RPG Adults
JOSHUA CONVENED HIS LAST ASSEMBLY
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29
Joshua 24
Deuteronomy 6:4-14
“…fear the LORD thy God,
to walk in all his ways…”
JOSHUA CONVENED HIS LAST ASSEMBLY
A covenant is a binding agreement in which God is a witness. Every party to it is responsible to God. Joshua renewed the covenant between Israel and God as the day of his departure approached. He gathered the nation at Shechem and gave a solemn charge urging them to remain faithful to God. He wrote those words in the book of the law of God. He also set up a great stone for a witness.
Joshua might have chosen Shechem because it was nearest to his inheritance. He was old and it was better for Israel to come to him than for him to go to them. He was no stranger to dealing with large gatherings. He had been a leader of the nation for a long time and was skilled in effective communication. He wanted to deliver an important message, and this was his last word to the nation. He began his address with “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel…” (Josh 24:2). Even in this last communication, he spoke with the authority that he was conveying a message from God. He reviewed how God had dealt with the nation from the time of Abraham up to their settlement in the land of Canaan. He mentioned some of the problems that they had faced during the Exodus and how God had helped them to overcome all their obstacles.
God spoke directly to the nation through Joshua. He recalled the scheme of Balak, king of Moab, who, in order to prevent Israel from occupying their land, hired Balaam to curse Israel, and how God did not allow it. He spoke of the conquest of Jericho, their first city in Canaan. God added that He had sent the hornets before them which drove away the kings of the Amorites, not with a sword or bow. He gave Israel land that they did not labour for, cities that they did not build, vineyards and oliveyards which they did not plant and of which they ate from. It was estimated that it had taken Joshua seven years to fight and to drive out the Canaanites and also to subdivide the land among all the tribes of Israel. It is not that they were not able to capture the land immediately, but there were administrative logistics that they had to overcome.
THOUGHT: Testify of God’s great works in your life.
PRAYER: Father, may I never forget what Thou hast done for me.