Joshua is nearing the end of his life and he has assembled the leaders of Israel from all over the nation in order to make his farewell address and to give them instructions and warnings to pass along to the citizens. We concluded yesterday with him urging the Israelites to love and obey the Lord. Now he issues a warning about what will happen if they choose not to love and obey the Lord. He knows idolatry poses a very real threat to them if they do not complete the task of ridding their land of the heathen nations the Lord told them to destroy. At the time Joshua spoke these words, there were still pockets of Canaanites residing within each tribe's allotment.
"But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry and associate with them, then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you." (Joshua 23:12-13) In the times of the judges, which we'll study after we've completed the book of Joshua, the Israelites subjected these remaining Canaanites to forced labor but did not rid their land of them. In time they began associating with them socially and in trade. They began intermarrying with them and idolatry was brought into their homes.
It probably seemed like a very small compromise of faith when the Israelites subjected the Canaanites to forced labor instead of eradicating them; they never dreamed they'd ever intermarry with them. They couldn't imagine ever attending a pagan festival or bringing offerings to any god other than the Lord. But sin usually begins as small compromises. If Satan suddenly tried to tempt us out of the blue into committing a major offense against the Lord, we'd be shocked and appalled and almost certainly would be able to resist it quite easily. That's why he entices us to start making small compromises instead. The compromises gradually grow larger and the sins gradually grow bigger unless we heed the warning of the Holy Spirit, recognize and admit we're on the wrong path, and get back on track. This is why it's so important to daily engage with the Lord in prayer and to take time to allow Him to reveal to us anything we need to repent of. If we don't regularly spend time with the Lord and read His holy word, we are putting ourselves in danger of allowing the noise of the world to drown out the warning voice of the Holy Spirit.
Joshua reminds the leadership of Israel that the Lord will remove the nation from the land if they break faith with Him. He said in verse 13 above that they "will perish from this good land" if they turn away from the Lord to idols. The Lord Himself issued this same warning, saying that if they turn away from Him, "You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess". (Deuteronomy 28:63b) Moses issued this same warning, saying that if they turned their backs on the Lord they would "quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess" and that they would be scattered among the nations. (Deuteronomy 4:25-27) As we move on through the Old Testament, we'll find these things taking place just as they were predicted, but we'll also find this taking place: "In later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey Him." (Deuteronomy 4:30) Moses said the Lord would accept their repentance and restore them to the land, "For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors which He confirmed to you by oath." (Deuteronomy 4:31)
Joshua knows that an era of idolatry, defeat, and dispersement throughout the nations can be avoided entirely if the people eradicate the heathen tribes within their borders and if they remain faithful to the Lord. In Deuteronomy the Lord spelled out all the blessings that would be showered upon Israel if the people continue to love and obey the Lord but He also listed all the curses that would fall upon them if they turn away from the Lord. Joshua reminds the leadership of Israel that the choice is theirs: they can enjoy the blessings or they can reap the curses. "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. But just as all the good things the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so He will bring on you all the evil things He has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you from this good land He has given you. If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land He has given you." (Joshua 23:14-16)
Joshua is saying, "The Lord has been faithful to you. Why would you not want to be faithful to Him? The Lord has kept all His promises. Why would you not want to obey His commands?" Joshua's words should speak to our hearts as well. The Lord loves us! The Lord has been good to us! The Lord has been faithful to us! We owe Him our love and obedience; why would we not want to be faithful to Him?
We will not be able to live perfect lives as long as we are in this mortal flesh and as long as we reside in this fallen world, but that's not a license to sin freely and purposely. The Lord has graciously made a way for us to repent and be forgiven when we make mistakes and we owe it to Him to admit our mistakes and ask for His mercy. Sin doesn't honor Him but repentance does. We display our love for the Lord by spending time with Him, by allowing Him to reveal to us anything we need to repent of, and by being obedient to repent of anything He reveals to us. If we catch compromises while they're still small, and if we correct sins while they're still small, we can avoid many sorrows in life and we can avoid much unpleasant discipline, for our loving Father disciplines and corrects His children. (Hebrews 12:6-11)
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