Articles
Dare to Stand Like Joshua
Sometimes old age can make us weary, not only in body but in conviction as well. We grow tired of fighting the “good fight of faith” (1 Tim 6:12). Satan overwhelms some in their youth with worldly enticements, but he waits patiently for others until they succumb to geriatric weakness. But such was not the case with Joshua, who serves as a model of strength to the end of life. Some highlights of Joshua’s life:
1) We first meet Joshua in Ex 17:9-13 where he leads Israel to victory over the Amalekites.
2) Joshua, Moses’ “assistant,” accompanies him upon Mt. Sinai (Ex 24: 13). Later, he comes down with Moses to find the people worshiping the golden calf (Ex 32:17-19).
3) Joshua spies out Canaan and returns confident that by Jehovah’s help they can conquer the land of giants (Num 14:6-9). The reaction of the faithless: “And all the congregation said to stone them” (14:10).
4) Joshua then spends the next forty years roving through the stark, arid desert with that thankless, rebellious generation.
5) Joshua is commissioned by God to succeed Moses and lead Israel in the conquest and the division of the land among the tribes (Dt 3:21-22, 28; 31:1-8, 23; Jsh 1:1-9).
The later years of Joshua’s life are spent in battle, apportioning the land and establishing a city for his posterity. But through it all he is troubled by the lingering idolatry of the people. Thus he warns them: “Be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside … Take diligent heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God” (Jsh 23:6, 11).
He gets even more pointed: “If indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations … and make marriages with them … know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land” (23:12-13).
He then issues his great challenge to Israel backed by his own strong affirmation of faith: “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” (23:15).
A characteristic of Joshua throughout his life, and one for which we should all consciously strive, is that he always stood against the ungodly majority. His convictions were not based on popular opinion; he was not dependent on others to prop him up. He remained focused on Jehovah and His law. He rejected idolatry and was totally dedicated to God’s divine purposes. And he was intent on fostering that same faith in his family. This is all any person can do. Let us do it as well as Joshua.
