Joshua 24:1-27 – Sojourners
And now, here we are. We have reached the end of Joshua. Congratulate yourselves for surviving over 2 dozen sermons from one book. In truth, actually, I hope you have gained insight and wisdom on how to apply what you believe to how to behave. I hope that you have gained some courage to take new territory in your faith.
Let’s read the last chapter of Joshua today – v1-27.
Now, Joshua is continuing on in his last words to his people. In this chapter he is reviewing where they came from, where they have been, and what they need to continue to do. I think it is only fitting that we find out what Joshua would say to us for our spiritual journeys. The Bible tells us to walk in truth, to walk after His commandments, to walk in the light, to walk in wisdom, to walk as children of light, to walk by faith, and to walk in newness of life, among many others.
We are all on a journey at some point. Some are far along, some are just starting. Some should be further along than they are, some are moving quickly. In fact, at different points in your life, you may be the one who should be farther along, and you may be the one who is rapidly growing. The point is, you are on a journey. A word they used to use is “sojourners”. It means people who live in a place as temporary residents, or even as strangers, knowing that the place is not a permanent home. It means people who wander on purpose.
So Joshua is leaving us with some sojourning advice: almost like a hitchhiker’s guide to your faith. Josh starts off by retelling the history of the Israelites – v1-4. You see, the Israelites’ journey was a long time coming. It might have seemed that God moved suddenly, but it was a long build-up. I think it’s the same for us, too. There are times when it looks like God is moving faster than we can possibly imagine, that everything is happening all at once.
But all our lives God has been preparing us for this thing. Conversations, people praying, subtle little incidents, all bringing you to the place you are today. You are not here as a fluke or a mishap – you are where you are today, right here right now, because God has led you here. Even though things seemed like they were all of a sudden, they in fact have been a long time coming.
The Israelites were where they were, in part, because of the faith of those who have gone before. You are where you are, in part, because of those people who fought for the faith for years, from the time of Christ on. You are where you are, in part, because of people who have fought to keep the faith in this town. You are where you are, in part, because of people who have fought to keep the faith in your family. It’s no wonder the Bible says you are not your own.
Hebrews 12:1 tells us of the great cloud of witnesses. They are the ones who lived faithful lives, and are part of the reason you are where you are on your journey. Don’t forget those who have gone before you. You are partly a product of your past, but not entirely. Your past is not the only thing that defines you or determines your directions. You cannot let anything in the past, whether it be wonderful or tragic, decide who you are. You are not just made up of what has happened to you, but you are constantly being made of what you are becoming. It is Christ who is molding you and shaping you for His purposes. It’s part of the journey.
Well, Joshua continues: v5-7. Joshua tells the story of Moses and Aaron leading the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, and across the Red Sea. Now, you may notice something in this section. Joshua uses “you” and “them” interchangeably. He says, “When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea.” And he says, “They cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians.” Why? Why is he flip-flopping people who were there and people who weren’t?
Well, I think it has to do with what I already said: The Israelites were where they were, in part, because of the faith of those who have gone before. They shared a connection with the ones who left Egypt. It’s how they talked back then. They considered themselves connected with each other. It’s why others died when Achan sinned. It’s a concept we know little about in modern day Canada.
Now, the faith of the previous generation carried the next generation a ways, but it went only so far. Their faith carried them out of Egypt, but not into Canaan. Likewise, the faith of those who have gone before you can carry you so far, but not as far as you need to go. Listen: no matter where you have been, you need to go further. You can’t do what your fathers or forefathers did, just because they did them. You need to grab hold of what you really believe, and live it. You can’t live on second-hand faith, faith simply passed down to you. You have to figure it out what it is you believe, and live it.
Now, that brings us to an important truth: Where God leads you may be different from where He leads others. He may lead you to a belief that is considered unpopular. Personally, I think I’m too liberal in my theology for most conservatives, but I know I’m too conservative in my theology for most liberals. But I can’t help it: it’s where I am. It might be true for you. Where you are in your faith may lead you to think you are all alone. Listen: it’s better to be right with God and have troubles with people, than to be right with people but have a troubled conscience. You need to do what you feel from God to be right, even if it’s different from others.
