Choices
Bible Study Time 5-14-06
Church links:
Bible Study Time 5-14-06
Joshua of the Old Testament is a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus. In fact, the name Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name Joshua which means Savior. When the angel told Joseph that Mary had conceived a child by the Holy Spirit, the angel concluded:
Matthew 1:21 (NKJ)
21 " . . . she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
As you read the Old Testament, Joshua first appears on the scene in Exodus, Chapter 17, while the children of Israel were traveling from the Red Sea to Mt. Sinai. The Amalekites had gathered to attack Israel at Rephidim, and Moses called upon Joshua to gather his men for battle. Moses stood at the top of a nearby hill and held his staff high in the air as Joshua defeated the Amalekites. For Joshua, this was but a taste of things to come for Joshua would later lead the nation of Israel to victory over all of the pagan nations living in the land of Canaan.
The life of Joshua is generally divided into two parts. First, Joshua served as Moses’ assistant. When God called Moses up to the top of Mt. Sinai to receive the Law, the Bible says that Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and then Moses went up to the mountain of God. This is a picture of Jesus Christ in His first advent because Jesus Christ came as the servant of God. Jesus said:
John 6:38 (NKJ)
38 " . . . I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
The Apostle Paul admonished the people in Philippi with these words:
Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJ)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
But then Paul says:
Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJ)
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This brings us to the second aspect of Joshua’s life which covers that period of time after Moses’ death. This is the time in which Joshua served as the Commander in Chief of the Army of God, leading the nation of Israel to victory over the pagan nations of the land of Canaan. Of coarse, this pictures the Lord Jesus at His second coming when He will return from heaven on a white horse with His robe dipped in blood. Revelation 19 says that in righteousness He will judge and make war against the antichrist and his army of unbelievers.
Now, we know today, because of the writings of the Apostle Paul, that believers of our present age will be taken up into heaven at least seven years before the Lord Jesus returns to defeat the antichrist. We, as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, will be taken up into heaven, then there will be the seven years of the great tribulation period during which the antichrist will rise to power. Toward the end of the tribulation period, Christ will catch up the believers of the tribulation period, and they will return with Christ to the earth to wage war with the antichrist and then rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
The book of Joshua describes the various battles that took place as the nation of Israel conquered the land of Canaan. It describes the division of the land among the twelve tribes of Israel, and it also describes Joshua’s final words to the nation of Israel. Joshua was a hundred and ten years old by this time, and he spoke to the people as the prophet of God. Joshua, Chapter 24 says:
Joshua 24:1-2 (NKJ)
1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.
God wanted to remind the children of Israel that Abraham and his father and brothers were idolaters. They had worshiped the idols of the Chaldeans on the other side of the Euphrates Rivers up until the point when God called Abraham out of paganism to follow the true and the living God.
It was important for Israel to know that their many victories over the Canaanites were not just because of their own faithfulness to God, but they were also a result of Abraham’s faithfulness to God. God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants, and God was fulfilling His promise to Abraham. In this we see an example of how God blesses even the generations that follow those who are faithful to the Lord.
God continues in Joshua 24, saying, “I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them.”
Even the plagues that God sent upon Egypt through Moses were specific judgments upon the pagan gods of Egypt. God is a jealous God, and He will not share His glory with another. The plague of flies was a judgment on the god of the flies. The plague of the frogs was a judgment on the god of the frogs, and so forth and so on.
In Joshua 24, God goes on to remind the children of Israel that He was the One who had led their fathers out of Egypt and had brought them through the Red Sea. He was the One who had destroyed the Amorites and the Moabites before the Jews even got to the promised land. He was the One who had delivered all the land of Canaan into their hands and had driven out the pagan nations. God said:
Joshua 24:12-13 (NKJ)
12 'I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow.
13 'I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'
At this point Joshua speaks for himself, saying:
Joshua 24:14-15 (NKJ)
14 "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!
15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
The nation of Israel had a decision to make. It was a decision that would affect their lives and the lives of their children for many years to come. Would they be willing to put away the pagan gods and serve the Lord? This was a very important decision.
As I read this account, I can’t help but think of the people who say that they don’t want to influence the beliefs of their children when it comes to religion. They say that they will raise their children the best they can, and then their children will be able to decide for themselves about religion when they get old enough to understand.
Well, Joshua was speaking for the Lord when he presented the children of Israel with this decision, but God was not about to put this decision upon them without giving them the information they needed to make a good decision. God knows that good decisions are based on reliable information, so God reviewed the whole history of the nation of Israel before asking them to decide. Then, in the light of this glorious history, Joshua asked them to choose for themselves whether they wanted the blessings of God or the misery and suffering that comes to those who refuse to follow the Lord. With this information, the Jews were able to make a good decision, and they said:
Joshua 24:16-18 (NKJ)
16 . . . "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;
17 "for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed.
