I had the opportunity to preach yesterday morning, the morning our church recognized its graduates. The passage of choice was Joshua 24 and the Joshua Generation. Oh to be like them in their fervor and obedience! Remarkable how the Spirit guides our understanding, teaching us to observe the wisdom of God in the Scriptures and how He makes Himself known to His people.
Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.
Joshua 24:31 (ESV)
The people obeyed God and served Him alone! Does that surprise you? Before rushing into the period of the Judges and the downfall of God’s people, first let’s rest in the knowledge of their obedience during the period of the conquest to the end of Joshua’s life and even to the few generations (or several?) beyond it. They ran their race with endurance, perseverance and a willingness to submit to God’s commands. The Book of Joshua ends with this assurance of their success. It’s a wonderful triumph and tribute to Joshua’s ministry and the people’s adherence to his leadership. We would do well to emulate them, to run our own race with the same kind of fervent endurance and submission to God’s commands, whereupon finishing we would hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
What caused their commitment?
Earlier in the chapter, Joshua recounts the ritual of covenant renewal. He challenges the people: Serve the LORD! They respond: We will serve the LORD. He rebuffs: You cannot serve the LORD. They reiterate: No, but we will serve the LORD! This becomes an iconic passage in the grand story of Scripture. Here on this sacred ground (that being Shechem) the nation becomes anew the people of God.
It’s not an argument. They’re not trying to convince Joshua as in a court of law or in a PTA school meeting or in debate class. This is a rite of passage to becoming worshipers instead of warriors. As they repeat their oath they make their vow and pledge themselves afresh to be God’s chosen people. Also included in the ritual is a standing stone (a witness against them) and a written record added to the Book of the Law (presumably this is Joshua’s contribution to Moses’ first five books). An illustration in our culture of this unique moment would be a wedding ceremony in which there is a repeating of vows, the bride and groom pledging themselves to each other. There is a marriage certificate that must be signed and ratified by witnesses, which holds them accountable in the eyes of specified authority. And there’s even a rock to stand as a witness to the event (aka that diamond ring she wears so proudly!), rings that are worn throughout the marriage to serve as reminders of the vows that are expressed.
What led to such devotion?
Joshua 24 begins by describing a gathering of the leadership of all Israel. The people are summoned to Joshua, for it is the end of his life and he must pass on to them the responsibilities of the covenant. He reminds them of their history as a people, reaching all the way back to the calling of Abraham out of Ur of Chaldeans beyond the Euphrates River. As he mentions Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Aaron and Moses he begins to intertwine two separate groups of people, “your fathers” with “you.” In the process of conflating the two into one history, Joshua unites the people and their Patriarchs into one construct of Israelite reality and covenant responsibility. What was once understood as “theirs” (distant relations) is now considered “ours” (Joshua’s Generation).
Catch this: Joshua imputes upon them all the history, all the responsibility, all the blessings and curses of God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. He points to them and declares, “Your eyes saw what I did in Egypt” (Joshua 24:7). Surely some of the people standing there would have seen with their own eyes the miraculous plagues in Egypt, they would have walked on the dry ground through the Red Sea. But for most standing there before Joshua, they were only born during the 40 years of wandering and the years of conquest…..and they never would have actually seen the events he references. This is not a flaw in the Text; rather, this is theology in the Text. Joshua fast-forwards all Israelite history and places it onto their shoulders saying, “Now, run your race! Their history is yours! Their experiences are your identity! So live as if Abraham were with you, as if Jacob were upholding you and Moses was walking before you. Choose to serve the LORD even as they did!” He places upon them the calling of the generations of the past to grant authority for the urgency of living in the present, enabling them to make their commitment and stand fast to the commands of their God.
We have the same task ahead of us as Christians, to live in the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed to our being. Paul says in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Our identity is hidden in Christ. His victory over sin is ours to live by. His conquering of death is ours to hope in. So what are you waiting for?! Run your race with endurance! Live in the goodness of our God and rest in His faithfulness to you.
Serve the LORD…..He won’t disappoint!
Glorify. Train. Engage. 