We continue today in our studies of the book of Joshua. We’ve come to the penultimate chapter in the book, so if you wouldn’t mind taking a Bible in hand please and turn with me to page 197 and to Joshua chapter 23. Joshua calls a national assembly in order to deliver what you might call his last will and testament. It’s a personal speech at the conclusion of a long ministry and it tells us about the things that are weighing most upon his mind and on his heart for the people of God as he considers the conclusion of his long life of service. These are the pressing issues with which he wishes to leave them.
And as we read it through, we will be reminded, at least I was reminded, of Paul’s words to Timothy, his young protégé, at the end of his own long ministry career. “The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day, and not only me but you also, to all who have loved his appearing.” Not only is Paul saying, “I am finishing my race,” he is calling them to finish theirs, that along with him they also may receive their reward. And in many ways we are going to see that is exactly what Joshua is saying to the people here in chapter 23. This is his swan song, his final call to the people of God entrusted to his care. And he says to them in effect, “As I now consider crossing the finish line and finishing my own race, let me exhort you now to do the same. Finish the race.” Finish the race.
We are going to look at four themes as we unpack the teaching of the chapter. First of all, there is an example to follow. Look for the way Joshua himself embodies the very perseverance and godliness to which he calls his people. There is an example to follow. Secondly, verses 1 through 5, there is an encouragement to embrace. Joshua does not rush directly to challenge and duty and obligation. He starts by reminding them of God’s free, sovereign grace and goodness toward them. An example to follow. An encouragement to embrace. Thirdly, 6 through 11, there is an exhortation to obey. There is a call here to perseverance and continuing on in a path of holiness and devotion to the Lord who has redeemed us. An example to follow. An encouragement to embrace. An exhortation to obey. Finally, verses 12 through 16, there is an end to avoid. An end to avoid. Part of faithful, Biblical exhortation is necessarily negative; not just positive encouragement but warning. What will happen if you apostatize and turn your back upon the Lord and desire instead to follow idols and live contrary to His commandments? There is judgment for backsliding and disobedience and we must learn to face that warning. An example to follow. An encouragement to embrace. An exhortation to obey. And an end to avoid. That’s where we’re going. Before we take a look at the chapter, let’s pause again and pray and ask for the Lord to help us. Let us all pray.
Lord our God, how urgently we need Your Word. Give to us then, the light of the Holy Spirit, by that by it we may understand and believe and obey. Help us to cling to grace, and by grace to respond in faithful new obedience. For we ask it in Jesus’ name, amen.
Joshua chapter 23. This is the Word of Almighty God:
“A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, ‘I am now old and well advanced in years. And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.
And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.’”
Amen, and we praise God that He has spoken in His holy Word.
In an article published by the Carnegie Endowment, scholars examined 16 US foreign military engagements that involved regime change and nation building after an initially successful military invasion. And in all but 4 of them, including the first and second World Wars, while the overwhelming force of American military power ensured initial victory, the establishment of viable, long term democratic governments has proven elusive. Think about Iraq or Afghanistan as recent example states that were successfully defeated in battle, their governments toppled, but which are now likely not very different today in their willingness to embrace democratic norms than they were before the invasion. Our recent national experience in geo-politics proves to us, I hope, that winning a war is one thing, but building a nation is another thing entirely. Conquering the land is one thing, but establishing new norms for life in that land, that’s another thing entirely.
Now think about the situation facing Israel as Joshua addresses them here in chapter 23 in those terms for a moment. They have conquered Canaan; the land has been divided between the tribes for an inheritance. The issue now, however, is building a sustainable life according to God’s plan in the good land that He has given to them. Verse 1 tells us a long time has gone by since the land was initially subdued before Israel. Some commentators suggest as many as 25 years have passed since the events recorded in chapters 13 through 21. Joshua is now an old man, and before he is ready to die, he is resolved to do what he can to ensure that Israel learns to build a life in the land they’ve been given.
