Joshua 23 - Last Word

Joshua 23 – Last word
This is Joshua’s final message to Israel. He was 110 years old.
Identify God’s Promises and Commands in 23:5-15

Promises
God will trust them out before you
You will possess the land
One of your men puts flight to 1000 of the enemy
He fights for you

Commands
Be very firm to keep and do all that is written in the Book of the law of Moses
Do not associate with these nations
Or mention the name of their gods
Or make anyone swear by them
Or bow down to them.
Cling to the Lord your God
Take heed to love the lord

IF you go back and cling to the rest of these nations, and intermarry, The Lord will not continue to drive them out from before you, but they will become a snare, trap, whip, thorn, until you perish.

What was the danger of tolerating other religions for the people of Israel?

Dispensationalism – There exists periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants. (progressive revelation)
Joshua emphasized the Law of Moses – That was how God revealed Himself to the people of Israel.
When Jesus came he changed things by saying “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).

Dispensationalists call this new period of history a time of Grace or the Church.
Matthew 28:18-20 Go – Make Disciples.
We have a different command on how to interact with people who have other Gods.

Are the dangers the Israelites faced different than the dangers we face as we interact with people who call upon other gods?

What do we have that they didn’t have?

How do you fulfill this command?
Joshua 24:14-24
The choice that the people of Israel made that day was to serve the Lord.
God is a jealous God – He does not want us to serve other gods.
The choice may seem very clear, but Satan wants to put in our minds that we can serve God and still place a high priority on some other things (money, relationships, power, prestige, entertainment, security).

What does it mean to you to choose to serve God?