Josué 24
Alexander Maclaren · Citado em PreceptAustin
Josué 24
Maclaren says, "The best way to deepen and confirm good resolutions too swiftly formed is to state very plainly the difficulty of keeping them." I have long since been disgusted with church members who promise God their devotion on the Sunday night of a revival only to forsake the revival by Friday night for a ball game! On one occasion when many believed on our Lord, we read that He did not believe in them (same Greek word) because He knew what was in man (see John 2:23-25). Joshua reminded the people that God is holy and jealous. He will not look upon sin and He will not share the throne of our hearts with another. (See Joshua 24:20.) We are in a day when cheap grace is being preached with no repentance to begin with and no discipleship to follow. We need to be cured of shallow discipleship that has no root or depth as our Lord indicated in the parable of the sower, the seed, and the soil. Sometimes I think we church members have just about rededicated ourselves to death! The revival under Joshua took place at Shechem. There was another revival at the same Shechem long before the days of Joshua. Jacob had wandered from Bethel to Shechem where his daughter Dinah got into trouble. His sons took vengeance on the Shechemites and Jacob was sorely distressed. Then God commanded him to return to Bethel and dwell there and make an altar unto the Lord. Jacob obeyed promptly, ordered his household to put away their strange gods, change their garments, and return to the place of blessing. (See Genesis, chapters 34 and 35.) Like Joshua, as for Jacob and his house, he would serve the Lord. He did not ask the family whether or not they wanted to go. He did not take a vote. He was not afraid of frustrating Junior. He simply announced that they were returning to Bethel. More fathers like that would answer a good many problems of broken homes and wayward youngsters. The family obeyed, gave up their strange gods and earrings, which Jacob buried under an oak. If American homes and churches followed a similar procedure, we would fill all the national forests in the country with surrendered idols! Paul had a book burning at Ephesus and Savonarola witnessed a similar sight in Florence. We need also to change our garments. The garb many Christians wear needs to be brought back to New Testament standards of modesty. Also, our spiritual wardrobe is in bad shape; we wear the filthy rags of self-righteousness, the spotted garments of worldliness, and the gray vestments of compromise. The prodigal was received by the father just as he was, but he had to put on a new robe for fellowship; so must we. Joshua was the head of the nation and the leader of God's covenanted people. Jacob was the head of a family. Together, they represent the nation, the church, and the home. Joshua did not lament what a failure Israel had been; he gloried in her past and called the people to return to the standard under which they had begun. Jacob did not apologize for his failure as a father; he ordered his family back to Bethel. It is fashionable nowadays to apologize for the failure of America, the church, and the home. Politicians, sociologists, educators, preachers, parents—everybody is doing it. I have never seen such a strange crowd as there is at the mourner's bench, weeping on one another's shoulders about how we have failed the young people; how we need to make amends for our stupid past; how we need to get with it and be relevant, involved, and meaningful—whatever that means. The magazines are full of it; television is full of it. It is the in thing to sob and sigh about it. The psychology of it is devastating, for the more we cringe and crawl and confess, the more impudent and arrogant this petted and spoiled generation becomes. Frankly, I am not in the mood to join these Jeremiahs, berate the establishment, and apologize for America. I am proud of my country's illustrious past. It is still a land that people are trying to get into, not out of! I would like to load up all who like it better somewhere else and wave good-bye, as long as I could see them, while they sail for the land of their heart's desire. This is my country; may she always be right, but right or wrong, my country. No mother says, "My boy, as long as he's right, but when he is wrong, he is not my boy." God does not say, "This Christian is my child so long as he is right, but when he is wrong he is not my child." When my country is wrong it is my duty to call it back to God. Some things were wrong when I was a boy, but we did not try to burn down everything we disliked because we were not prepared to put something better in its place. That is right for today as well. I am not bemoaning the failure of the church. We are not called to preside at the funeral of Christianity. The church of Jesus Christ is not dead. