God Speaks
The Eastern Tribes Build an Altar of Witness; Joshua Bids Farewell, Renews Covenant; Joshua Dies, Joseph’s Bones Buried
Verse of the Day: [In his farewell address, Joshua said,] “Now fear the LORD and serve Him with all faithfulness. . . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24: 14-15 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Joshua 22-24:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Joshua 22
1. God unifies His people when they meet together peaceably, and each clarifies their intensions and viewpoints.
2. People will be blessed when they follow the directions of godly leaders.
Joshua 23
1. The LORD God fights for His people as long as they hold fast to Him. His commitment to them never changes.
2. People need the help of the Holy Spirit to remain committed to following the LORD.
Joshua 24
1. God guides, protects, strengthens, and provides for those who fear (live in awe of) the LORD and serve Him wholeheartedly.
2. People must choose which “god” they will serve. Those like Joshua who choose to serve the LORD will be blessed.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Joshua 22-24?
Dear Awesome God, thank You for guiding, protecting, strengthening, and providing for Joshua all of his long life. I want to be like him. He spent time with You in the tent of meeting. He served as an aide to Moses, the servant of the LORD. He courageously led the Israelites in battle. He trusted You to do through him and others what seemed impossible to them. He lived to obey You while other people were dying because of their unbelief. He faithfully and impartially distributed their inheritance to the various tribes of Israel. Yes, he made some costly mistakes, like not consulting You before making a treaty with the Gibeonites, but he learned from that mistake to always lean on You and choose Your ways. He passed that truth on to his subordinates. He told them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies [as the Israelite commanders stood with their feet on the necks of five kings God had enabled them to defeat.]”* LORD God, I need You to work in my life (and in other believers’ lives) to defeat the enemies I (we) face. It is hard to follow someone with whom we have no personal experience, so, please, LORD, increase people’s personal encounters with You and strengthen the awe of You in our lives. Then we will bring You glory, LORD. AMEN *(Joshua 10:25 NASB)
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Joshua 22-24? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will seek to build up my personal experience with God by interacting with the Scriptures and with the Holy Spirit in prayer.
- I will ask God the Holy Spirit to help me to cling to the LORD and His ways.
- I will meet person-to-person with someone with whom I disagree so that we can each clarify our intentions and viewpoints.
- I will study the appropriate scriptures so that I fulfill Joshua’s instructions to the Israelites in Joshua 23:6-8.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.