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!