Time passes.....Isreal has been triumphant and finally the Transjordan tribes can go home. They build an altar which makes the whole assembly very nervous because they think it might be for the Transjordan's honor instead of the Lords....the good news is that they checked it out and found that the Transjordan tribes intentions were good and that it was for the honor of God. They wanted to be included as God's and not have anyone think that the Jordan river separated them. They named the altar, "A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God"...
Again, a long time passes as indicated in 23:1 and it is time for Joshua to die. He reminds the people that they always have a CHOICE, and that there are consequences for the choice. The covenant is between the people and God, not other gods. Joshua reminds the people of the Jewish Salvation Story...the ultimate deliverance, and in Shechem, drew up the decrees and laws. One key verse is: "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served byond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua is a book about choice. We can read this book of the Bible and be well versed in it; but it will mean nothing unless we apply it. What are our idols....we may not have graven images, but anything that we put before the Lord is an idol.......
Joshua and Eleazar (the High Priest) die and are buried in the Promised Land.
Look what comes up from the depths of the sea.
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very good point.....we need to make sure we apply this message of choice and make sure we do not have other idols... (such asmoney, social status, cars, homes, atc) come before our God...
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe we have finished another book.....we be jamming!!