is a reminder again here of all the wonderful things that the Lord did to get them to the Promised Land. • After reminding the people of how great God Almighty is Joshua lets them know that he wouldn’t tell them to do something that he wouldn’t be willing to do himself. •“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” •The people think that if they go along with Joshua he will be flattered but he isn’t- he challenges the people to throw away their idols and then makes them witness against themselves. •The word serve is so important in this chapter- it can be found 14 times in one form or another. •Now we must bid farewell to Joshua as he dies. Thank you Joshua for your service. |