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (See Matthew 16:18.) They say the church has failed in not updating her terminology, in her social program, in not getting through to youth. I will tell you where the church has failed; she has failed at the point of the inspiration of the Scriptures, the Lordship of Christ, the sovereignty of the Spirit, the separation from the world, and the discipleship. She has gone into religious socialism, building bigger and better hog pens in the far country instead of getting prodigals home to God. The world had more respect for the church when she was attending to her own business instead of making moral issues out of political projects. I am thankful for my own denomination. I was pastor of the mother church of Southern Baptists and I know what they have stood for. I agree with one of their stalwarts of the past who said, with reference to certain dissenters, "When they get right, they'll be with me for I'm standing where they used to be." I have no intention of leaving my denomination. If any people leave, let it be the ones who do not believe what we used to believe. The mutineers should not be allowed to take over the ship. Some old-timers are accused of rocking the boat, but it is better to rock the boat than to wreck it. Old-fashioned Baptists should not leave the denomination; we were here first. Nobody from headquarters has ever told me what to preach. It would not make any difference if they did, but they have not. If this sounds out-of-date, I can only say that after over half a century of preaching, I still keep an itinerary of preaching engagements booked two years ahead. If I am a back number, I am not alone. More than seven thousand have not bowed to Baal! (See 1 Kings 19:18.) What the church needs is a Joshua who will glory in the blessings of the past and call on God's people to turn from their idols to God. We are emphasizing everything but revival, and that is a trick of the devil to keep us from facing the real issue. If people in our great gatherings spent their time emphasizing revival instead of evangelism, seeking the joy of salvation restored and a new spirit; then transgressors would be taught God's ways, and sinners would be converted. Back of the nation and the church lies the home. I offer no apology for the old-fashioned home. We still have some where father is the head and mother the heart instead of a two-headed monster. We still have some homes where children are being brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, but by and large, America is a disaster area homewise. Nowhere has the devil scored a greater success. The automobile took the family out of the home, and television brought the world into the home. Now age has surrendered to youth, and Jacob is no longer able to lead his family back to Bethel; they have become permanent residents of Shechem. Back of the nation, the church, and the home stands the individual. We need Joshuas who have made the great decision, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, and who will call the nation and church away from idolatry to serve the Lord. We need Jacobs who have met God themselves and who can lead their families out of Shechem back to Bethel, the House of God—better still, to El Bethel, the God of the House of God. Joshua 24:15 Dr. Woodrow Kroll You've Got to Choose Joshua 24:15 - "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." You've Got to Choose - Sometime ago many newspapers carried a story about a woman who was divorcing her husband after discovering he had two other wives and several children by each of them. His explanation? He couldn't bear the thought of hurting any of them, so he had married all three. He was a traveling salesman, so he was able to carry out the farce for several years. Rather than facing a hard choice, he took the easy way out. Once established in the Promised Land, the Israelites also were confronted with a multitude of choices. And the choices weren't necessarily easy. They could worship the gods of Egypt. These were gods that their parents had known from their long years of servitude. Familiarity made that tempting. On the other hand, the gods of the Amorites, the nation they had conquered, offered opportunities to indulge the flesh, which many likely found attractive. Some may have stood betwixt and between, but Joshua was not afraid to make the hard decision. Boldly he declared, "As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Choosing to serve the Lord is not always an easy decision. Sometimes it means going against the religious beliefs of your family. Other times peer pressure and the desire to "fit in" make us hesitant to declare openly our commitment to the Lord. Many people find it easiest to behave like a chameleon, changing colors to fit whatever group they happen to be with. But that only temporarily avoids making the hard decision. Today, decide to take a stand. Whom will you serve? Will it be yourself? Will it be the gods of pleasure or wealth or ease? Or will you choose the God who loves you? Making a decision for Christ may be hard, but it's a choice you will never regret. The easy choice is seldom the right choice. One Small Choice Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15 As a boy, my father often played violin in the local symphony. This budding young talent continued improving into his high school years. Then one day he decided to join his buddies in a harmless prank. As they raced through the school hallways and out the door, my dad hurried to follow them. The door slammed just as he reached it. His left hand smashed the glass of the door—severing the tendons to three fingers. All the doctors could do was tie the tendons in knots, rendering his fingers useless and taking the violin out of his life forever. I wonder how Dad’s life might have been different had he not made that one small choice. “What-ifs” have dubious merit—we can always second-guess ourselves. But we cannot underestimate the impact of our choices. One choice can produce lifelong consequences, for good or bad. Joshua’s counsel is a good place to start. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,” he told Israel. “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). I am resolved to follow the Savior, Faithful and true each day; Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth— He is the living way. —Hartsough What you will be tomorrow depends on the choices you make today. Choose! Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. —Joshua 24:15 All of us have times when we’d like to be completely free to do whatever we want. We long to break out of our restricting circumstances. But total freedom or complete independence is never an option for us. The Bible declares that we are servants by nature, even though we might not realize it. I read about some slave-making ants of the Amazon that illustrate man’s predicament. Hundreds of these ants periodically swarm out of their nest to capture neighboring colonies of weaker ants. After destroying resisting defenders, they carry off cocoons containing the larvae of worker ants. When these “captured children” hatch, they assume that they are part of the family and launch into the tasks they were born to do. They never realize that they are forced-labor victims of the enemy. Just as these little creatures are captives from the time of their birth, so we enter the world enslaved to sin and Satan. But there is a solution. By turning to Christ in faith, we are released from the condemnation of sin. Then by the Holy Spirit’s power we can begin serving the Lord. The freedom to choose is a gift from the Lord, He wants you to serve Him of your own accord; Right now He is calling for you to decide To give Him your talents and serve by His side. —Hess True freedom is found in submission to Christ. As for Me and My House “But if it doesn’t please you to worship the LORD, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD.”—Joshua 24:15 Serving God was not Joshua's only option. He could have adopted the religious beliefs and practices of his family heritage in the pagan land of Egypt. He could have accepted the idolatrous religion of his neighbors in the region where he now lived. These options probably looked like easier choices than worshiping God. But Joshua had witnessed God's faithfulness (Josh. 23:14). He was convinced that his Lord was the only true God and that serving Him would bring victory and blessing. Joshua decided to serve God alone. He was determined to teach his entire household to honor his Lord as well. He had trusted God for victory on the battlefield, and he knew that God could also give him spiritual victory in his home. You, too, must decide whom you will serve. An assortment of popular religions clamors for your allegiance. If you come from a Christian heritage, you may choose to embrace the faith of your parents and grandparents. If you did not grow up in a Christian home, you can decide, as Joshua did, to reject your heritage of unbelief and begin a generation that serves the Lord. If you set your mind wholeheartedly on serving God, your example will bring a tremendous blessing to your family. If you place your confidence in God, those around you will witness your faith, and they may decide to trust Him too. Choose, as Joshua did, to serve God unashamedly with all your heart, and then watch to see how God blesses your family. Handbook of Scripture - Kenneth Boa - Many begin well and end poorly, but Joshua finished his race well and remained faithful to the Lord throughout his one hundred and ten years. In his message to the leaders of his people, Joshua reminded them of the Lord’s gracious and powerful works on behalf of the children of Israel and in the past until the present day. With this perspective fresh in their minds, Joshua moved into application by exhorting his countrymen to fear the Lord, to serve Him in sincerity and truth, and to put away all forms of idolatry. Joshua warned the people that the Lord is a jealous God who will not endure faithlessness or rebellion, but they vowed to serve the Lord, and Joshua made a covenant with them. Prayer Lord, it is clear that the only options before me are service to You or service to idolatry by putting anything in the created order higher in my affections and priorities than You. Help me remember that You are a jealous God who will not let Your children stray away from You without being disciplined. Choose Your God Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15 I recently saw a commercial for an online game based on Greek mythology. It spoke about armies, mythological gods, heroes, and quests. What got my attention was the description of how to get the game started. You go online to register, choose your god, then build your empire. Wow! “Choose your god.” Those words, though presented casually in the ad, struck me as being characteristic of one of the most dangerous things about our world. In a game, it may be insignificant what “god” you choose; but in the real world that choice has eternal consequences. To a generation of Israelites surrounded by the gods of their day, Joshua declared that they must choose their god—but it must not be done in a