365 Reflections

The book of Joshua ends by harkening back to Joseph. Joshua 24:32 (ESV)   As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph. How strange is this? The bones of Joseph were carried up from Egypt after 400 years of slavery, they were carried through two bodies of water (Red Sea and Jordan), they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, they also waited for 7 years as Israel took possession of the land. That's a lot of bone carrying if you ask me. For Israel, it points to the sacredness of their history. It was Joseph himself who made certain this would happen: Genesis 50:25–26 (ESV)  Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They...

Joshua 24:19–24 (ESV) But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” I have struggled with this text for a few days. Joshua seems very negative, almost convinced the people will not obey God. But what are the results? We find that in the next book. Judges 2:7 (ESV) And the people served the LORD all the da...

It is one of the most iconic lines in all of Scripture. "Choose you this day whom you shall serve." We think one of the options of that proposal would be God. And we would be wrong. The options on the table were the idols/false gods of the pagan nations Israel had been experienced with both before and after their triumph in the Land of Promise. In Joshua 24, Joshua is reminding the people what God had done for them, how He had blessed them and prospered them. How everything good in their lives was the result of God's goodness to them. Joshua 24:2–3 (ESV)   And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord , the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. Joshua 24:6–7 (ESV) “‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the se...

The book of Romans maps out the process of change for the Christian's life: Romans 8:13 (ESV) For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but i f by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. What does that look like? The book of Joshua draws an illustration of Spiritually empowered sanctification in the unclaimed areas of the Promised land following Joshua's efforts to lead the nation toward total occupancy. In his farewell speech, he admonishes the people to continue fighting the last vestiges of the nations surrounding them. These nations pose a threat to Israel's fidelity and longevity. So Joshua extols further eradication of their existence. This is a picture of our sanctification. Jesus saves us, and then we partner with the Holy Spirit in working out that salvation in fear and trembling (see Philippians 2:12-13). Joshua 23:4–8 (ESV) Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, a...

Sometimes we have the best intentions and end up with terrible results. That is the lesson I find in Joshua 22. The three Transjordan tribes (Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh) are sent home to their families after the wars having followed through to fight with Israel for the land on the Western side of the Jordan. This is what happens next: Joshua 22:10–11 (ESV) And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size. 11 And the people of Israel heard it said, “Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.” The built an enormous altar! This action was forbidden repeatedly by God. Thre was to be one altar, one temple, one place for God...

Joshua 21:43–45 (ESV) Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. 44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. What a profound summation of the first 6 books of the Bible. God's good promises come to pass. This passage goes back to their "fathers" and not just to Moses' death. We have to remember God's long-term commitment to His people. So here is my thought about this passage. God's promises come to pass but not without a lot of time, effort, fighting, asking, planning and organizing through many people. First: the time: Yes God keeps His promises. No, they don't happen overnight. Think of the 450...

Joshua 21:1 (ESV) Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. In Joshua 21, the Levites come to Shiloh and ask for their cities which Moses promised them before entrance into the land. Joshua 21:2–3 (ESV) And they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities to dwell in, along with their pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So by command of the LORD the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance. Notice again the emphasis in Joshua that what was said through Moses is fulfilled through Joshua. This is a common theme in the book that teaches us how to read God's Word. There is promise and there is fulfillment. We need to know and remember the promise so we can recognize and request the fulfillment. Sometimes our lives a...

Joshua 20 is the fulfillment of Moses' command from the Lord for the Israelites to establish cities of refuge for anyone who may have killed someone by accident. The Law required there to be an avenger of blood from the family of a murdered person when the murder was pre-meditated. However, in cases where the murder happened accidentally, there was to be a merciful option for the guilty party. Joshua 20:2-3 (ESV) “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. Joshua 20:6 (ESV)  And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’ ” In an ancient world, this concept was groundbreaking. Ret...