An Example to Follow
Now before we look at his sermon, his speech, we need to pause and consider in the first place his example. There is an example here to follow. Notice in verse 1 the circumstances. We’ve already begun to sketch them out a little. “A long time after, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and advanced in years, Joshua summoned all Israel.” And we could quite easily put a ribbon on the story right there. Couldn’t we? It’s a lovely summary of how well life has been going since the land had been apportioned to each of the tribes. It reads almost like it should conclude right at this point with, “And then Joshua retired, you know, to a sleepy little village in Galilee, where he lives today with his pet chihuahua, Fifi, and they all lived happily ever after.” Right? I mean things are going great. Joshua has led them through battles and disputes and controversies and successes and setbacks. He has governed the people well, and through him, the Lord has poured out upon them all the blessings he had promised to give them. So surely, if ever there was a man who could say to himself, “You know what, I’ve done my part. It’s time for the young ones now. I can finally retire from the service of the Lord” – if ever there was a man who could say that, surely it was Joshua.
The thought, however, does not cross his mind. Does it? Even in his old age, here he is in chapter 23 – chapter 24 tells us he dies finally when he’s 110, so we’re talking old age. If you’re older, don’t be offended; you’re not as old as Joshua! And here he is and he’s still burdened with the welfare of the people. He knows he doesn’t have long left to him. Verse 2 tells us, “I am old and advanced in years.” Verse 14, “I am about to go the way of all the earth.” “My time is almost up. I’ve fought the good fight. I’ve finished the race. I’ve won the prize. But before I go, I want to make sure you hear me press you on toward godliness.” He wants to squeeze whatever usefulness he still can from the time allotted to him in his Master’s service. And so he summons Israel to continued faithfulness.
But do you see how as he summons them, as he issues that call to them to persevere, he is himself a very vivid example and paradigm of that very same perseverance. And let me apply this in two ways very briefly before we move on. First of all and most obviously, there is a word here surely for our senior saints. Let the example of Joshua remind you, as it was meant to remind Israel, that there is no quitting in the kingdom of God and no retirement in the service of Jesus Christ. Certainly circumstances change, energy levels and capacity may require a change of pace, even of role, but I think as it was, I think, Samuel Rutherford famously said, “We are immortal until our work is done.” While you draw breath, the Lord has ministry for you to do. And so you are called, senior saints, Joshua-like, to take stock of your remaining days and to seek the Lord on how you might squeeze from them every last ounce of kingdom usefulness you can before you are done. Pray Psalm 90 verse 12, “Teach me, O Lord, to number my days that I might get a heart of wisdom.”
Maybe in your senior years you need to step back from a preoccupation with the small stuff and the details and the minutia and turn your attention instead to how best to encourage the generation coming up behind you. How can you exhort and encourage and exemplify the godliness of character and the clarity of conviction they are going to need for the challenges that lie ahead of them? How can you set them up to best serve the Lord well in their generation as no doubt some older brother or older sister did for you all those years ago in your generation? Stop wasting time on the little things. Center on Gospel verities, on eternal priorities. Make the main things the main things and pour what time you have left out for the glory of Jesus Christ into the lives of younger people that He has raised up to follow in your steps. Senior saints, if the Lord were to take you home tonight, could the younger men and women who are the spiritual leaders of our fellowship here at First Presbyterian Church say that they saw in you the values and priorities lived out in such a way – God’s values, God’s priorities – lived out in such a way that they want to be like you, should the Lord give them sustaining grace? What legacy are you going to leave? You must finish your race well, and you can’t do that by backing away from the ministry of the Word and the ministry of shepherding and the ministry of discipleship and the ministry of prayer. No quitting in the kingdom. No retirement in service to Jesus Christ.