Now, another thing from this passage… The Israelites were catching a glimpse that God was doing something. Still, even once they were delivered, they were still not settled – v7b. You see, “making a decision” doesn’t solve everything. Christian maturity is a series of good decisions. Where you’re going depends on a series of good decisions.
Some love to thrive on that “decision” – to make a decision to follow Christ. Using an instance of salvation can be good but it can be bad. Very few people really believe that a decision solves everything. We who are called Arminians would say that the initial decision needs to be followed up with real fruit, or else it won’t last. Those who are called Calvinist would say that if fruit isn’t there, then they weren’t saved in the first place.
Either way, the initial decision doesn’t matter much. It’s what’s happening now that really matters. Yes, it’s good to remember a spot where you knew that you knew that you knew. But it’s not good to rely too much on something in the past. And most modern evangelicalism puts a lot of emphasis on trusting the sincerity of the decision, asking and really meaning it, instead of trusting in God. Which is certainly mis-placed faith.
Your salvation depends on continually making good decisions. Oh it’s God who keeps you, yes. Everything, from start to finish, is by faith which comes from God. You have no reason to boast in who you are or what you’ve done. But we need to respond to that faith. We need to apply it.
That’s part of our journey. To put into action what we believe. Not just to know that a Christian gains strength and wisdom when he or she prays, but to pray. Not just to know that a Christian needs to forgive that person, but to forgive that person. Not just to know that a Christian should not be selfish with his or her money or time, but to actually use those things in ways that God wants.
This is what salvation really is. It’s not about some decision once. Some can’t point to a specific instance of “salvation”. They just know they have it. No, salvation is a process, a journey. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 2:15, says, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” He says that salvation is an on-going thing. He also says in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the message of the cross is the power of God “to us who are being saved.” Salvation is a pilgrimage, an expedition.
Which Joshua goes on to say. In v8 Josh says that God leads us into daring places along the way, and in v9-10, he says that God uses evil things for our good. V11-13 tell us that the Israelites finally arrived at the place God wanted them to be at. But still, as v14-15 tell us, they couldn’t just sit there. God never intended them to arrive somewhere and never move again.
You see, it matters less where someone has been and what he/she has done, compared to where he/she is right now. Where you’re going now matters more than where you’ve been. The best part of your journey is not what happened on that particular day, but on what is still to come.
Which is why Joshua, and Jesus, would call for a decision. Not to save you and keep you for all time, but for it to be in your mind as you serve Him. Joshua says in v15: “Choose.” They did, and they chose the Lord. They probably meant it, too. But the decision didn’t stay. They didn’t continue to follow the Lord. They became lazy and content where they were. And it happens to us far too easily, also.
We forget we’re on a journey, moving from faith to faith, from one level to the next. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly where we are. Sometimes we don’t really know what’s going on in our faith or in our lives. And that’s OK. You don’t always need to know what God is doing, as maddening as that is sometimes.
I don’t think that real faith is as simple as saying a prayer and then doing the right things until you die. I think it’s hard work. It think actually figuring out what the Bible says and means takes hard work. I think trusting God to do the things He said He would do is hard work. You know, Romans 12:13 says this: “Practice hospitality.” I think “practice” means more than simply doing it. I think it also means, “Keep working at it because it’s hard.”
Maybe more things in the faith take practice than what we have given them credit for. Understanding the Bible takes practice. Obeying it takes practice. Prayer takes practice. Living unselfishly takes practice. Being teachable takes practice. Rising over lustful thoughts takes practice. Loving God takes practice. Practice is simply doing the right thing over an extended period of time. Consistently making good decisions.
Which is, as I already said, part of our journey. No matter where you are, keep going forward. Keep making progress. Choose the Lord on a regular basis. No matter what you’ve done in the past, or where you are today, choose Him again! May He be your constant travelling companion as you sojourn through life.
So remember you are where you are because of those gone before. You are where you are because Christ is molding you and shaping you for His purposes. Remember that where God leads you may be different from where He leads others. Remember that it’s what’s happening now that really matters. Remember that where you’re going depends on a series of good decisions. Remember that salvation is not a one-time decision, but rather, a pilgrimage, an expedition. Just keep going.
