Tuesday February 1, 2011

In Joshua 21, we see the Levites - those who represented Jehovah, receive their land as it is being given out in the Promise Land. At the end of the land given out there is this wonderful passage,

"So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it.
And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand.
Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass." Joshua 21:43-45

What a wonderful ending of the land being given out and a great summary. God is faithful to keep His promises - all of them.

In chapter 22, we see the importance of remembering a Godly past and creating remberance touchstones. As the tribes of Reuben, Gad and 1/2 of Manasseh built an altar for the purpose of remembering the importance of whom they worshipped, how they worshipped, and the larger nation that they worshipped with. This was misunderstood by the rest of the nation but ultimately they appreciated the explanation given of having a desire to see future generations not forget the things that truly matter.

In chapters 23-24, Joshua prepares the people for his death by reminding them of the faithfulness of the Lord and the importance of their faithfulness to Him by not tolerating the false gods that were left in the area. they were nto to intermarry but to stay pure and holy before God. Joshua reminds the people with the specific story of how God has brought them from Abraham to Moses to faithfully into the Promise Land. Joshua brings them to the point of decision by saying thatt hey need to choose who they will serve and that the choice will have consequences. To serve the Lord would mean that they would continue to see a faithful God at work in their lives but to choose to serve and obey the false gods left in the land would mean that Jehovah would drive them out of the very land that they were given. There are always consequences to our disobedience. As Joshua sets up a rememberance of their decision to serve the Lord and sends them out to the land that was given to them, he then dies at the age of 110.