Final Appeal
#18 in Series: "Learning from the Past, Preparing for the Future" (A Study in the Book of Joshua)
We are coming to the conclusion of the book of Joshua – which is the conclusion of Joshua's final message to the nation… We have spent the last two weeks thinking through Joshua's last message, and it culminates with an appeal – a personal application – and a call to … decision.
Joshua has laid the groundwork that leads to a logical conclusion. We saw last time, how the Lord reminded His people of all He had done throughout their history, and Joshua brings them to what should be the obvious conclusion of the matter, and that is a joyful determination on their part to be loyal, faithful, followers of the Lord!
Our text begins with –
1. The Appeal
We're going to spend the most of our time on this one point… Joshua makes the final appeal for a personal decision on the part of God's people!
I want us to carefully think through Joshua's appeal… There is a lot of information in just the first two verses of the text… He begins with –
The Appropriate Attitude
Joshua 24:14a
"Now, therefore, fear the Lord
This is the response we are to have to the Lord…
You've heard it said; that when you come to the word therefore, you need to stop and consider what it is there for… The term therefore is a "conjunctive adverb"... It is used to connect two independent clauses and – it is to be understood that the second clause is a logical consequence or result of the first clause! In other words, on account of what has just been said, the logical conclusion is what follows!
On account of the fact that the Lord has produced, and chosen these very people – on account of the fact that He has provided for their every need, protected them against their every foe, and has claimed them for His very Own – it should be the natural response to … "fear the Lord"!
Listen, the fear of the Lord is presented as a very positive thing in Scripture!
Just do a search for the phrase "the fear of the Lord", and you will be taken to passages that reveal why it is so important!
Listen to just a couple of examples –
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 10:27
The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
As you reflect upon the Lord's kindness toward you, in demonstrating grace, mercy, forgiveness, and eternal security – are you not drawing into the … awe of God?!
Sinclair Ferguson says – "[A proper fear of God] is that indefinable mixture of reverence and pleasure, joy and awe which fills our hearts when we realize who God is and what He has done for us. It is a love for God which is so great that we would be ashamed to do anything which would displease or grieve Him, and makes us happiest when we are doing what pleases Him."
Joshua makes the appeal for the appropriate attitude…
Next, he makes the appeal for –
The Appropriate Focus
Joshua 24:14b
"Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him …
This is our responsibility! God's people … joyfully serve the Lord!
Listen to –
1 Samuel 12:24
Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.
The Apostle Paul said, we are not to be –
Romans 12:11
not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
He also said to the Colossian believers, and to every Christian –
Colossians 3:23-24
23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
Are you serving the Lord?...
Joshua makes the appeal for the appropriate attitude, focus, and … get this – for –
The Appropriate Principles
Now stay with me on this… Joshua says –
Joshua 24:14c
"Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth;
At first-glance, you may want to separate these two concepts of "sincerity" and "truth", but in reality, they are to go together…
Sincerity has to do with the heart. Truth has to do with the head… Sincerity speaks to motivations. Truth speaks to reason… Both terms speak to integrity!
The Hebrew term translated "sincerity" is the word תָּמִים (taw-meem')... In most places it is found in the Scriptures, it is translated "without blemish", "perfect", "upright", or "whole"... It has the idea of being complete and full… The point is, we are a principled people! We are to serve the Lord with an undivided heart! Sincere, with integrity!...
In his book, Disciplines of a Godly Man, Kent Huges writes –
Kent Hughes – "Integrity characterizes the entire person, not just part of him. He is righteous and honest through and through. He is not only that inside, but also in outer action."
The integrity of a man, or woman of God … motivates them to serving the Lord! And listen – the motivation in the heart flows from the truth that is in the mind! This is the reason, the reasoning that lies behind this appeal!
This reminds me of what Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4 –
John 4:23-24
23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Joshua continues, and makes the appeal for –
The Appropriate Results
Joshua 24:14d
… and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
The evidence of "fearing the Lord", "serving Him in sincerity and truth" … is a changed life! It results in "putting away" the false gods of this world! It is a refusal to return to the old life!... It is a determination to "serve the Lord"!
This leads to Joshua's direct appeal for –
The Appropriate Resolution
A resolution is a decision! Joshua is calling for a decision. He is appealing to his generation to get something … resolved in their hearts and lives! Listen to verse :15 carefully –
Joshua 24:15
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
This is one of the most beloved passages in all of God's Word… This passage has been on display in many Christian homes, to motivate and encourage all who read it, to make the choice to live for the Lord!...
Joshua makes the appeal to his generation to … count the cost! And he calls for them to choose wisely!...
Let's think about a few things in this verse… First, notice –
The Personal Assessment
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord
Joshua lays at their feet the sense of a personal responsibility in this decision… No one else can make this decision for them… No one else can make this decision for you!...
The Personal Choice
… choose for yourselves
This requires your personal choice!... No one else can make it for you. You are accountable for your choices, and the Prophet is calling for a personal decision on each person's part to choose, and to choose well!
In fact, this choice is to also have –
The Sense of Urgency
… choose for yourselves today
We are all only given … today. The opportunities that are before you right now, will not always be there! Joshua is declaring a sense of urgency in the choice that is being presented – we should have that same sense of urgency in our lives as well..
What is the specific choice Joshua is offering?... Let's consider –
The Reality of Service
… choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living;
The reality is, you will serve – everyone serves. You either serve any number of false gods that surround you, or you serve the True and Living God Himself!...
Joshua lays this dilemma at their feet, but then he makes –
The Unashamed Declaration
… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua is committed! And he include a declaration, not only of his personal devotion, but of his personal duty!... He is the leader in his home – and as long as anyone lives in his home, as long as he has any influence in his home – he is determined that they will all serve the Lord!
Francis Schaeffer was a great apologist in his day, and he makes a great observation that I nearly missed –
Francis Schaeffer – "The English uses a future tense here, but the Hebrew tense has a fuller meaning. It expresses continuous action. It involves the future, but it can also point to the past. Joshua was undoubtedly affirming, 'I have chosen, and I will choose.'"
So, these first couple of verses in our text today, record Joshua's appeal to his generation… Let's consider –
2. The Answer
What is the initial answer to his question? It begins in verse :16 –
Joshua 24:16-18
16 The people answered and said, "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, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God."
Their answer is clear, direct, and … appropriate! They acknowledge all that the Lord has done, just as Joshua proclaimed in his message! And their collective response is to declare their alliance to the Lord! They commit themselves to serve the Lord and to be known as His people, for the Lord, is their Lord! The One True God is their God!
This answer brings a response from Joshua… Consider –
3. The Admonition
Joshua admonishes the people in pointing out that disobedience to the Lord will be … costly. Look at verses :19-20 –
Joshua 24:19-20
19 Then Joshua said to the people, "You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you."
God is Holy, Just, and … Jealous. He does not tolerate idolatry among His people!
Many people fail to understand the depths and importance of the term "jealous", when it pertains to the Lord…
We understand that that jealousy among people can be a sin. Envy stims from greed… Jealousy, in this context, stims from something … positive, not negative.
The term is; קַנּוֹא (qannô'), and it speaks of God's commitment to not allow anything to drive a wedge between God and His people! קַנּוֹא is based in a deep, abiding love, and commitment to maintaining a right and healthy relationship!...
קַנּוֹא describes what every husband ought to have for his wife, and every wife for her husband! You won't allow anything to drive a wedge between you and your covenanted relationship you have with each other!
God is such a קַנּוֹא God!
What follows is the … ratification of this relationship between Joshua's generation and God!
Joshua 24:21-28
21 The people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the Lord." 22 Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord, to serve Him." And they said, "We are witnesses." 23 "Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel." 24 The people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice." 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God." 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.
The ratification was a formal ceremony to record this commitment into Law! Joshua records this in the Book of the Law of God and he erects a large stone under an oak tree near the sanctuary to act as a "witness" against them if they break their vow!...
The balance of our text records –
4. The Appendix
These are concluding words made by the scribe… He records the death and burial of Joshua –
Joshua 24:29-30
29 It came about after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old. 30 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.
The scribe also gives a wonderful report on the faithfulness of the next generation –
Joshua 24:31
31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel.
Notice, that their faithfulness was motivated by their … knowledge! They kept reminding themselves, and their children… of "all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel."
Then the scribe concludes the book, telling us of the burial of Joseph's bones, which were brought out of Egypt, and finally buried in the plot of land Jacob had purchased in Shechem.
Joshua 24:32-32
32 Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph's sons.
We are also told of the death and burial of Eleazar, the High Priest –
Joshua 24:33
And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill country of Ephraim.
Questions to Consider in Community Group
- What reasons does Joshua give for why the people should fear and serve the Lord?
- What does it mean to "fear the Lord"? How is biblical fear different from being afraid of God?
- What is the significance of serving God "in sincerity and truth"?
- Why was it necessary for the people to "put away" foreign gods if they had already declared loyalty to the Lord? How is this principle to be lived out in God's people today?
- What does God's jealousy reveal about His character and His relationship with His people?
- Why is remembering God's deeds so important for maintaining faithfulness across generations?
- Looking at your own life, what helps you maintain a healthy fear and reverence for God?
- Joshua said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." How can you influence your family, friends, or sphere of influence toward faithfulness to God?
- How does reflecting on God's grace motivate obedience more effectively than guilt or obligation?
- What can churches do to help the next generation know "all the deeds of the Lord"?
- How can our group encourage one another this week to serve the Lord "in sincerity and truth"?
