A NEW PHASE Of LIFE-II—Joshua 24:17-21(:14-28)
Attention:
Last week we applied these verses to high school graduates.
And so we were looking at high-school graduation as a ‘New Phase’ along a person’s timeline.
Need:
Everyone reaches ‘noteworthy’ benchmarks in their walk with the Lord.
Throughout life’s journey, you gain new degrees of personal experience & prayerfully, gain a greater degree of God’s wisdom.
And along with those new experiences, comes a new &/or expanded degree of responsibility & answerability to God, in how you respond to them.
Every one of God’s people, is called upon to readily acknowledge their current life-challenges & apply their cumulative wisdom.
Just as our high school graduate is venturing out to tackle a new phase of life, so thru our circumstances, you & I are ‘thrust out’ into the personal challenges of entering & enabling the ‘Good Land’ that is ‘promised’ to you, thru your commitment & service to God.
Joshua recognized a major benchmark in Israel’s progress toward inheriting the Promised Land.
God’s people reach benchmarks in their lives that have potential for positive progress thru their relationship with God.
But, How do we respond/relate to a new phase of life?
4 requirements for responding to a new phase of life.
If you are going to possess the ‘land’ God wants you to have(that He has promised you), then you must respond appropriately to it.
Last week we found that:
1. ANY New Phase of life requires...
SELF-EXPOSING DECISIONS(:14-16)
Today we’ll also find that:
2—ANY New Phase of life requires your...
SUBSTANTIATION(:17-21)
Explanation:(:17-21)Confirmation/Proof/Verify
:17—“for the LORD our God is He who brought us & our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, & preserved us in all the way that we went & among all the people through whom we passed.”
The people of Israel had assured Joshua of their decision—“Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods.”(:16)
Notice that verse :17 begins with the people of Israel’s referring to YHWH as—“the LORD our God.”
•Because together as a people/nation, Israel acknowledged to Joshua—very practically—that YHWH their God, had brought about their very beginnings thru Abraham, & had brought their forefathers up, even “from the other side of the River”(:14, 15) Euphrates—AKA--the Fertile Crescent, or Mesopotamia(~modern Iraq & Syria).
•Israel ALSO related to Joshua—very practically—that following the increase of their population, while enslaved in “Egypt”, YHWH God had “brought” them “up out” “of that house of bondage.”
•Israel ALSO recalled to Joshua—very practically—that YaHWeH had done “great signs” which they had observed with their own eyes(“who did those great signs in our sight”).
•Israel ALSO made known to Joshua—very practically— that YHWH Himself had “preserved” them as a separate “people.” YHWH had protected Israel from all the surrounding territorial & warring “peoples” through whose land they had “Passed.”
:17—‘WORDS’—
“Bondage”—dbe eh'-bed—Noun Masc. - Common Masc. Plural Absolute—1) Slave, servant—1a) Slave, servant, man-servant, 1b) Subjects, 1c) Servants, worshippers(of God), 1d) Servant(in special sense as prophets, Levites etc.), 1e) Servant(of Israel), 1f) Servant(as form of address between equals). Strong—A servant.?From—dbe aw-bad’—Verb—To work(in any sense); To serve, till; Enslave, etc.; a primitive root.
“Signs”—twa 'owth—Noun Fem. - Common Both Plural Absolute—1) Sign, signal—1a) A distinguishing mark, 1b) Banner, 1c) Remembrance, 1d) Miraculous sign, 1e) Omen, 1f) Warning; 2) Token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof. Strong—probably from twa[to come, assent](in the sense of appearing); A signal(literally or figuratively), as A flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc..
“Preserved”—rmv shaw-mar'—Qal Sequential-Imperfect 3rd Masc. Sing.—1) To keep, guard, observe, give heed; 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To keep, have charge of, 1a2) To keep, guard, keep watch & ward, protect, save life—1a2a) Watch, watchman(participle), 1a3) To watch for, wait for, 1a4) To watch, observe, 1a5) To keep, retain, treasure up(in memory), 1a6) To keep(within bounds), restrain, 1a7) To observe, celebrate, keep(sabbath or covenant or commands), perform(vow), 1a8) To keep, preserve, protect, 1a9) To keep, reserve. Strong—properly--To hedge about(as with thorns), i.e. Guard; generally--To protect, attend to, etc.; —a primitive root.
:18—“And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”
“And the LORD drove out from before us all the people,...”
Israel ALSO recalled—very practically— that YHWH God had “driven” “all the” opposing “people” out of what was now Israel’s “land.”
Israel ALSO recalled —very practically— that YHWH had driven out “the Amorites” in particular(obviously a very formidable opponent).
