Well… In Joshua 23 - the great leader Moses was given that very opportunity to address the children of Israel. Mostly he wanted to point to THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.
Look at the following four verses Joshua 23: Vv. 3, 5, 10, 14
23: 3 "For the Lord your God is he that has fought for you.
23:5 you shall possess their land as the Lord your God has promised unto you.
23:10 The Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you as he has promised.
23:14 "Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you."
I am forever amazed at the Faithfulness of God in the scriptures and in my own life.
It has been said, “A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.” That is so true! By my own life - I can prove the faithfulness of God in so many ways.
Let me give you a few words that will help you understand God’s faithfulness in our lives…
1. RELIANCE
The Israelites and their leader Joshua had to rely completely on God as they traveled through the land. Every time they tried to rely on their own strength - they failed.
When they faced difficulty after difficulty - they discovered that God was always with them.
When they had reliance on God - they found out that He never let them down.
Many people start out in their Christian journey today trusting God and seeking His direction for their lives and then at some point grow careless and forget about Him. God becomes crowded out at one point or another.
Joshua was reviewing some of the things the Lord had done over the years for them and He said, "Remember that it was the Lord who fought for you. "
There were many battles they faced that they just couldn’t handle on their own and they needed the intervention of God in order to come out of it victoriously.
Their reliance was totally on God.
We all face difficulty and problems and we all have situations that we cannot handle. Trusting and relying upon God is the only way to move forward.
“But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT
2. RESPONSIBILITY
Joshua reminded the people of God’s faithfulness, but there was another side to the coin. In this chapter he also reminded them of their responsibility.
““So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left.” Joshua 23:6 NLT
Not only is God for us and will lead us forward but He also expects us to be part of the equation.
He tells them to heed His word and He warned them not to become sidetracked--don’t turn to the right or to the left. What did that mean? Don’t get entangled with things that are going to pull you away from God.
It was so easy for these people to be lured away by other gods and to fall into idolatry. He’s telling them, "Don’t be lured away from God by other things around you--people who served other gods--becoming a part of their way of life. He warned them about intermarrying with the people of the land who served other gods and he said if you enter into a relationship with them, they will become snares and traps to you to lead you away from God. They will be like a thorn in your eyes--dragging you down until you will perish from this good land.
This happens to people all the time. They start off well only to be sidelined by their favorite sin or by some distraction along the way.
When all of these THINGS pull us to the left and to the right--taking our focus off God, we are in the same boat as the Israelites and we must consider the consequences--these temptations to pull back will become snares and traps that cause us a lot of grief just as they did the Israelites.
It doesn’t have to be sinful horrible things--just neglect of our responsibility to "seek first the kingdom of God--and then all of these things will be added to you..."
Remember God’s faithfulness but don’t take it for granted and just live in a slipshod way.
3. KEEP GOING
The third thing that this scripture says to us is--"Don’t turn back-Keep on moving forward."
““But if you turn away from him and cling to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry with them, then know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the LORD your God has given you.” Joshua 23:12-13 NLT
Turning back meant they would be willing to give up the promised land for the old life. You might ask, "Why would they ever do that?" One thing is that many times it is a subtle thing, we start letting up a little bit here and there. We stop taking our responsibilities seriously and making God a priority in our life. Many people who become careless in their church attendance find it is easier to stay home. Can’t get out of bed on Sunday morning--too hot, too cold, don’t like to be around people, don’t like the sermon topic--guess I’ll skip today. Won’t matter--won’t miss me anyway.
“...let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith...” Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
Joshua was telling the people--"God has been faithful--you’ve come a long way. But don’t forget to keep focused--Don’t let yourself become entangled and tripped up by anything. It’s your responsibility to see to it that God stays in first place in your life.“
Keep moving forward--there’s nothing in the old life to turn back to.
Joshua speaks to us today, what is he saying through this scripture? Look at these life lessons:
1. God won’t let you down. He is faithful. We can rely on this.
2. Don’t you let Him down either. We have a responsibility as a Christian.
3. Sharpen your focus and keep moving forward. There’s nothing to go back to.
May God be with your day and this week!
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