Slices
Prepare
Consider those who have most influenced you as a Christian. Give thanks to God for their faithful witness to Christ.
Bible passage
Joshua’s farewell to the leaders
23 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, 2 summoned all Israel – their elders, leaders, judges and officials – and said to them: ‘I am very old. 3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. 4 Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain – the nations I conquered – between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.
6 ‘Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.
9 ‘The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.
Explore
My ageing parents are very keen to pass on to their children and grandchildren their prized possessions. But not just material things. ‘Remember when’ is a constant refrain when I go to visit.
In our reading today we see Joshua advanced in years (v 1). He has faithfully led Israel. The land is at rest (Joshua 14:15b). The occupation is almost complete (v 5).
He gathers the leaders of Israel and commissions them to carry on his work (v 2). He calls them to remember (v 4): you are witnesses of what the Lord has done, he declares (v 3); God has been fighting for us (vs 3,10); he has driven out our enemies (vs 5,9).
And the challenge for them? It is now up to them as the next generation of leaders to keep God’s word as their rule and guide (v 6). Resist compromise (v 7). Hold fast to the Lord to the end (v 8).
Such a challenge is ours as well. How can we ensure that our faith is passed on to the next generation?
Respond
‘We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done’ (Psalm 78:4). Pray for young people in your church and local community. What role might you have in their lives?
Deeper Bible study
‘He’s the great Shepherd, / the Rock of all ages, / Almighty God is he. / Bow down before him, / love and adore him, / his name is wonderful.’1
This is the moment that Israel has longed for. The battle has been won, the land has been conquered (v 1)2 and the people can enjoy it. The timing is vague – ‘after a long time’ – but a long time after what is not stated! Joshua has things to remind them of and things with which to challenge them. The writer regularly portrays Joshua as a second Moses and here again we see parallels with Moses’ farewell.3 The two main themes of Joshua’s address are to urge the people not to forget what the Lord has done for them (vs 3,9) and to stress again the imperative of loving the Lord and serving him alone.
Israel’s uniqueness lies in the fact that it serves only one God, the Lord. The people around them have many gods – territorial gods, gods of fertility, military gods etc. Joshua follows the command to serve the Lord by warning the people of four temptations. They are not to invoke the names of other gods or swear by them. They are not to serve and worship them. This is similar to Paul’s exhortation to the Romans: ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ or, as JB Phillips translated it, ‘Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould’.4 The challenge is as real for us as for the ancient Israelites.
We have discussed in previous notes the balance between God’s part and our part in divine strategy. Here again this theme is addressed. Joshua rehearses what God has done and then lists the obligations of God’s people: obedience to God’s law, separation from idols, loyalty to and love for God. To retain God’s favour, the people must remain faithful.
What idols challenge our commitment to God? In what ways are we tempted to let contemporary society squeeze us into its own mould?
1 Audrey Mieir, ‘His name is Wonderful’, Manna Music Inc, 1959 2 But see Introduction, on Josh 11:23 and 13:1 3 Deut 29,31 4 Rom 12:2
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Samuel 1,2; Psalm 50
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for the teams who would normally be preparing to lead holidays and missions at this time. We are exploring ways of using online channels to host activities and share God’s love with the children and young people who would be attending – pray for creativity, connection and an openness in the young people to what they hear.
