A Question of Faithfulness

GETTING STARTED

Joshua had been a decisive influence in Israel for nearly 70 years. He was 40-years-old when Moses sent him out with the twelve spies in the first year of the Exodus; now, he was nearing death at 110. During this time, Joshua observed the strength and weakness of the people. He was concerned about what they would do when he was no longer present to challenge them, and set the example to follow. As was his habit, he spoke directly and to the point. Joshua reminded them of their covenant relationship with God (made by blood at Passover), and how God had faithfully kept his word from then through this present point in time. 

  • What promises has the Lord made in his Word to you?
  • Has God ever broken his promises?

READ THE WORD: JOSHUA 23:1-16 (ESV)

23:1 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, 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 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. 6 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, 7 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, 8 but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. 9 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.10 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. 11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 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, 13 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.

14 “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. 15 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, 16 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.”

English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DIGGING DEEPER

  1. How many times did Joshua remind the Israelites of their covenant relationship by referring to “the LORD your God” in these 16 verses? 
  2. What promises and commands did Joshua deliver to Israel (vss. 5-11)?
  3. Joshua advised that the Lord is faithful not only to his promises, but also to his warnings (vss. 14-16). What warnings had the Lord given to Israel?
  4. What does it mean to “cling to the LORD” and “to love the LORD” (vss. 8, 11)? 
  5. Why weren’t the Israelites allowed to associate with the nations around them (vss. 7-8, 12-13)? Today, what aspects of non-Christian culture can become “snares, traps, whips on our sides and thorns in our eyes” (vs. 13)?

RESPOND TO GOD

Faithfulness is a two-way street. God is always faithful to his word and the promises he makes to us (2 Tim. 2:13). Sometimes, we are faithful, and sometimes, not. Joshua knew that temptation would come for Israel to give up the fight to be pure from the Canaanite culture, so he called on the people to reflect on God’s goodness, how God had fought for them, how he had kept his word. Joshua reminded them that he would die soon, and he wanted them to commit to remain faithful to God when he (Joshua) was no longer present to lead them. Where did he point them? To God’s word (vs. 6), the standard to live by! 

  • We obviously cannot, and should not, avoid non-Christians today. Ask God for strength to resist the temptation to live just like them.
  • Ask God for the conviction and courage to be faithful to him, even if it does run counter to culture.
  • Pray for your church’s pastoral team and staff to be faithful, like Joshua, as they lead you.