It’s time to bring the book of Joshua to a close. I love the book. As I’ve said, along with Nehemiah, it’s a book where things generally tend to go well.

Here are a few highlights from Joshua 23 and 24 as Joshua speaks to the people.

God has done a lot, but there’s still work to do. Stick with God:

You have seen everything that GOD has done to these nations because of you. He did it because he’s GOD, your God. He fought for you. Stay alert: I have assigned to you by lot these nations that remain as an inheritance to your tribes—these in addition to the nations I have already cut down—from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west.  GOD, your God, will drive them out of your path until there’s nothing left of them and you’ll take over their land just as GOD, your God, promised you. Now, stay strong and steady. Obediently do everything written in the Book of The Revelation of Moses—don’t miss a detail. Don’t get mixed up with the nations that are still around. Don’t so much as speak the names of their gods or swear by them. And by all means don’t worship or pray to them. Hold tight to GOD, your God, just as you’ve done up to now. (Joshua 23.3 – 8, MSG)

My time is finished, but God has kept his promises:

As you can see, I’m about to go the way we all end up going. Know this with all your heart, with everything in you, that not one detail has failed of all the good things GOD, your God, promised you. It has all happened. Nothing’s left undone—not so much as a word. (Joshua 23.14, MSG)

He will also keep his promises to destroy you if you serve other gods:

But just as sure as everything good that GOD, your God, has promised has come true, so also GOD will bring to pass every bad thing until there’s nothing left of you in this good land that GOD has given you. If you leave the path of the Covenant of GOD, your God, that he commanded you, go off and serve and worship other gods, GOD’s anger will blaze out against you. In no time at all there’ll be nothing left of you, no sign that you’ve ever been in this good land he gave you. (Joshua 23.15 – 16, MSG)

We have a good history: Abraham (who was worshipping other gods when I called him!), Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Aaron, the plagues, the Red Sea, the wilderness, defeat of the Amorites east of the Jordan, Balak and Balaam, crossing the Jordan, defeating Jericho and others. (Joshua 24.1 – 12)

God has given you a good life. Now choose! (You have to serve someone or something.)

I handed you a land for which you did not work, towns you did not build. And here you are now living in them and eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant. So now: Fear GOD. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship GOD. If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship GOD, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship GOD. (Joshua 24.13 – 15, MSG)

Finally, a key concept: people tend to follow God if they have experienced his power for themselves:

Israel served GOD through the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, who had themselves experienced all that GOD had done for Israel.  (Joshua 24.31, MSG)

This verse is repeated in the following book in our narrative: Judges. It’s repeated with a sad sequel:

The people worshiped GOD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the time of the leaders who survived him, leaders who had been in on all of GOD’s great work that he had done for Israel. Then Joshua son of Nun, the servant ofGOD, died. He was 110 years old. They buried him in his allotted inheritance at Timnath Heres in the hills of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn’t know anything of GOD or the work he had done for Israel. (Judges 2.7 – 10, MSG)

And that launches us into the sordid story of Judges. Stay tuned.

The People of Israel did evil in GOD’s sight… (Judges 2.11, MSG)