By: Dale Weckbacher
Text: Joshua
23:1-16
Joshua 23:6-8
Therefore, be
very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of
Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 that
you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of
the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to
them, 8 but you shall cling to the Lord your
God just as you have done to this day.
(ESV)
The election in the United States
illustrates how quickly earthly leadership can change and how leadership connects
with events occurring in the world and not solid constitutional and legal foundations. Granted, nations have Constitutions and a
rule of law their leaders swear to uphold and obey but history has showed the
propensity of earthly leaders to abandon these foundations. To gain support for their plans to abandon
the foundations of constitutions and rules of law, leaders often resort to fear
either through tyranny or using a crisis to bring fear upon the population and
the proposal of unconstitutional policies, promising that these policies will rid
the people of what they fear.
I used to believe that Joshua
errored in not naming a successor but have changed my belief. Joshua
23:1-16 is Joshua’s charge to Israel on what to do after he is gone. Moses also offered a charge to Israel in Deuteronomy
31 but these two charges differ.
Moses charged Israel to follow Joshua, thus naming a successor while Joshua
charged Israel to follow and obey God. Joshua’s
charge is to,
1) Reflect
on what God had done (Joshua
23:3) – Times of unprecedented crisis like the world finds itself in today are
stressful and fearful as people face challenges they have never faced and are
unprepared to handle. Joshua knew once
he was gone, Israel would face challenges as they settled in the land and would
need the means to cope with these challenges.
His charge begins with a reminder for Israel to reflect on what God had
done for them in the past. Israel had no
shortage of things to reflect upon beginning with how God parted the Red Sea (Exodus
14). God provided Manna to eat and
water (Exodus
16-17) and took down the walls of Jericho with just a shout from the people
(Joshua
6). For Christians, reflection on
what God has done involves reflecting on God sending his only Son to die for
our sins, providing salvation and eternal life (2
Corinthians 5:21; John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
2)
Israel still had enemies to conquer (Joshua
23:4-5) – Advances in medical science have made many diseases once fatal,
curable. A diagnosis of cancer used to
mean one only had a few months to live but now has treatment with surgery and
chemo. However, medical professionals
practice medicine because they know there is always the potential of encountering
something new, like Covid19. Joshua
reminded the Israelites that there were still enemies in the land of Canaan and
would be temptated to mix with these people and their way of life which
included the worship of pagan gods (Joshua
23:6-7). Instead, the charge of
Joshua is for Israel to remain strong, courageous, and obedient. The shutting down of Churches has led to the
loss of fellowship among believers that would occur during weekly
services. Granted, the teaching from the
pulpit still happens online but there is a need for fellowship among believers,
especially during chaotic times like we live in today. This is why the Apostle Paul urged believers not
to forsake gathering together (Hebrews
10:25). In the Covid19 environment,
churches may need to meet in smaller groups but should not let this deter them
from continuing on the mission of spreading the Gospel and making disciples (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).
3) Be
strong and obedient (Joshua
23:6-13) – Joshua points out the benefits of obedience to the children of
God, and the consequences of disobedience.
Christians face many challenges in this chaotic environment including
calls from the secular world to accept abortion on demand and gay
marriage. Add to this the shrinking of
many Church congregations due to the failure to meet together regularly due to
Covid19, and there is a temptation for churches to become accepting of abortion
and gay marriage to attract new members.
However, this comes with the consequences of compromising the truths in
scripture condemning these practices (Matthew
19:14; Psalm 139:13). The Church
must remain strong in its resolve to adhere to Biblical principles.
The challenges of Covid19 have
changed lifestyles for everyone. We need
to add a mask to everything else we must take with us when going out. We need to practice social distancing when in
public and no longer attend sporting events in person, relegated to watching
them on a screen. Churches too face
challenges, losing the ability in many communities to meet in large groups or
in-person at all. Like the early Church
that had to adapt to persecution and martyrdom, the Church today can adapt to
these new standards through teaching online and meeting in small groups. The charge for the Church today is to remain
strong, courageous, and obedient to the Word of God in a rapidly changing world
while remaining focused on the mission of spreading the Gospel and making
disciples (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). My prayer
is that the Church stays strong and obedient to its biblical mission.
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