Joshua, Chapter 24 - Choose Today | Prophets of Israel

[music] >> Shalom everybody. Welcome to the Prophets of Israel Daily. This is Joshua [music] chapter 24. It's the last chapter of the book. This series is brought to you by the Land of Israel Network. And if you've enjoyed this series, if you're enjoying this series, and you want to continue learning with us, please join us and become a member at the landofisrael.com. So, chapter 24, it's the final chapter of the book of Joshua. And I feel like we need to celebrate. I mean, with this chapter we complete the first book of the prophets together. But in the prophets, this isn't just the end of a book. It's really the end of an era. Joshua, the leader that brought Israel across the Jordan, who led them through the conquest of the land. And now, at the end of his life and before he dies, he gathers the entire nation for one final moment of clarity. One final decision. Joshua summons all the tribes of Israel to the ancient city of Shechem, a place filled with history and meaning. Shechem is where Abraham first arrived when he entered into the land. And now Joshua's coming and just completing the circle. It's where God first promised him the land. And it's the place of the covenant. And in chapter 8, Joshua brought all of Israel there when they first came into the land of Israel to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. It's right next to Shechem. And they made a covenant there of the blessings and curses. So, Shechem is the place that Joshua wants to say goodbye. He wants to inspire them. And he wants them to renew their commitment one more time. And that's his last act of leadership. And here, in the same place, Joshua gathers the nation and he just starts telling them their story, which is really God's story. And Joshua reminds them where they came from. Their ancestors once lived beyond the Euphrates River River worshipping other gods. And then God called Abraham. He led Isaac. He multiplied Jacob's family. And then he brought the children of Israel down to Egypt. And they were slaves. And then God sent Moses and Aaron and brought them out with miracles. And then Joshua walks them through the entire journey. Egypt, the Red Sea, the wilderness, the battles, the victories. And again and again it's the same message. It's not you. It was all from Hashem. You're all a part of God's story. Verse 13. I gave you a land for which you did not labor. In cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them. You eat of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant. Like Joshua's telling them the land, the cities, the harvest. It's all a gift. And in some ways this idea, it's meant to bring Israel all the way back to the Garden of Eden where everything is made for them. Everything that they have comes directly from the hands of Hashem. They didn't have to build any homes. They didn't have to plant any vineyards. It was all set up for them. But this time, unlike Adam and Eve, it came through faith and action. They earned it. It's the ultimate good. It's not only a goodness that's given, but a goodness that you can really be proud of. A goodness that you worked for in partnership with God. Yeah, I I think that uh this verse it's one of the most powerful because there's so many multiple dimensions you could look at it. Because while it sounds like a gift, that's true, it's also very much a warning. You know, Joshua is telling them, you didn't build this, you didn't plant this. You're stepping into something prepared for you. This was already promised in the Torah, by the way. You know, when Moses tells the people in Deuteronomy 6, when Hashem your God brings you into the land that was sworn to your fathers to give you uh great and flourishing cities that you did not build, houses filled with all good things that you did not fill, vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant. Right? That's from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6. This was uh foreseen. Right? This isn't This isn't just a conquest. This is inheritance. And that, as we know, is exactly the danger. That's That's the danger because when everything comes easily, we most often forget where it came from. It's the human condition. I know it happens to me personally all the time. The danger isn't struggle, it's success. You settle into comfort and and slowly that sense of dependence on Hashem just starts to fade away. And so if you zoom out, again, we're living in that verse right now. So, this isn't just about gratitude, it's about responsibility. Because when you receive something you didn't build, you either elevate it or you take it for granted. And if you forget where it came from, you really risk losing it. You know, Ari, I think you're right. And these wars over the last few years in Israel, they've done something to the next generation. I mean, they grew up in the land. They didn't live through the Holocaust. They didn't live through the rebirth of a nation in a day. They didn't live through the Six-Day War, the War of Independence, the liberation of Jerusalem. And now this generation, they're really earning their freedom. They're earning their acquiring the land of Israel for themselves. And that really brings us to Joshua's central question to the nation in his final speech. Check this out. This is chapter 24 verse 15. Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. Whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. You know, that's one of the most famous declarations in the Bible. I have it framed, a picture in my living room in my home where it says, "And as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." You know, Joshua's saying something really deep here. You can't really inherit faith. You can't rely on the miracles of old or the past the legends of old. Every generation has to choose. And ultimately, the only thing you can do is focus on you and your house. Even the chosen leader of Israel, all that he can affect ultimately is himself and his home. And in that way he's setting an example. When he's speaking to everyone, he's not asking for the people to answer on behalf of the entire nation. Just each person commits. Just him and his house. And the nation ultimately is built of homes. And if each home takes responsibility just for the immediate surroundings of their loved ones, you can create a nation that will absolutely change the world. And the [snorts] people respond immediately. They say, "Of course we will serve Hashem. We recognize all that he has done for us and everything he's done for our fathers." And then Joshua does something that's kind of surprising. He really pushes back. Joshua says something unexpected. Says, "You cannot just serve Hashem. Serving Hashem isn't casual. It's true commitment. It's loyalty. It's faithfulness." And then Joshua warns them, "Listen, if you turn away from God after receiving all these blessings, the consequences will be serious. Just as he brought all of these victories and all these blessings, if you forsake the covenant, God will turn those blessings into curses." And the people respond again. No. We will serve the Lord. And Joshua accepts their answers. And he renews the covenant. He writes the books. He writes the words in the