The End of the Matter

 

After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. (Joshua 24:29-30 ESV).

 

As we come to the last of these brief looks into the Book of Joshua we see the death and burial of Joshua (tomb pictured here). When Joshua and Eleazar died, their burial in the promised land signaled the end of their earthly pilgrimage with God. The burial of Joseph’s bones signaled that Israel’s journey to Canaan was complete. Like their ancestors, they were buried in ground consecrated by God’s promises. Burial in a grave took their bodies away from their families, but death would not remove them from fellowship with God. There is an incredibly encouraging truth to be discovered in these short verses at the end of the book.

 

We will all die, but we will not all be buried in the same place. Some will be buried in a cemetery. Others will be placed in a variety of other places. But all who begin their pilgrimage with God on this earth and then die will be remembered by God, no matter what happens to their present bodies. As I began to think of examples of this truth I was taken back to my experience visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial sitting above the USS Arizona. After the attack on December 7th, the ship was left resting on the bottom with the deck just awash. In the days and weeks following, efforts were made to recover the bodies of the crew and the ship's records. Eventually, further recovery of bodies became fruitless and the bodies of at least 900 crewmen remained in the ship. Those remains have not been disturbed to this day. It was certainly not a gravesite any of these people chose.

 

Mary and I have thought about where we might be buried if we die before Jesus comes again. There are many places we have lived and still hold fond memories of each of them. However, the important matter is not as much where our bodies will be temporarily placed, but the knowledge that our spirits will be with Christ in the heavens. When the earthly journey of all the faithful comes to an end, no matter when or how that happens, all who are redeemed will be with Him. Christ’s grave, consecrated by his resurrection power, is our inheritance. When we are buried in that inheritance, we will remain with Christ until the day when death will reign no more, and we will rise to a new life and given a new body, imperishable and eternal. Joshua was one of those believers. While his tomb may be located, he is with Christ. Is that your destination? It can be. That is truly the end of the matter… trust Jesus today!

 

A Choice to Make

 

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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.” (Joshua 24:14-15 ESV).

 

We are coming to the end of our brief look at the life and leadership of Joshua. Today our reading is a part of Joshua’s final instruction to the people he has led into God’s Promised Land. The battles for the land have been fought and won; the people have received the promise. That which remains is the practice of the new lives in the new land. He seems to offer Israel a choice between two bad things: to serve the old gods of their ancestors in Mesopotamia and Egypt or the new gods of the local peoples in Canaan. However, this is not what is taking place at all.

 

But Joshua is not really offering a choice between old and new, both of these groups are false gods. Having reminded Israel of God’s mighty deeds, he now challenges the people to acknowledge and serve the Lord in the land God has given them. In effect, Joshua says, “You may choose to live like your ancestors or neighbors did, but here in God’s Promised Land, I won’t!”

 

This is the same choice believers are faced with today. We have been redeemed. We have the absolute guarantee of eternal life in Christ. Now that we have been born again we are given choices in our behavior. Joshua’s challenge here reveals a sad truth: God’s people have great difficulty giving up their old ways of life and resisting the temptations of their new surroundings. The “old gods” are comfortable. The “new” gods that are still worshiped by their neighbors are distracting and alluring. Yet they are all empty.

 

The God of Abraham, the Father of Jesus Christ, is the only true God. He has shown himself to us again and again, especially in his Son. His Spirit blesses us even now. Trust in the Lord to truly bless your family, your work, your mind, and your eternal future. Don’t depend on empty promises. Revisit your memorial stones. The choice is clear.

 

The Battle of Ai

 

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.” (Joshua 8:1-2 ESV).

 

The first battle with Ai was a disaster for Joshua. That battle was lost. The biblical account tells us that the failure was due to the prior sin of Achan. Once this was rectified they are instructed to attack again. This time the Israelites burn Ai completely and "made it a permanent heap of ruins." God told them they could take the livestock as plunder and they did so. When Israel returned to Ai, the people of Ai were confident that they could rout Israel, as they had done before.