The second application I want to make from Joshua’s example is that we should be reminded, as we’ve been reminded I hope throughout the book of Joshua, that Joshua himself is a type of Christ, a picture of Christ. He points to Joshua II, the Lord Jesus Christ. If Israel was meant to imitate Joshua as they make Canaan their home, aren’t we to fix our eyes on the greater than Joshua who is the paragon of godly obedience and fidelity and perseverance? Jesus Himself said we should do that in His own farewell speech to the disciples in the upper room. John 15:10, “If you keep My commandments,” He says, “you will abide in My love just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” He is the example and the template we are to follow. He is the model of obedience into the likeness of which we must never rest until we are conformed. We are to keep His commandments just as He kept His Father’s commandments and abide in His love. If you would be holy, make Christ your great example. Do not ask, “What would Jesus do?” as if it were a matter of mere guesswork. Ask, “What did He do?” as it is revealed to us in His holy Word. “What did He say? How did He respond? How did He deal with people? What were His priorities and governing concerns?” And then cry with urgency, “O God, by Your Word and Spirit, make my life, make my heart, my words, my mind, my motives, my actions, the mirror image of His.” There is an example here to follow.
An Encouragement to Embrace
The Grace of God
Secondly, there is an encouragement to embrace. There is an encouragement to embrace. Look at the first five verses of chapter 23. Three aspects of the encouragement that Joshua offers that we need to continue to cling to as we seek to press on in our own devotion to the Lord. Number one, Joshua points to the grace of God. Then secondly, the character of God. And thirdly, the promise of God. Look at the words here about the grace of God first of all. Verse 1, “The Lord had given to Israel rest from all their surrounding enemies.” Joshua backs that up in verse 3. “You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your namesake. For it is the Lord your God who has fought for you.” In fact, so effective has the Lord’s gracious intervention been on their behalf, verse 4 tells us, Joshua has been able to divvy up the land as an inheritance for Israel’s sake already. God’s grace, in other words, has not been abstract and vague and ethereal, an ill-defined blob of spiritual stuff whose main function is to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling but has no real practical value. That’s often how we think of grace. That’s not what grace is. No, and that certainly wasn’t their experience of grace, was it? Their experience of grace was concrete and substantial, even tactile, solid. The country itself, the very dirt and stone of Canaan was all grace to them. They planted their crops in the soil of grace. They raised their children in the cities of grace. They went to work in a land of free grace. Grace is not vague and abstract, but it is concrete and vital and life shaping.
They are facing enormous ongoing challenges having settled in the land. There are still significant pockets of Canaanite resistance. The nations around them, as the subsequent history of Israel will demonstrate, will flex their geo-political muscles and try to expand their territory and empires, threatening Israel’s existence. And all the while is the constant pressure and threat from the alluring, fleshly enticements of pagan, idolatrous, false worship. And Joshua is naturally concerned with the burden – “How shall they press on and stay faithful in light of all these dangers?” And his answer is, they must call to mind what they have seen of the free grace of God lavished upon them. If you’re going to press on in the future, brothers and sisters, you must start by taking regular inventory of the grace of God toward you in your past. “You have seen,” Joshua says to them, “all that the Lord your God has done.” Remember it. Dwell on it. Do not lose sight of it. It will bolster and garrison your faith for the challenges still to come.
The Character of God
The second part of the encouragement, not just the grace of God, but now the character of God. “He is,” Joshua says, “the Lord your God who has fought for you.” Do you see that phrase? It would have rung for the Israelites with incredible significance. It was the phrase Moses used during the exodus from Egypt to calm the terrified Israelites. In Exodus 14:14, when the armies of pharaoh were bearing down upon them and they were trapped with their backs to the Red Sea with nowhere to go, and Moses said to them, “Fear not. Stand firm. See the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you and you have only to be silent.” And of course we know what happened next, don’t we? How the Israelites crossed over on dry land while the Egyptians were deluged and drowned under the judgment of God. The phrase appears again in Deuteronomy 1:30 where Moses reminded the people of Israel of the day they had finally made it through the wilderness to the borders of Canaan. And yet they had refused to enter the land because they had heard reports of these giants that dwelt there, these terrifying residents in the land of Canaan. And so Moses says to them, “The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes and in the wilderness where you’ve seen how the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son all the way that you went until you came to this place.” On this occasion, however, the people were more aware of their fears than they were of the promise of God and they turned back and refused to enter the land and many, indeed a whole generation, perished in the wilderness.