cavalier way. He set the example as he said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). The gods of this world are empty and vain, They cannot give peace to one’s heart; The living and true One deserves all our love— From Him may we never depart. —D. DeHaan Nothing can fill the emptiness in your heart except God. Choosing Our Leader Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15 Today, millions of people in the United States will cast their votes for a slate of political leaders, including President. After months of campaign speeches, television ads, and debates, each voter has the opportunity to say to one candidate, “I choose you.” Not everyone’s favorite will win, but every voter has a choice. Unlike a political election in which the majority rules, each of us is given the opportunity to select our personal leader each day. In the spiritual election deep within our hearts, our choice will stand no matter what others may decide. After many years in the Promised Land of Canaan, the aged Joshua called the people of Israel together and issued this challenge: “If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). In a great collective response, the people said, “We will serve the Lord!” (Josh 24:21). Thy will I choose; I give to Thee All of the life Thou gavest me; Thy will I choose, no life I ask Except to do Thy given task. —Anon. Each day we choose the one we will follow in life. It’s Your Choice Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. —Joshua 24:15 As Joshua was nearing the end of his life, he gathered the children of Israel together at Shechem. And there, from the lips of a man who was close to death, came an appeal that throughout the centuries has moved the hearts of many. Joshua said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). This challenge, viewed in the light of the New Testament, suggests three outstanding lessons regarding our salvation. First, we must make a choice between God and the devil. To refuse Christ leaves us automatically on the devil’s side. Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30). Second, this choice is a personal choice. Joshua said, “Choose for yourselves . . . whom you will serve.” Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be born again and become a child of God. But we must do the believing ourselves. Third, there is an urgency in this charge. “Choose for yourselves this day,” not next month, not a week from today, not tomorrow, but this day. Now is the time to choose the Lord—tomorrow may be too late. Abe Lincoln told the story of a blacksmith who heated a piece of iron in the forge, not knowing what he was going to make. At first he thought of shaping it into a horseshoe but changed his mind. After hammering on the iron for a while, he decided to try to make it into something else. By this time the metal was no longer malleable. Holding it up with his tongs and looking at it with disgust, the blacksmith tossed it into a vat of water. "Well," he shrugged, "at least I can make a fizzle out of it!" Joshua would have seen an important lesson in that story. He knew that a meaningful life must have a clear purpose. "Choose!" he urged his followers. If you're not going to live for God, then decide against Him. If you are going to live for God, then let your life reflect that decision. But whatever you do, decide! Joshua made it clear that he and his family had made their choice to serve the Lord (24:15). For him, life was not an amusement park but an arena where important decisions had to be made. Joyfully enlisting By Thy grace divine, We are on the Lord's side, Savior, we are Thine. - -Havergal If you decide not to choose, you've already made the wrong choice. Joshua 24:16 The people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 1Sa 12:23 Ro 3:6 6:2 Heb 10:38,39 Joshua 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Exodus 19:8+ All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. Exodus 24:3; 7+ Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” (24:7) Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” (AND BY EXODUS 32 THEY WERE FLAGRANTLY DISOBEDIENT MAKING A GOLDEN CALF TO WORSHIP!) IS THIS INSINCERE SINCERITY? The people answered and said - This is their first affirmation of faith and covers Joshua 24:16-18. Far be it from us that we should forsake (abandon - 'azab; Lxx - kataleipo) the LORD to serve (abad - NET, CSB = "worship" Lxx - latreuo) other gods - The people immediately respond to their esteemed leader's example of loyal affirmation. They say in essence "Perish the thought that we would ever forsake Yahweh." But were they sincere? At that moment given the gravity of the passing of Joshua and his charge (and example of choosing Yahweh), they responded just as the children of Israel in Ex 19:8+ and Ex 24:3,7+. However note what happened to Israel within just one generation after Joshua and the elders died (Jdg 2:8-11+)! See related note on Joshua 23:16. THOUGHT - "TEARS AT THE ALTAR" mean nothing by themselves: OBEDIENCE IN THE "CRUCIBLE" of everyday life IS WHERE THE METAL IS PURIFIED, REFINED AND STRENGTHENED. Forsake (leave) (05800) 'azab basically means to depart from something -- to leave, to forsake (48x), to leave (26x; "left" 22x), to loose, to depart, to abandon. Things that can left behind or forsaken include persons (Ge 44:22; Nu 10:30; Ru 1:16; 2Ki4:30), people