“Drove out/Drave Out”—vrg gaw-rash’—Piel(intensive/intentional/repeated/extended) Sequential-Imperfect 3rd Masc. Sing.—1)To drive out, expel, cast out, drive away, divorce, put away, thrust away, trouble, cast up—1a) (Qal)--To thrust out, cast out; 1c) (Piel)--To drive out, drive away. Strong—To drive out from a possession; especially--To expatriate or divorce. Used 47X.
“...including the Amorites who dwelt in the land.”
“The Amorites” were pagans unrelated to the Israelites. They were roughly situated on the east side of the Jordan between the upper half of the Salt Sea(Dead Sea) & the Sea of Chinnereth(Sea of Galilee)—between the Arnon River(South) & the Jabbok River(North). “Amorites” were also recognized by Israel as residing in the mountains(Num. 13:29) & near Jerusalem in the Aijalon Valley(Judg. 1:34). Sihon was king of “the Amorites” headquartered in the city of Heshbon, at the time Israel arrived to enter the Promised Land. Israel defeated them by God’s hand thru Moses & Joshua.
Num. 13:29 states:—“The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, & the Amorites dwell in the mountains; & the Canaanites dwell by the sea & along the banks of the Jordan.””
Num. 21:25-26—“So Israel took all these cities, & Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon & in all its villages. For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, & had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon.”
Num. 32:33—“So Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, & to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites & the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country.”
“...We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”
The people then unabashedly, & without hesitation declared, that they would “serve” YHWH. He would be the One that they would look to as a nation.
Israel undeniably declared that they would “serve” no other God.
•BECAUSE...Israel openly declared that YHWH(“the LORD”) was indeed their “God.”
The people of Israel were united as one person, in that decision.
The people of Israel were united as one person, in their ‘Commitment’ to YHWH as their “God.”
Yet keep in mind, that any corporate or national commitment made, comes down to FIRST fulfilling the commitment by the individual!
*That principle works in the Church today as well!...
•You may be a local church member, & enjoy the privileges of that membership(community, family, care, a Christ-honoring outlet for your calling & purpose, etc. ). However, there are challenges that come with church membership too!
?•And it is absolutely shameful, when the church of God runs away from or turns their back on a Christ-honoring challenge!
The ‘corporate’(‘church’) part of it cannot happen, unless YOU as an individual do YOUR part in answering God’s call upon your life!
:19—“But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.”
Following the response of the people, “Joshua says” something to them which may strike you as odd for someone who was encouraging them to make a wise & life-changing choice!
*This verse should NOT be understood WITHOUT verse 20!...
•:20 provides the descriptive context so that the seeming 'oddity' is removed!...
•Otherwise you will build a doctrine which completely contradicts the remainder of Scripture!
•“Joshua’s” response is NOT a DISCOURAGEMENT in the strict sense. Rather, it is A WARNING!
•“Joshua’s” response is intended to awaken “the people” to the reality of the personal & collective challenges inherent to committing themselves to YHWH as their God.
•“Joshua’s” response to “the people’s” faith, is intended to cement “the people’s” word, to their heart of hearts.
•It is intended to cause “the people” to look deeply & accurately into their ‘collective decision’, & to take into account the ramifications of it.
•The Church in the United States is so blessed, that we often ‘shoot ourselves in the foot’ by NOT considering the ramifications of our actions that we claim are done in & for Jesus’ name!
*The decision to “serve” YHWH God is NOT to be done in ignorance, or with shallowness, or taken lightly, or with a non-committal attitude!
Luke 14:27-30—Jesus said,—“And whoever does not bear his cross & come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first & count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it--lest, after he has laid the foundation, & is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, “saying, ‘This man began to build & was not able to finish.’”
1Cor. 15:1-2—the apostle Paul states,—“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received & in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.”
2Cor. 5:20--6:1—“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”
Js. 2:14, 17, 26—“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”....“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”.....“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
•“Joshua”—just as Paul does, some 1200+ yrs. later—is clarifying & substantiating “the people’s” commitment in relation to the ‘exclusivity’ required to serve YaHWeH God.
Joshua told them that YaHWeH would “NOT forgive” either their “transgressions” or their “sins.”
•All “transgressions” are “sins”, but not all “sins” are “transgressions.”
* The meaning here is that, God's service is NOT, as many seem to fancy, a slight & easy thing, but it is a work of great difficulty, & requires great care, & courage & resolution—John Wesley
:19—‘WORDS’—
“Cannot/Not”—al lo’, awl low’, hl loh(De 3:11) OR--wl—Adverb—1) Not, no—1a) Not(with verb - absolute prohibition), 1b) Not(with modifier - negation), 1c) Nothing(substantive), 1d) without(with particle), 1e) Before(of time). Strong—Not(the simple or absolute negation); by implication--No; often used with other particles; a primitive particle.
