Walk Through the Bible, Part XVIII
Walk Through the Bible, Part XVIII
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
This is a continuing series of articles that will take us through the Bible looking at the key people and stories. Perhaps this overview will aid your Bible reading and in hearing the scriptures each Sunday.
Joshua’s Farewell Speech
In the last two chapters of Joshua, we read two speeches that Joshua gave just before he died. They may be versions of the same farewell or two different speeches. Both contain the same basic themes: remember, encouragement, and warning.
Joshua wants the leaders and people to remember all that God has already done for them. You see this best in chapter 24 where the first thirteen verses offer a summary of their history from Abraham to the present. (It’s a good review for us, too!) Do you and I take time to remember what God has done for us?
Then, Joshua offers encouragement. The Lord will continue to be a guide and protect them if they will remain faithful to the covenant and God’s laws. In 24:15, he puts it as a simple choice. “And 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.”
Finally, Joshua warns them of what will happen if they choose to follow other gods. “When you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.”
The people promise to follow God, but as we continue to read, we’ll find that this isn’t the case. They are enticed by all sorts of things that turn them from God. Is this not a lesson for us as well?