who should left behind (Ge 2:24); places (2Ki 8:6; Jer 18:14; 25:38) and objects (Ge 39:12,13; 50:8; Ex 9:21). Men can forsake God (apostatize) (Dt 28:20, 31:16, Jer 1:16), can abandon qualities of virtue (1Ki 12:8, 2Chr 10:8, 13), the way (of righteousness) (Pr 15:10), instruction/wisdom (Pr 4:2, 6), reproof (Pr 10:17 - "ignore" = forsake), kindness (lovingkindness, faithfulness) (Pr 3:3). God promises to not forsake His people (Ge 24:27, 28:15, Dt 31:6,7 contrast what God's people will do = Dt 31:16). In a use similar to Pr 28:13, we are instructed to "forsake wrath." (Ps 37:8) Azab - 5x in Joshua - Joshua 1:5, Joshua 8:17, Joshua 22:3, Joshua 24:16, Joshua 24:20 GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 24 The people answered and said, God forbid, &c. Joshua has the pleasure of finding the people ready from their hearts to concur with him in his pious resolution. By an emphatic expression, denoting the greatest dread and detestation imaginable, they show that they startle at the thought of apostatizing from God, as if it would imply their being utterly lost to justice, gratitude, honor, and every generous feeling. At the same time, they give such substantial reasons for their choice, as to show that it was not purely out of compliment to Joshua, highly as they esteemed him, that they made it, but from a full conviction of its intrinsic reasonableness and equity. They professedly and justly found their obligations, first on the consideration of the great and merciful things which God had done for them, in bringing them out of Egypt through the wilderness into Canaan, where they were now planted in peace; and, secondly, of the relation in which they stood to God as a covenant people. ‘He is our God;’ he has graciously engaged himself by promise to us, and we have bound ourselves by solemn vow to him. Woe be to us if we prove false and treacherous to our plighted (pledged) faith. Joshua 24:17 for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. Jos 24:5-14 Ex 19:4 De 32:11,12 Isa 46:4 63:7-14 Am 2:9,10 Joshua 24 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Deuteronomy 5:6 ‘I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ISRAELITES EXPLAIN THEIR CHOICE TO SERVE GOD for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved (guarded, protected - shamar) us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed - Their statement regarding God's power, protection and preservation are true and laudable. These statements serve to underscore the horror that they would apostatize from such a faithful and powerful God.
Josué 24
Maclaren says: "The best way to deepen and confirm good resolutions too swiftly formed is to state very plainly the difficulty of keeping them." I have been much exercised about this matter in my own ministry. I have seen crowds promise God their full devotions on a Sunday night in special meetings, only to find them missing by Friday night's ball game! Such people do not mean business. They are like these Israelites of old whom we are now studying, and of whom the Psalmist wrote: "Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant" (Psalm 78:36-37). (NASB = "But they deceived Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue. 37 For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.") We do such people a great wrong when we accept superficial dedication, for it confirms them in their hypocrisy and leads them to mistake the false for the real, deceiving themselves. It would be better if they made no profession at all. We are afraid to take Joshua's position today for fear of scaring away prospective church members. It was exactly the attitude of our Lord in this matter. He had something to say about superficial dedications. He spoke of the son who said, "I go, Sir," and went not. He spoke of those who receive the word with joy, but have no roots in themselves. He answered three prospective disciples with his stern word about the foxes and the birds, letting the dead bury their dead, and looking back after putting one's hand to the plow. He sobered the enthusiasm of a multitude with three "cannot's" of discipleship (Luke 14:25-33+). He let the rich young ruler go away sorrowful rather than be a cheap follower. We suffer today from "cheap grace." Dietrich Bonhoeffer says that after Luther, Germany became Christian and Lutheran, but at the cost of true discipleship. Our Lord does not cast out those who come to Him, but they must mean business; after coming to Him, they must come after Him. Coming to Him we receive rest, but as we learn of Him we find rest. It is easy to BECOME a Christian, for the gift of God is eternal life; in another sense it is difficult to BE a Christian, because it costs us ourselves—all we are and have. Our Lord said that if we come TO Him but do not come AFTER Him, we cannot be His disciples (Luke 14:26, 27+). Grace is God's unmerited favor but that grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. (Titus 2:12+) Joshua reminded the people that God is a holy and jealous God. We are not going to have a revival until people see God in His holiness—a God Who will not look upon sin, and a jealous God who will not share His throne in our hearts with another. Until we face up to that, we cannot serve the Lord. There was another revival at this same Shechem long before the days of Joshua (cf Ge 35:2 = Henry