book of law of God. That's what it says. And then he does something which is beautiful, symbolic. It's like his passing. Joshua sets up a large stone under an oak tree near the Mikdash, the sanctuary of God. So many commentators say that for this final speech, John Joshua's final stand before the nation, he actually brings the Tabernacle from Shiloh for this event. He wanted his final speech to be as dramatic and as impactful as possible. And so right there it says there's a sanctuary. And he places this rock right there. And he leaves his mark. Verse 27. This stone shall be a witness against us. For it has heard all the words of the Lord which he spoke to us. It's like a silent witness. A reminder. A physical marker in the land that the people chose the covenant. I mean, there's a Jewish tradition. Instead of flowers, people put stones on graves to give the deceased honor. And I really see this last stone as the way Joshua wanted to leave the world. His final rock, his last statement. All he wanted was a commitment from Israel to follow the Torah and live by God's ways in the land. Joshua wasn't just a military leader, he was a prophet. And he saw his primary responsibility to care for Israel's spiritual well-being. Jeremy, this moment feels like the the grand finale of an epic tale of biblical proportions. Quite literally biblical. You know, Joshua is standing before the entire nation. The people are reaffirming the covenant. The stone set up as a witness. It almost feels like the closing of a chapter in the life of the nation of Israel. A chapter, right? But there's something about the way Joshua frames the decision. Uh you know, he's he presented to the nation and he frames it in a way that I think is very significant. He doesn't command them. He says, "Choose this day which God you're going to serve." He invites them. He says, "Choose." Because the covenant was never meant to be forced. Joshua understands something essential about faith, about our relationship with God. God doesn't want subjects. He wants partners. He wants a relationship. You know, and partnership only exists when there's a choice. Forced service is far less of a fragrant offering to Hashem. Right? Ever since Adam in the garden when Adam was offered a choice when God first offered man a choice, that's a risky proposition. I don't remember it very often turning out well, but it's the only way. It's the only way to the true relationship God yearns to have with every single one of us. Joshua could have simply ordered the people to remain faithful. But instead, he gives them the dignity and the responsibility of choosing. And that choice echoes throughout all of Jewish history, all of history. Every generation faces the same question. Who will we serve? Will we serve the idols of the age, the pressures of the cultures around us, or will we serve the God who brought us into the land? The God who has been with us since the beginning of time, that has protected us and been faithful to his covenant with us. That was their choice then, and that is that's ultimately our choice right now. You know, that's really the point. I think that's the healthiest way to learn the prophets. It's just like that. This age-old question is a question we all have to answer today. A prophecy for every generation, especially the last generation that we're living in right now. And so the chapter closes with these three final moments. Joshua dies at the age of 110. He's buried in the land that he helped Israel inherit. The bones of Joseph, which were carried out of Egypt centuries earlier, are finally buried in Shechem, and we're told something beautiful about that generation, verse 31. Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord. The generation that saw the miracles remained faithful. Joshua faithfully led the nation, and the nation is accounted as righteous under his leadership. He inspired the people beyond his time, and as the elders took over the leadership from Joshua, they remained faithful and loyal and good. And the book of Joshua, you know, it ends with this unspoken question. Like, what happens when the next generation comes? When the people who saw the miracles and the miraculous victories, they don't even remember the desert anymore. Now they're like way into the land. Will that nation be worthy of creating a society that God's presence will dwell among them? I mean, that question will become the story of the next book in the Bible, and that's the book of Judges. But before we leave Joshua, this final chapter, um it leaves us with a message that speaks to all times. Faith and emunah isn't something that's inherited. You can't really get it because your father believed or your grandfather believed. Faith is a choice. Faith in Hebrew is emunah, and it stems from the same word as ne'eman, which means loyalty. So faith is a choice to be loyal and to be committed, no matter what. That commitment is a choice. And so faith isn't just a belief system, it's being loyal in your actions to what you believe. And so Joshua's words, they still challenge us today. Choose this day who you will serve. I mean, that's the ultimate question for our times. Who will we serve? Who How are we going to prioritize our life? Are we going to set the ultimate good up at the top of our priorities? Do we set God at the top? Different generations, different challenges, different worlds, but the choice is the same, and that's why it speaks to us so profoundly now. Every time we open up the Bible together, every time we learn another chapter, we are doing exactly what Joshua invited Israel to do. We're choosing to learn the divine wisdom, to connect with the covenant, and may the Torah that we learn enter our hearts and guide our lives. All right, my friends. That was chapter 24, the end of the book of Joshua. Mazel tov. Hazak ve'amatz. It's been a pleasure learning this together so far, and I'm looking forward to the future. I mean, what an accomplishment to be learning the prophets of Israel in these historic, redemptive times. I what else should we be doing? This is the real service. And so >> I just want to say one thing. I want to say the final words that we always say when we complete one of the books of the Bible. We don't just say hazak ve'amatz, we say hazak, hazak venithazek. Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another. That's my blessing to all of us as we finish Joshua. I'm excited to move forward and embark upon a whole new journey. Yeah. Well, tomorrow we will embark on a whole new journey as we begin the book of Judges. The in the book of Judges is really the prelude to the book of Samuel, where King David appears on the scene. So you can imagine the prophetic blueprint of what will happen, what challenges we face, how do we overcome them, what is the pathway for the king of Israel to rule over Israel. All of that is in the book of Judges tomorrow as we continue with the prophets of Israel daily. And if you're enjoying this series, please become a member of the Land of Israel Network and join our global community at the Land of Israel Fellowship and just take the next step on your journey. You will [music] not regret it. And so you can visit us at the landofisrael.com, and we will see you all tomorrow.