Living Room Study

Joshua 24

“But Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to worship the Lord, because He is a holy God.  He is a jealous God; He will not remove your transgressions and sins.  If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, He will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy you, after He has been good to you.”  “No!”, the people answered Joshua.  “We will worship the Lord.”  Joshua then told the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you yourselves have chosen to worship the Lord.”  “We are witnesses,” they said.  “Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”  So the people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey Him.”  Joshua 24: 19-24

The book of Joshua ends with the burial of three of Israel’s dynamic leaders: Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar.  Joshua had led Israel militarily into the “promised land”.  God had enabled Joseph to obtain power in Egypt, in order to save Israel during the great famine of Jacob’s days.  Eleazar the high priest led Israel, spiritually, during the taking of the “promised land”.

The burial of these three men is symbolic of how God’s deliverance can be forgotten within a few generations.  No matter how wisely, piously, or miraculously God’s servants lead us, it is still OUR responsibility and challenge to seek God personally.

In management circles there is a saying:  Success is defined by the successor.

You never know how well the “vision” has been transferred to the next generation, until the charismatic leader is extracted from the scenario.  Joshua told Israel that their success was directly proportional to the extent they abandoned foreign gods and offered their hearts to the Lord.

In chapter 24, there are two types of gods that Joshua outlined:  The god’s of their pre-Abrahamic ancestors, and the gods of the Canaanites.  How did the ancestral gods survive all these years?

“When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.” Gen 31: 19

Sometimes harbored sin can seem both secret and benign.  Truth be known, the Lord sees our sin, and it is far from benign.  In fact, sin is always malignant, often spreading quietly over the years, growing with quiet intensity throughout the generations.  This is how one generation can revere the Lord, and the next generation can completely devalue Him. 

If you choose to worship God, ask Him to reveal the hidden secrets of your heart.  Then, take courage and drive out that deep-embedded sin.  Your children’s children need you to be faithful TODAY.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins