LAST WORDS - UNCHANGING PRINCIPLES. Joshua 23 Twenty or twenty-five years after Israel claimed the land of promise, they still hadn't fully obeyed the Lord's command regarding the former inhabitants and their evil, idolatrous practices. The Israelites had settled among their enemies, who continued to be scattered throughout the land. Even though the enemy tribes had been defeated, there were still idol-worshippers who had not been dealt with as God had commanded. This situation was already lowering the standard of separation unto God. Joshua foresaw this and said, “Do not associate with those nations that remain among you.”
Joshua must have recognized the situation and was worried about the future of God's people. The risks were subtle because the false sense of satisfaction from complacency had already taken hold of the Israelites. They were content to live alongside those who opposed God and to ignore His word. Caleb, Phinehas, the high priest, and other elder leaders who had followed God's guidance into the land and experienced victories over open evil were gathered as Joshua shared his concerns.
The zeal they had when they first entered the land was gone, and they had grown accustomed to living among the idolaters and practicing idolatry. In Joshua’s final message, he reminded them that the land belongs to the Lord, and He had given it to Israel as an inheritance to be used under divine guidance. If they disobeyed the Owner’s commands, He would take it away and give it to others.
There may have been younger, upcoming leaders there as well, who wanted to take over and implement changes that would better suit the new generation, who did not understand warfare. They aimed to accommodate life as it was, not as God intended. The standards of separation were being lowered by those who did not know or appreciate the wisdom and faithfulness of God. The Lord is faithful to all His promises. The challenge to the leadership was not to forget that the Lord was the one who brought them there.
The point Joshua made to them was that what God had promised, He kept. All they needed to do was look back, and His grace and goodness were clear for them to see. He also assured them that the promises about the future were certain. The second point he made was that the Israelites' responsibility was to obey what God had Moses write in the Book of the Law, to separate themselves from the idolatrous people around them, to remain loyal to the Lord their God, and to love their God.
In forming covenants, obedience brings blessings, and disobedience brings curses. Those warnings had been given before, and Joshua knew they needed to be repeated. He could see what was already happening to his people. As an old man who had experienced Egyptian bondage and the freedom and joy of being in the promised land, Joshua could perceive the differences between the second and third generations of the Hebrew people.
The younger Israelites appeared to become obsessed with false gods, the idols representing them, and the lifestyle linked to idolatry. Idols were physical objects that could be seen, even though they were lifeless and made by people. The Lord their God was living, eternal in His nature, and believed in by faith alone. Idols could be carried around, manipulated by the imagination, and limited to what people chose to fit their needs. False gods were seen as controllers of nature, rain, sun, and other things that affected them physically. They were believed to give life in the womb, so consequently, the more sexual pleasure they provided, the more they favored immoral acts of idolatry.
Idolatry was more than just a religious activity; it was embedded in the culture of those who practiced it. They made “baals” to place under trees and near streams, and these were scattered throughout the countryside, allowing them to practice their “religion” wherever they could with whoever was nearby.
Ultimately, appeasement always leads to disaster. When our initial passion for truth and righteousness diminishes, those who are enemies can be mistaken for friends. An indifferent attitude toward God's enemies quickly results in compromising our own integrity. The standards of life we once upheld are lowered, and we risk returning to what God despises. We belong to the Lord, and it is His interests we serve. He has been faithful to us in the past and will continue to be if we stand strong, obey His will, and love Him.
The Israelites, who hadn’t paid a price for what they had, were leaving the path of separation from evil and entering into alliances with idolaters through marriage and uniting in worshiping false gods. Joshua warned them that if they were “going back” to what God hated, they would be left on their own without God's help and power working for them. This very thing is happening today as it did then. People are returning to worldliness, superstition, infidelity, and moral abominations that believers in the past sacrificed to be delivered from. Professing Christians often seem unwilling to seek deliverance from the power and presence of sin. There appears to be little desire to stand against the evil associated with the world system that most people follow.
Leaders bear a serious responsibility. They must have the courage to stand against both liberalism and legalism. Leading God's people in holy living and upholding the biblical standards we are committed to requires courage and personal dedication. Cleaving to the Lord is the only way to fulfill this calling. Those who stay close to Him can hear His voice, understand His meaning, and feel His compassion. Love for the Lord is essential. Our affection for Him and our appreciation of His value will sustain us in a spiritual state where we can speak for Him and help others find Him.
Leaders need to understand what Joshua told his people about apostasy. We must pass on what we know so others can warn about the dangers that threaten God's people. Signs of creeping apostasy include mixed marriages, false worship, loss of purity and holiness, and returning to former ways. Additional signs are prayerlessness, lukewarm Christianity, indifference to the lost, and a materialistic view of life. All these indicate that backsliding is a real and present danger.
The consequences of that kind of living are defeat in spiritual life, powerlessness over sin, and attraction to worldly standards: spiritual discomfort and tolerance of evil cause us to lose our joy in the Lord. Soon, we will not appear any different from those who do not know or love the Lord. When the passion for the souls of people cools, coldness enters our hearts. Prayerlessness paralyzes us, leading to defeat. Weakness and indifference will bring defeat and bring dishonor to the name of the Lord.
Unjudged evil and alliances with those who do not want God in their lives will lead us away from the power to live holy, righteous, and godly lives as a testimony to the Lord. Joshua warned the people of his day that if they abandoned the ways and will of God to follow the ways and will of the world, God would leave them to fight their enemies—worldliness, superstition, and idolatry—on their own. To guard against the challenges that latent apostasy brings, we must commit ourselves to obey God's Word and apply its teachings to our daily lives.
We need to have conscious communion with God and enjoy fellowship with Him to stand strong against pressures to conform to what is popular. It is our responsibility to separate from the accepted, sinful practices of the social world, business world, and religious world, and those who do not know and follow the Lord. Snares, traps, scourges, and thorns from the world system result in desperate discomfort for a true believer. Failure to press on to fulfill God’s purposes, tolerance of the enemy, and a willingness to let the enemy share our land will bring about severe discomfort. Sin must be intentionally driven out. Temptation cannot be pampered or encouraged. Compromise cannot be given a foothold lest it become a scourge. If allowed to continue, “Ye shall perish quickly,”
Failure to remain deeply and sincerely devoted to the Lord quickly leads to an attitude of "anything goes if we have a Christian song or brief devotional word.' Joshua was right when he told those leaders to "take heed that ye love the Lord your God." When "the love of God is shed abroad in your hearts," we gain the right perspective of ourselves and have something to pass on to others. The faithfulness of God should never be taken for granted if we choose to go our own way and disregard the unchanging principles of God.
Unchanging principles of faith are passed down from one generation to the next. Every era and generation is called to learn the principles of Christian living, starting with obedience. Do we obey the Bible? Do we pray? Do we allow God’s will and Word to convince and convict us until we obey? It involves avoiding worldliness. It means not pretending to be Christian or tolerating sin. It involves fighting against Satan. It means being committed to God, not just influenced by the world. The truly separated Christian does not reluctantly give up what is wrong but does so gladly and wholeheartedly because they love the Lord. Genuine believers love Christ and are content with Him. Love Christ, and you will be braver in sharing your witness. Love Christ, and you will submit to His Word. Love Christ, and you will be consistent with Him.
He stands there before them at one hundred and ten years old, his eyes, mind, and heart full of wisdom and discernment, looking at the leaders, the priests, and the aspiring young men. Joshua had to speak some final words and reaffirm the principles they must follow, or else the land gained would be lost and the victories hollow.
When our passion for souls wanes and we allow coldness to dampen our spirit; when prayerlessness paralyzes us and we dishonor the name of the Lord, who went before us with the hornets of conviction and submission to divine power, the enemy will come and attack at our weakest point. Discomfort and defeat quickly follow disgrace. What was once our possession becomes that of someone else who doesn’t share the same commitment to the word of God. God has never, and will never, fail in one thing, but we can quickly lose all He has given when we fail Him.
A commitment to scriptural principles is often passed down from one generation to the next. A key principle of Christian living is: Am I willing to obey? Do I obey what I read? Do I want to obey what I read? Am I convicted in my heart to pray? Separation from sin and the worldliness around me doesn’t mean I have to leave here and go somewhere else, but it does mean I walk away from what I know is wrong. Although I am weak, separation and obedience to God make me strong. Devotion to Christ, love, and contentment with Him make me bolder in witness and more aware of sin. Love for Christ will lead me to love His Word, and that will cause me to consistently follow my Lord.