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At the end of his life, Joshua gave a farewell speech to the people of Israel that was both an exhortation and an encouragement. He charged them with remaining faithful to the Lord, even though he knew that the people would not do so.
Joshua knew that if you do not fill your heart with the love of God, something else will take its place. Whether prestige, popularity, power, position—something will creep in and become an idol. But these things will never satisfy us. We can only find true satisfaction in loving the Lord.
One of the things that helps us fill our hearts with the love of God is remembering what He has done. In the case of the Israelites, Joshua told them to remember the military victories God had won for them. These were victories that God gave them due to their obedience. If they took the time to remember His deliverance, they would trust Him and obey Him.
Likewise, in our own lives, we can remember God’s faithful provision in our past so we can trust Him in the present.
The more we adhere to God’s Word, the more we will be blessed. Now, this will look different for us than for the theocratic nation of Israel. God promised them material blessings if they would obey Him. Under the new covenant, God does not promise these same material blessings. Instead, He promises the fruit of the Spirit.
Keeping God’s Word requires careful training. Joshua warned the Israelites not to enter into temptation by marrying people from other nations. If they did so, they would imitate the nations around them. God, however, had called them to walk as a separate nation, choosing Him above false gods.
Reading through Joshua’s speech to the Israelites can be sad. He knew, just as Moses had known before him, that the Israelites would not remember God’s faithfulness and would go astray after idols. They took God’s provision for granted and chose to trust in their own strength instead of in His. Even though not one word of God’s had failed for them (Joshua 23:14), they did not remember their history.
In looking at the mistakes of the nation of Israel, we learn the importance of remembering God’s faithfulness. He is the One who provides for us and transforms us, blessing us with Himself.
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This teaching is based on Ken’s Handbook to Scripture.
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