18 "And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God."
So the children of Israel renewed their covenant with the Lord that day, and the Bible says that Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.
The Jews made the right choice because they had good, reliable information upon which to make their decision, and they had effective leaders like Moses and Joshua who were willing to teach them the truth and then live by the truths they taught. Oh, how much we need effective spiritual leadership in our homes, in our churches and in our country. Leaders who are willing to stand for the truth.
What a difference it makes in a home when the parents are willing to stand up for the truth of God’s word and teach their children about the righteous God who created all things and then gave His Son to die for the sins of the world so that those who believe might have eternal life.
What a difference it makes when churches have pastors who are willing to stand up for the truth of God’s word. Who fight spiritual battles with the spiritual weapons provided by the Holy Spirit of God: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and the sword of the Spirit.
What a difference it makes when a country has leaders with a firm commitment to the principles of truth and honesty. Who are led by the Holy Spirit to protect those who are defenseless and provide for those who cannot provide for themselves.
God had blessed Israel with strong, effective leadership in Moses and Joshua. They taught the truth and lived by the truth, and the Bible says that:
Joshua 24:31 (NKJ)
31 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.
However, as time went on the children of Israel did turn away from God. During the time of the judges, Deborah sang a song which said:
Judges 5:7-8 (NKJ)
7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods; then there was war in the gates; not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
The nation of Israel chose new gods. They forgot about the history lesson that Joshua taught them or maybe they just stopped believing it. Either way, they chose new gods, and there was war in the gates. Israel was defenseless before her enemies.
People today have the same choice to make that Israel had to make. Will we serve the true and the living God or not. God has given us a free will, and we are free to choose. However, today, we have an advantage over the Jews of the Old Testament because today we have the completed word of God. We can see the purpose of the Old Testament Law and the fact that it was given as a tutor, or schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ.
The Old Testament Law promised physical blessings on this physical earth, but today, we have the opportunity to receive eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus said, “I did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law.” He lived a perfect life and then offered His life upon the cross of Calvary as the spotless lamb of God so that all those who believe might have everlasting life.
If you have never trusted Christ as your personal Savior, won’t you make that decision today. God has given us all of the information that we need to make a well-informed decision. He has given us the word of God, and He has given us pastors and teachers to explain the word of God to us. If you choose to follow Christ, then you will know what a blessing it is to be able to say as Joshua did, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
I see our time is gone. It’s been a pleasure studying with you this morning, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Matthew 1:21 (NKJ)
21 " . . . she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
As you read the Old Testament, Joshua first appears on the scene in Exodus, Chapter 17, while the children of Israel were traveling from the Red Sea to Mt. Sinai. The Amalekites had gathered to attack Israel at Rephidim, and Moses called upon Joshua to gather his men for battle. Moses stood at the top of a nearby hill and held his staff high in the air as Joshua defeated the Amalekites. For Joshua, this was but a taste of things to come for Joshua would later lead the nation of Israel to victory over all of the pagan nations living in the land of Canaan.
The life of Joshua is generally divided into two parts. First, Joshua served as Moses’ assistant. When God called Moses up to the top of Mt. Sinai to receive the Law, the Bible says that Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and then Moses went up to the mountain of God. This is a picture of Jesus Christ in His first advent because Jesus Christ came as the servant of God. Jesus said:
John 6:38 (NKJ)
38 " . . . I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
The Apostle Paul admonished the people in Philippi with these words:
Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJ)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
But then Paul says:
Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJ)
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This brings us to the second aspect of Joshua’s life which covers that period of time after Moses’ death. This is the time in which Joshua served as the Commander in Chief of the Army of God, leading the nation of Israel to victory over the pagan nations of the land of Canaan. Of coarse, this pictures the Lord Jesus at His second coming when He will return from heaven on a white horse with His robe dipped in blood. Revelation 19 says that in righteousness He will judge and make war against the antichrist and his army of unbelievers.
Now, we know today, because of the writings of the Apostle Paul, that believers of our present age will be taken up into heaven at least seven years before the Lord Jesus returns to defeat the antichrist. We, as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, will be taken up into heaven, then there will be the seven years of the great tribulation period during which the antichrist will rise to power. Toward the end of the tribulation period, Christ will catch up the believers of the tribulation period, and they will return with Christ to the earth to wage war with the antichrist and then rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
The book of Joshua describes the various battles that took place as the nation of Israel conquered the land of Canaan. It describes the division of the land among the twelve tribes of Israel, and it also describes Joshua’s final words to the nation of Israel. Joshua was a hundred and ten years old by this time, and he spoke to the people as the prophet of God. Joshua, Chapter 24 says:
Joshua 24:1-2 (NKJ)
1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.
