RPG Adults
JOSHUA SPOKE OF THE SUM OF HIS SERVICE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30
Joshua 24
Deuteronomy 6:4-14
“…learn to fear the LORD,
thy God always.”
JOSHUA SPOKE OF THE SUM OF HIS SERVICE
It was now time to recount the sum of what God had done through Joshua. Joshua told Israel to fear God and serve Him sincerely by putting away the false gods and serving God only. He spoke of all those wonders to remind Israel lest they forget. He conveyed this message from God as his final communication to the nation. It was a great blessing to be used of God in the prime of his life. Joshua desired lasting results. This was in his heart when he convened that assembly.
Joshua, being an old man, spoke and addressed a new generation. He had enough experience of human weakness in following God and he knew how easy it was for the nation to leave God to serve other gods. Thus, he summoned all his energy to bring the message home to that assembly. Joshua was not formally a prophet, but he did the work of a prophet because he conveyed the message of God to Israel.
Joshua urged the nation to serve God with sincerity, not with lip service. The people, who came out of Egypt and had experienced crossing the Red Sea on its dried sea bed, would react differently from those who simply heard about it. They were hesitant, but they saw the salvation of God. Joshua had witnessed all those wonders of the Exodus, thus when he spoke of sincerity, he himself was sincere. He stated his own commitment to serve God. When he said this, the whole assembly of Israel was of one accord. They pledged before Joshua that they would not forsake God or serve other gods. They pledged to serve God only. The main reason it was abominable to serve other gods was that it would be a denial of God who had brought them out of Egypt. It was also prohibited in the first commandment. It was thus part of their confession to believe in the true God, commonly referred to as the God of Israel. They acknowledged that it was God who had brought them out with a mighty hand and had done wonders all the way until they were settled in Canaan.
THOUGHT: (Read Exodus 20:3.)
PRAYER: Father, may my sincerity in serving Thee stand to the end.