“Cannot/Able”—lky yaw-kol' OR (fuller)--lwky yaw-kol’—Qal Imperfect 2nd Masc. Plural—1) To prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To be able, be able to gain or accomplish, be able to endure, be able to reach, 1a2) To prevail, prevail over or against, overcome, be victor, 1a3) To have ability, have strength. Strong—a primitive root; To be able, literally--Can, could or morally--May, might.
“Holy”—vwdq kaw-dowsh’ OR—vdq kaw-dosh’—Adj. Masc. Plural Absolute—1) Sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart. Strong—Sacred(ceremonially or morally); as noun--God(by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary.
“Jealous”—awnq kan-no’—Adj. Masc. Sing. Absolute—Jealous. Strong—Jealous or angry. Used 2X--Josh. 24:19; Nah. 1:2.?From—anq kaw-naw’—To be(causatively--make) zealous, i.e. in a bad sense--Jealous or envious.
“Forgive”—asn naw-saw’, OR--hon naw-saw’(Ps 4:6)—Qal Imperfect 3rd Masc. Sing.—1) To lift, bear up, carry, take—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To lift, lift up, 1a2) To bear, carry, support, sustain, endure, 1a3) To take, take away, carry off, forgive. Strong—To lift, in a great variety of applications, literal & figurative, absolute & relative; a primitive root.
“Transgressions”—evp peh’-shah—Noun Masc. - Common Masc. Sing. Construct—1) Transgression, rebellion—1a1) Transgression(against individuals), 1a2) Transgression(nation against nation), 1a3) Transgression(against God)—1a3a) in general, 1a3b) As recognized by sinner, 1a3c) As God deals with it, 1a3d) As God forgives, 1a4) Guilt of transgression, 1a5) Punishment for transgression, 1a6) Offering for transgression. Strong—A revolt(national, moral or religious).?From—evp—To break away(from just authority), i.e. Trespass, apostatize, quarrel.
“Sins”—hajx khat-taw-aw’, OR--tajx khat-tawth’—Noun Fem. - Common Fem. Plural Construct—1) Sin, sinful; 2) Sin, sin offering—2a) Sin, 2b) Condition of sin, guilt of sin, 2c) Punishment for sin, 2d) Sin-offering, 2e) Purification from sins of ceremonial uncleanness. Strong—An offense(sometimes habitual sinfulness), & its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely)—An offender.
:20—“If you forsake the LORD & serve foreign gods, then He will turn & do you harm & consume you, after He has done you good.”
Both verse 19 & 20 are intended to be taken together as they explain one another.
YaHWeH God will not forgive that one who “forsakes” Him!
•True forgiveness technically then, comes with Christ’s sacrificial atonement—here in Israel’s future.
•For your sake, God’s forgiveness was played out, even prior to the Cross, in the heart of the believer. He was readying those people—the Jews particularly— for the promised ministry of Christ Jesus.
•The Sacrificial System of Israel’s temple worship was intended as a mere picture of the fullness of God’s forgiveness, until atonement & faith would be fulfilled in the then far future of Christ Jesus’ arrival on earth.
However faith is intended to be lived out, as evidenced in God-ordained Temple worship. The truly faithful to YaHWeH in heart, would NOT desert Him in order to “serve other gods.”
*Israel’s lack of ability to serve God is bound up in the fact that God is holy & jealous(exclusive of any shade of rivalry). He will not tolerate bi-partisan lipservice.(Mat. 6:19-24; 1Cor. 10:21; Lev. 20:26; Ex. 34:14; Ex. 23:20-21; Isa. 27:11).
*UNTIL God’s people become ‘holy’ themselves, they WILL NOT be ‘jealous’ for God’s Name/honor!(:19)
*Therefore...Since the God you claim as yours is holy(separate from sin) & jealous(exclusive)(:19), then any violator of them will receive consequences according to that disregard...
“If” God’s chosen ones “forsake” Him in order to “serve foreign gods”(That is, “foreign” to YaHWeH & His intent for Israel) then they will meet with consequences.
The consequences generally being—God’s “turning”(from His people’s enemies) in order to bring “harm” to the very ones He has chosen—As a master treats a pet dog that regularly chooses to bite his hand.
Those who turn ON rather than TO God—by following other gods—will themselves be “consumed” by God, even though they have been the recipients of God’s special grace toward the nation.
*The past expression of God’s special grace is no assurance to those who are rebellious against Him.
:20—‘WORDS’—
“Forsake”(See :16)—bze aw-zab’—Qal Imperfect 2nd Masc. Plural—1) To leave, loose, forsake—1a) (Qal)--To leave—1a1) To depart from, leave behind, leave, let alone, 1a2) To leave, abandon, forsake, neglect, apostatize, 1a3) To let loose, set free, let go, free; 2a) (Qal) To repair. Strong—To loosen, i.e. Relinquish, permit, etc.; a primitive root.
