Joshua 23:1-23:16
Look What the Lord Has Done
Text: Joshua 23:1-16
Introduction
1. Illustration: A forgetful husband thought he had conquered the problem of trying to remember his wife’s birthday and their anniversary. He opened an account with a florist, provided him with dates and instructions to send flowers along with an appropriate note signed, "Your loving husband." His wife was thrilled by this new display of attention. All went well until one day, many bouquets later, when he came home, kissed his wife, and said offhandedly, "Nice flowers, honey. Where’d you get them?"
2. Imagine how the Lord must feel when we forget all that He has done for us?
3. All too often we take what the Lord has done for us for granted.
a. We take for granted His salvation
b. We take for granted His abundant mercy
c. We take for granted His grace
4. In the first part of Joshua’s farewell address, he reminds the Israelites of:
a. The Call to remember all that the Lord has done for them
b. The Challenge to remain faithful
c. The Consequences for being unfaithful
5. Read Joshua 23:1-16
Proposition: After all the Lord has done for us, how can we do anything than be thankful.
Transition: We need to remember...
I. The Call (1-5)
A. Called Together
1. The chapter begins with "The years passed, and the LORD had given the people of Israel rest from all their enemies."
a. The "years past" refers to the time from the beginning of the book, as they prepared to enter the land, until the end of Joshua’s life.
b. At this time, the Lord has given them rest from their enemies. Their was still land to conquer, but the constant fighting and battling had ceased.
c. This shows that the Lord has kept all his promise that He made at the very beginning of the book.
d. Joshua 1:13 “Remember what Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you: ‘The LORD your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’
2. However, at this time Joshua is very old, and knows that he is nearing the end of his life.
a. It has been estimated that Joshua was about 110 years old at this point (Woudstra, 332).
b. He knew that he would not be around much longer, and he wanted to remind them of what the Lord had done for them.
3. He, therefore, called all of the civic leaders together and said, “I am now a very old man.You have seen everything the LORD your God has done for you during my lifetime. The LORD your God has fought for you against your enemies."
a. The phrase "you have seen" indicates that they themselves had been witnesses to the mighty hand of God on their behalf.
b. The reference to God’s fighting for Israel repeats the idea that the land was God’s and that he would give it to them—(New American Commentary)
c. Joshua is pointing out to them that the only reason that they are in the land and enjoying rest is because of what the Lord has done.
d. They can’t take the credit for it, because if it wasn’t for the Lord it never would have happened.
4. Joshua not only reminds them of what the Lord has done for them, but what He will do for them. He says, "I have allotted to you as your homeland all the land of the nations yet unconquered, as well as the land of those we have already conquered—from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea in the west."
a. Joshua tells them not only of the Lord’s past deliverance, but that He was going to continue to drive out the nations before them.
b. God’s promise to them is so iron clad, so etched in stone, that Joshua could be confident that it would happen.
5. Joshua continues this exhortation in verse 5 when he says, "This land will be yours, for the LORD your God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take possession of their land, just as the LORD your God promised you."
a. God would not leave His promise half fulfilled.
b. He would finish the job.
c. He would continue to fight for them and drive out all their enemies.
d. He would drive out Israel’s enemies so that Israel could possess the land, in fulfillment of his promises —(New American Commentary)
B. Remember What The Lord Has Done
1. Illustration: Casting Crowns- Who Am I?
Who am I that the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love and watch me rise again. Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me.
Not because of who I am, but because of what you’ve done. Not because of what I’ve done but because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading. Here today and gone tomorrow. A wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind. Still you hear me when I’m calling, Lord, you catch me when I’m falling and you’ve told me who I am. I am yours, I am yours.
2. All too frequently, we forget who we are - sinners saved by grace.
a. Not one of us will stand on the streets of heaven and say "I am here because I deserve it."
b. Not one of us can say I am good enough to meet God’s holy standards.
c. Not one of us can stand before a righteous and holy God except by the blood of Jesus.
3. We forget all that God has done for us.
a. He has forgiven us.
b. He has saved us.
c. He has filled us with His Spirit
d. He has healed us.
4. We forget from where we have come.
a. Eph. 2:1-5 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
b. Once we were enemies of God, but now He calls us friend.
c. Once we had no hope, but now we have the hope of eternal life.
5. We need to stop focusing on what we don’t have, and start focusing on what we do.
Transition: We have been given...
II. The Challenge (6-11)
A. Be Very Careful to Follow
1. Joshua now issues a challenge to the people, and that challenge involves being faithful to the Lord.
2. Joshua challenges them to "be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left."
a. The Israelites success was contingent upon their obedience and how they regarded the Word.
b. Joshua here charged the Israelites in terms almost identical to God’s charge to him —(New American Commentary)
c. Joshua 1:7-8 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
d. Just as God had challenged Joshua to be faithful to the Word, now he was challenging the Israelites to remain faithful.
3. A major part of their success had to do with belonging exclusively to Yahweh. Therefore, Joshua warns them to "Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them.
a. They must not associate with the immoral, unrighteous, and worldly neighbors who surrounded them.
b. If the Israelites associated with their neighbors, intermingled with them, their neighbors would influence them, eventually leading them astray.
c. The nations served many gods, but Israel was to serve only one God - Yahweh.
d. They are not even to mention their names, as this would be the same as acknowledging their existence and give credibility to their divine power.
4. Instead, they are to "cling tightly to the LORD your God as you have done until now."
a. The word translated "cling tightly" refers to soldering, the process by which things are joined together.
b. The root of the word is the basis for the modern Hebrew word for "glue."
c. This word has a rich theological content, showing the extreme closeness that people were to have with their God. —(New American Commentary)
d. They are to remain so tightly to the Lord that they are inseparable.