 

However, there was a difference this time. This time Israel began its battle with the Lord’s permission, and they followed his instructions. When God’s people comply with heaven, God’s will is done on the earth (cf. Matthew 6:10). And because Jericho was the firstfruits that went into the Lord’s treasury, Israel would receive the riches of Ai.

Unable to resist the divinely planned ruse, Ai’s soldiers hurried out to the battle, overconfident and unaware of the doom they faced. Israel. But the Lord’s strategy—hiding and catching the enemy by surprise—brought Ai to its knees. Following the Lord in this world can be dangerous and messy, for body and soul. But not following him leads to far greater danger.

 

The destruction of Jericho and Ai are a sign, to this day, of the nations’ fear of God. The death and resurrection of Christ is also a sign, to this day, not of fear but of God’s victory over sin, over misplaced confidence, and over those who gather together against the Lord and his anointed. Listen to the psalmist:

 

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. (Psalm 1:1-4 ESV).

 

Those who stand against the Lord will not win. It is only when we follow Him that we can know victory our enemies.

Marching Around Jericho

 

So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. (Joshua 6:20-21 ESV).

 

Our reading today is actually a mere snippet of the entire story found in this portion of the Book of Joshua. As we observe Israel marching around Jericho, following the Lord’s orders and bearing the ark of God’s covenant, we are witnessing what could be called a worship procession. The Israelites are declaring they are loyal to God and will worship him alone. And any who rebel and refuse to worship the true God will be lost. Gospel centered worship is an essential for all believers.

 

It is in worship that we gather around God’s Word. In worship we may invite this Word, sharper than any two-edged sword, to cut to the marrow of our existence, to lay bare our sin and grief (cf. Hebrews 4:12-13). Worship reminds us that we have been conquered by the sword of the Spirit, that resisting God with all our heart and strength has no effect. As Christian worshipers, we want and need to be reminded that God has conquered us. Similarly, Israel, marching around Jericho, showed that the Lord had conquered them and had made them his own. And on the seventh day of their marching, the Lord would claim Jericho as his own.

 

In worship we may also gather in the presence of the same God who rescued his people from Egypt, marched around Jericho’s walls, and defeated the power of death on the cross. In worship God renews us; our praise and prayer proclaim the sovereignty of the God who is on his way in our world to reclaim people gone astray. And at the last trumpet, when Christ returns, every knee in every city of the world will bow, to the glory of God.

 

While it may be difficult for you to gather corporately in worship, we should take advantage of the many opportunities to gather vicariously with others who are a part of the community of faith. The advance of technology has provided a means to gather in worship. We must take this part of our faith life seriously. If you’ve been away, make it your commitment to return this week. Whether in person or not, don’t miss another day watching the walls come tumbling down!

 

Stones of Memory

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” (Joshua 4:1-7 ESV).

 

The stones at the bottom of the Jordan River probably hadn’t seen a dry day till the people of Israel crossed that barrier on dry land. But when taken from the exposed riverbed, twelve of those stones became a memorial of God’s mighty works. Standing in a pile beside the river, the stones were to remind all who passed by that the Lord had dried up the Jordan so that his people Israel could cross over into the Promised Land.

 

As time passed, Israel began to have trouble remembering all that God had done for them. Perhaps they were too busy with the challenges of daily life; or, perhaps they simply began to trust in their own effort rather than the power of God. The stones at Gilgal remained where they were erected. The stones had not moved. Their focus moved. This was certainly a result of a failure to teach the memory to their children. These memories were to be their ministry, reminding everyone of God’s power and of his faithfulness to his promises.

 

Again, we must not wag our finger at them and somehow forget our own failure to remember. We actually have a much clearer memorial. We have an empty tomb. Can we so easily forget that great miracle? I am well aware to the reality of the inevitable struggles that intrude into our lives. They always do. However, we must not forget to revisit our “stones of memory.” They are there to remind us of the source of all goodness and joy. To this very day God’s Word reminds us of all God has done, especially through Jesus Christ. It’s a great collection of memory stones pointing us to the Savior as our chief cornerstone (cf. Ephesians 2:20).