“Turn”—bwv shoowb—Qal Sequential-Perfect 3rd Person Masc. Sing.—1) To return, turn back—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To turn back, return—1a1a) To turn back, 1a1b) To return, come or go back, 1a1c) To return unto, go back, come back. Strong—To turn back(hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively(not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally--To retreat; often adverbial--Again; a primitive root.
“Do...Harm”“(See :15—“Evil/Disagreeable/Undesirable”)—eer raw-ah’—•Verb--Hiphil(causative) Sequential Perfect 3rd Masc. Sing., OR--Adj.—1) To be bad, be evil—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To be displeasing, 1a2) To be sad, 1a3) To be injurious, be evil, 1a4) To be wicked, be evil (ethically); 1b) (Hiphil)--1b1) To do an injury or hurt, 1b2) To do evil or wickedly, 1b3) Mischief (participle); 2) To break, shatter; 2a) (Qal)--2a1) To break, 2a2) Broken(participle), 2a3) To be broken. Strong—properly--To spoil(literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively--To make(or be) good for nothing, i.e. Bad(physically, socially or morally); a primitive root.
“Consume”—hlk kaw-law’—Piel(intensive/intentional/repeated/extended) Sequential-Perfect 3rd Masc. Sing.—1) To accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent—1b) (Piel)--1b1) To complete, bring to an end, finish, 1b2) To complete (a period of time), 1b3) To finish(doing a thing), 1b4) To make an end, end, 1b5) To accomplish, fulfill, bring to pass, 1b6) To accomplish, determine(in thought), 1b7) To put an end to, cause to cease, 1b8) To cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend, 1b9) To destroy, exterminate. Strong—To end, whether intransitive--To cease, be finished, perish; or transitived--To complete, prepare, consume; a primitive root.
“Good”—bjy yaw-tab’—Hiphil(causative) Perfect 3rd Masc. Sing.—1) To be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To be glad, be joyful, 1a2) To be well placed, 1a3) To be well for, be well with, go well with, 1a4) To be pleasing, be pleasing to; 1b) (Hiphil)--1b1) To make glad, rejoice, 1b2) To do good to, deal well with, 1b3) To do well, do thoroughly, 1b4) To make a thing good or right or beautiful, 1b5) To do well, do right. Strong—To be(causative--Make) well, literally--Sound, beautiful, or figuratively--Happy, successful, right; a primitive root.
:21—“And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD!””
“The people” responded to “Joshua’s” statement. They said that “Joshua” was wrong in his assertion that they were incapable of “serving” YaHWeH! Instead the tribes, elders, heads, judges & officers declared that they would indeed “serve the LORD”(YHWH).
Don’t short-change yourself because of others. You have chosen YHWH the God of Israel, the God of the Bible, & that is life-changing & useful/utilitarian in the created world, as well as in the eternal Kingdom of God!
Are we forget our past then? No! You carry your past as a reminder of what life was like before Christ! Your past reminds you that you were a dead person walking, who had no hope & nothing to live for.
?What type of SUBSTANTIATION is required for you to enter a New Phase of Life & live God’s way?
Argumentation:
Jud. 2:7, 10-11—“So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, & all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.”....“When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, & served the Baals;”
1Sam. 12:24—““Only fear the LORD, & serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.”
Even God’s people have a tendency to get swallowed up in our ‘current’ circumstances, so that we can lose sight of God’s goodness.
Mk. 5:1-5, 9-10, —“Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; & no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles & chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, & the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night & day, he was in the mountains & in the tombs, crying out & cutting himself with stones.”....“Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”” Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.”.....“Then they came to Jesus, & saw the one who had been demon-possessed & had the legion, sitting & clothed & in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, & about the swine. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, & tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, & how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed & began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; & all marveled.”
Illustration:
*Switching laundry detergent. When we were living in FL, there was a time when our ‘freshly washed’ clothes began smelling soured & unclean. We supposed something must be wrong with the washing-machine. We couldn’t find the problem. Long story short—We eventually ended up switching detergents. Instantly upon using the new detergent, our clothes began smelling clean & fresh! SUBSTANTIATED/Validated our suspicions.
Application:
?Have YOU, thru Christ Jesus, SUBSTANTIATED this New Phase of life you’re in?
?You ready for this New Phase of life?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
There are challenges inherent to any New Phase of Life...
I implore you to approach those challenges by the power of God!
Action:
A New Phase of life requires your...
2. SUBSTANTIATION(:17-21)
1. SELF-EXPOSING DECISIONS(:14-16)
Pt#2 only! Presented 06/02/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
Pt#s 1-4 Presented 06/02/2013am to:
FBC CBelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pt#s 1-4 Presented 06/12/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