God wanted to remind the children of Israel that Abraham and his father and brothers were idolaters. They had worshiped the idols of the Chaldeans on the other side of the Euphrates Rivers up until the point when God called Abraham out of paganism to follow the true and the living God.
It was important for Israel to know that their many victories over the Canaanites were not just because of their own faithfulness to God, but they were also a result of Abraham’s faithfulness to God. God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants, and God was fulfilling His promise to Abraham. In this we see an example of how God blesses even the generations that follow those who are faithful to the Lord.
God continues in Joshua 24, saying, “I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them.”
Even the plagues that God sent upon Egypt through Moses were specific judgments upon the pagan gods of Egypt. God is a jealous God, and He will not share His glory with another. The plague of flies was a judgment on the god of the flies. The plague of the frogs was a judgment on the god of the frogs, and so forth and so on.
In Joshua 24, God goes on to remind the children of Israel that He was the One who had led their fathers out of Egypt and had brought them through the Red Sea. He was the One who had destroyed the Amorites and the Moabites before the Jews even got to the promised land. He was the One who had delivered all the land of Canaan into their hands and had driven out the pagan nations. God said:
Joshua 24:12-13 (NKJ)
12 'I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow.
13 'I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'
At this point Joshua speaks for himself, saying:
Joshua 24:14-15 (NKJ)
14 "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!
15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
The nation of Israel had a decision to make. It was a decision that would affect their lives and the lives of their children for many years to come. Would they be willing to put away the pagan gods and serve the Lord? This was a very important decision.
As I read this account, I can’t help but think of the people who say that they don’t want to influence the beliefs of their children when it comes to religion. They say that they will raise their children the best they can, and then their children will be able to decide for themselves about religion when they get old enough to understand.
Well, Joshua was speaking for the Lord when he presented the children of Israel with this decision, but God was not about to put this decision upon them without giving them the information they needed to make a good decision. God knows that good decisions are based on reliable information, so God reviewed the whole history of the nation of Israel before asking them to decide. Then, in the light of this glorious history, Joshua asked them to choose for themselves whether they wanted the blessings of God or the misery and suffering that comes to those who refuse to follow the Lord. With this information, the Jews were able to make a good decision, and they said:
Joshua 24:16-18 (NKJ)
16 . . . "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;
17 "for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed.
18 "And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God."
So the children of Israel renewed their covenant with the Lord that day, and the Bible says that Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.
The Jews made the right choice because they had good, reliable information upon which to make their decision, and they had effective leaders like Moses and Joshua who were willing to teach them the truth and then live by the truths they taught. Oh, how much we need effective spiritual leadership in our homes, in our churches and in our country. Leaders who are willing to stand for the truth.
What a difference it makes in a home when the parents are willing to stand up for the truth of God’s word and teach their children about the righteous God who created all things and then gave His Son to die for the sins of the world so that those who believe might have eternal life.
What a difference it makes when churches have pastors who are willing to stand up for the truth of God’s word. Who fight spiritual battles with the spiritual weapons provided by the Holy Spirit of God: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and the sword of the Spirit.
What a difference it makes when a country has leaders with a firm commitment to the principles of truth and honesty. Who are led by the Holy Spirit to protect those who are defenseless and provide for those who cannot provide for themselves.
God had blessed Israel with strong, effective leadership in Moses and Joshua. They taught the truth and lived by the truth, and the Bible says that:
Joshua 24:31 (NKJ)
31 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.
However, as time went on the children of Israel did turn away from God. During the time of the judges, Deborah sang a song which said:
Judges 5:7-8 (NKJ)
7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods; then there was war in the gates; not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
The nation of Israel chose new gods. They forgot about the history lesson that Joshua taught them or maybe they just stopped believing it. Either way, they chose new gods, and there was war in the gates. Israel was defenseless before her enemies.
People today have the same choice to make that Israel had to make. Will we serve the true and the living God or not. God has given us a free will, and we are free to choose. However, today, we have an advantage over the Jews of the Old Testament because today we have the completed word of God. We can see the purpose of the Old Testament Law and the fact that it was given as a tutor, or schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ.
The Old Testament Law promised physical blessings on this physical earth, but today, we have the opportunity to receive eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus said, “I did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law.” He lived a perfect life and then offered His life upon the cross of Calvary as the spotless lamb of God so that all those who believe might have everlasting life.
If you have never trusted Christ as your personal Savior, won’t you make that decision today. God has given us all of the information that we need to make a well-informed decision. He has given us the word of God, and He has given us pastors and teachers to explain the word of God to us. If you choose to follow Christ, then you will know what a blessing it is to be able to say as Joshua did, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
I see our time is gone. It’s been a pleasure studying with you this morning, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
No comments:
Post a Comment