5. Joshua reminds them that no one has been able to stand against them because the Lord has been with them. He tells them that "Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the LORD your God fights for you, just as he has promised."
6. Joshua concludes the challenge by saying "be very careful to love the LORD your God."
a. Joshua challenged the people to love the Lord their God, which was the heart of their duties as his people.
b. Everything else—including the important exhortations to obey everything in the law (v. 6) and to avoid pagan entanglements— was a means to an end, which was that Israel should have a close and loving relationship with its God. —(New American Commentary)
c. Matt. 23:37-38 “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
d. That commandment has not changed!
B. Continuing in Him
1. Illustration: It’s reported that a preacher in Redrock, Mississippi prayed this sermon: “Oh Lord, give Thy servant this mornin’ the eyes of the eagle and the wisdom of the owl; connect his soul with the gospel telephone in the central skies; ‘luminate his brow with the Sun of heaven; possess his mind with love for the people; turpentine his imagination, grease his lips with ‘possum oil, loosen his tongue with the sledge hammer of Thy power; ‘lectrify his brain with the lightnin’ of the word; put ‘petual motion on his arms; fill him plum full of the dynamite of Thy glory; ‘noint him all over with the kerosene oil of Thy salvation and SET HIM ON FIRE. Amen!”
2. Just like the Israelites, we need to remain faithful to the Lord.
a. Faithful in Prayer
b. Faithful to the Word
c. Faith to His Church
3. Just like the Israelites, we need to separate ourselves from worldly things.
a. Rom. 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
b. We cannot live in two worlds.
c. We cannot straddle the fence.
d. We cannot be just like everyone else, but we must be uniquely God’s own people.
4. Just like the Israelites, we must love the Lord more than anything.
a. 1 Jn. 2:15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
b. Our love for the Lord must be intentional and undivided.
c. Our love for the Lord must cause us to "cling tightly" to Him.
d. To place something as more important than our relationship with the Lord is nothing less than idol worship.
e. The Lord will not accept second place in our lives. He must be first.
Transition: If we do not do these things, we could face...
III. The Consequences (12-16)
A. But If You Turn Away
1. Anytime that God gives us a challenge, there are always two variables that come into play.
a. Benefits of obedience
b. Consequences of disobedience
2. Here Joshua gives the consequences. He says, “But if you turn away from him and cling to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry with them, then know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive them out of your land.
a. The first consequence is that the Lord will no longer drive away their enemies.
b. He would no longer fight for them.
c. He would no longer give them the land.
d. "Here is the danger of freedom. God seeks mans free response of love, and does His part to deserve and receive that love.
e. God does not force it upon us, but if we ignore God’s grace we receive God’s judgment" (Butler, 256).
3. The second consequence is "Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the LORD your God has given you."
a. It is like a domino effect.
b. The Lord will not drive the nations out, and therefore, they become a trap to them.
c. They would be subject to their influence, and they would be lead into idol worship. This is the one thing that God cannot tolerate.
d. 2 Cor. 6:17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.
e. This does not mean that we create a Christian bubble for ourselves, but that we live above their influence and become the influencers.
4. Once again, Joshua reminds them of Yahweh’s faithfulness. He says, "Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the LORD your God has come true. Not a single one has failed!"
a. The leaders must remember one particular blessing of God, the most wonderful blessing of all: the complete fulfillment of all God’s promises.
b. Not a single promise of God’s has ever failed. He has completely fulfilled every single one.
c. God is faithful to His dear people, doing exactly what He has promised.
d. 2 Cor. 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us (NKJV).
5. However, he quickly points out what happens if they fail to serve the Lord. "If you break the covenant of the LORD your God by worshiping and serving other gods, his anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land he has given you.”
a. The word "break" carries with it the connotation of "walking away from" something.
b. It is the equivalent of walking after and serving other gods (NIDOTTE, vol.3, 315).
c. If they did this, the Lord’s anger would burn against them.
d. Whenever the Lord’s anger burned against his people, they suffered, usually at the hands of a foreign enemy. —(New American Commentary)
e. The result of this would be they would vanish from the land.
B. Judgment
1. Illustration: Sin is fun [Hebrews 11:25]... for a season. The problem is that sin always has consequences [Galatians 6:7]... and they are unpleasant [Romans 6:23].
(ill.) National Geographic reported that a 13-foot Burmese python swallowed a 6-foot alligator in Florida . The consequences were lethal, as the gator split the snake open from the inside out, literally. That’s like what sin does to us. We think we have something great, until it destroys us from the inside out.
2. Gal. 6:7-8 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
3. If we obey God’s word we will be blessed beyond measure, but if we disobey we will face His judgment.
a. We will face His righteous anger.
b. We will face the removal of His blessings.
c. We will face eternal separation from Him.
4. Once saved always saved simply doesn’t work.
a. We must remain faithful
b. We must continue to walk humbly before our God
c. We must continue to serve Him.
5. However, if we do fail, we serve a God who forgives.
a. If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us.
b. If we repent, He throws our sins as far as the east is from the west.
c. If we ask for forgiveness, He drops our sins into the sea of forgetfulness and remembers them no more.
Transition: Sin has dire consequences, but we have a God who gives second chances.
Conclusion
1. We have The Call to remember all that the Lord has done for us.
2. We have The Challenge to remain faithful.
3. We have The Consequences for being unfaithful.
4. Of the three, where are you at today?
a. Do you need to remember all that the Lord has done for you?
b. Do you need to be challenged to remain faithful?
c. Do you need to repent before you face the consequences?
5. The Lord is waiting for your response.