And then we hear the expression twice more. On the lips of Moses, either as a word of encouragement to Joshua or to Israel as a whole, encouraging them to cross into the Promised Land and not to be afraid of their enemies, “For the Lord your God is He who goes with you to fight with you against your enemies to give you the victory.” And now here’s that same phrase all over again. It’s used in retrospect at first, isn’t it? “God did fight for you, just as He said He would. Do you remember?” And then if you look down at verse 10, the phrase is used a second time. This time in the present tense. Not only has God fought for you, “He fights for you still.” What’s the message? The Lord your God bears His arm in your defense. He marches into the fray to rescue you. He fights for you and He never, never stops. He never stops. Again and again at every turn, past, present and future, our God will fight for you. He will never sit back and fold His arms and shrug His shoulders and just leave you to it. He is active and working, fighting on your behalf, your shield and your defender.
So the grace of God, then the character of God. The grace of God – remember what He has done. The character of God – remember what He is like. Not passive, not indifferent, not distant, not aloof; engaged, active, fighting for you. You’re not on your own trying to make it as best you can. The Lord is on your side and will never leave you alone.
The Promise of God
And then thirdly, by way of encouragement, the promise of God. He says remember what God has said. Look down at verse 5. “The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight and you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.” In texts like Exodus 23:29-30, Deuteronomy 7:22, God had promised them that they would conquer the land and yet He would not remove all the Canaanites in one go, but instead the Israelites would grow as a nation to populate the land and gradually, over time, He would drive out the Canaanite remnant. And here is Joshua reminding them of that promise. It’s a promise that God had shown Himself faithful to keep thus far, and now he calls them again to believe it and live in its light in this next phase of their national life.
And so here is what one commentator – put all of that together – here is what one commentator calls, “the plain logic of faith.” The plain logic of faith. How can you fend off the attacks of discouragement and unbelief that inevitably will come in your Christian walk? Well not by screwing yourself up tight and telling yourself to do better and try harder. You need instead to learn the plain logic of faith. First, look back and trace the ways the Lord has shown Himself to be gracious to you again and again and again, supremely of course in the Gospel of His Son – giving Jesus to be your Redeemer, raising Him from the dead and making you His beloved child. Then, look up and trace the character of God who never deserts His children, never ceases to fight for them. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be your shield and your defender. And above all, Joshua says, look down and trace the promise of God in His holy Word. He doesn’t leave us guessing about His plans for us, does He? We’ve more than mere conjecture to guide us when it comes to His purposes for us. He has promised, He has mapped out the path of sanctification and perseverance and glory to come and has pledged Himself to carry you safely along that road till you reach your destination. The anchor of your faith in challenging days must not be, “How much fuel do I have left in my tank?” It must not be, “How clever are you in figuring out a plan of attack for the difficult days ahead?” The anchor of your faith must be Joshua 23 verse 5, “The Lord your God has promised.” Hang all your hope, all your confidence, all your expectations on the promise of God. They are sure and certain and stable and unwavering. “He who has promised is faithful and He will surely do it.”
An Exhortation to Obey
There is an example to follow, an encouragement to embrace, thirdly and briefly, an exhortation to obey. Verses 6 through 11 – the heart of the concern you can see in verse 7 if you look there. He is concerned that they, “Not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.” He is a bit more explicit about this in verse 12 if you will look there. He warns them, “Not to turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them so that you associate with them and they with you.” Alright, so the danger Joshua is anxious to avoid is the intermarriage of the people of Israel with the remaining Canaanites and the nations that surround them. It should go without saying of course, you understand don’t you, the Bible nowhere forbids the intermarriage of people from different ethnicities. That’s not the issue. The only prohibition binding the conscience of a man and a woman being joined together in lifelong marital union is religious and theological, not racial or ethnic. And that, actually, is the issue here. It’s not that God forbids the intermixing of Israelite stock with Canaanite genetics; that’s not the concern. It is rather that God knows all too well how hard it is for one partner in a marriage to stay faithful to the Lord when the other partner is opposed to Him and worships and serves the idols of their hearts instead of worshiping the living God, the only Savior.
And as a pastor, I have to say that I have seen far too many seemingly bright, earnest, growing Christians make shipwreck of their faith because they committed themselves to romantic involvement with a non-Christian telling themselves, really deceiving themselves, “She’ll come to church with me.” Or, “I’ll win him over in time.” Second Corinthians 6:14-15, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” And listen, if you disobey the Lord in starting a relationship with an unbeliever, you have already compromised your commitment to Christ in order to be with that person. What makes you think you won’t make still more and more accommodations and adjustments and compromises along the way until, before you know it, you are nowhere spiritually speaking. I’ve seen it happen too many times not to warn you here with urgency and seriousness. You will find it extremely difficult indeed to walk faithfully with the Lord, whom you profess to love above all others, while at the same time giving your heart to someone who does not share that most fundamental and basic commitment along with you. Please don’t lie to yourself! You do not know better than God. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
An End to Avoid
There is an example to follow, an encouragement to embrace, an exhortation to obey, and finally, verses 12 through 16, an end to avoid. You noticed the consequences, I’m sure, as we read it through, of turning aside from the Lord to idolatry. Three times over in verse 13, verse 14 and again in verse 16, he tells them if they apostatize and turn from Him to idols, they will “perish from off this good land.” God is not playing here, is He? There is no casual relationship with the Lord possible. He wants you to be all in and He will brook no rivals to your heart. And let’s not for a moment imagine, you know, this sort of temporal judgment from God – “That’s all Old Testament stuff. We live in the new covenant. That was then; this is now.” Let me just remind you of Ananias and Sapphira. Remember them? Acts chapter 5, lying to the Holy Spirit, dead under the judgment of God. First Corinthians 11:31, “Some of you are weak and ill, and some of you have died because of the way you have been abusing the Lord’s Supper.” God is deadly serious about His covenant with us. And the question Joshua is posing is, “Are we serious about our covenant with Him?”
Joshua 23 is the Old Testament equivalent of Hebrews 10:26. “If we go on sinning deliberately, after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but a fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay.’ And again, the Lord will judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Don’t say, “That was then and this is now.” This is now. Hebrews 10:26-31. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Our God will tolerate, He will brook no rival for your affections.
Okay, so pastor, what should I do if I’ve begun to slip back? If the old idols have begun to capture my heart once more? Let me tell you what not to do first of all. Do not salve your conscience. Do not brush off the rebukes of a stinging conscience and minimize your sin. Don’t allow yourself to believe, “Oh, I’m just being overly scrupulous,” and shrug it off. Remember, “Without holiness no one shall see the Lord.” You can never take your sin as seriously as God takes your sin. No matter your public profession, no matter how skilled you are at looking the part, no matter how much your face fits, be sure, be sure, your sin will find you out. So here is what you must do. You must realize that your only refuge from the wrath and judgment of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is never too late to repent and flee to Him. You remember, of course, He bore in His body on the tree all the fury of unmitigated divine judgment. He was, in fact, cut off from this good land so that every sinner who flees their sin and guilt and seeks mercy from Him might be welcomed in and received and washed clean. That’s what you must do. No more performance. Not trying to fake it till you make it. Not putting a brave face on it. Not papering over the cracks. Get on your knees before the cross, cry for mercy, turn from your sin and trust in the Lord Jesus. It’s time, today, prodigal, today, to come home.
Let’s pray together.
Abba Father, we pray for Your mercy, acknowledging the many ways in which the idols of this world have stolen our hearts’ affections. We would tear them from our breast and set apart Christ alone as Lord there once more. Forgive us. Restore the backslider. Bring us, all of us, to repentance – whether for the very first time or renewed repentance. To turn from sin and self, not to more religion, more performance, more doing, but to the One who said, “It is done. Finished” – to the Lord Jesus, who alone secures our pardon. So we look to Him now, praying for His sake, wash and cleanse and restore us. Amen.