Josue 23-24: Joshua's Plea

I have finished the Book of Josue.  It took me a long three years to do it, but it is done.  My reading of Scripture started slowing down with Numbers and Deuteronomy due to the adoption of our son Nathaniel at that time.  I had hoped as he got older it would be easier to find time to read Scripture and reflect.  But life only got busier.  And then last year we adopted our daughter Lucy Penelope.  And I've come to realize that I can't wait for life to just grant me more time to read and reflect on the Word -- I've got to make that time!  Life will never stop being "busy," but time is ours to prioritize, and with this I need to do a better job.  So I crawled my way through Josue at a snail's pace, but this last week I've picked up the pace and I hope to continue this trend as I begin the Book of Judges.  Slowly and steadily, Lord willing, I'll persevere, and accomplish my goal of not just reading the Bible front to back, but reflecting on its every word and trying to discover as many layers of meaning as possible.

The last chapters of Josue are similar to the ending of Deuteronomy, in which we see a Moses at the end of his life give one last plea to his people to follow the One True God with total fidelity.  Joshua likewise is nearing his death and thus gathers together all the Israelites and pleads with them to not fall into old ways of sin and idolatry, but to remain faithful to God Who has granted them so much.  I was really moved by a couple of verses in particular.  Josue 24:13 reads "And [God] gave you a land, in which you had not labored, and cities to dwell in, which you built not, vineyards and olive-yards, which you planted not."  I see this as such a powerful reminder for us to always be humble.  Especially today we are almost encouraged to be proud of our accomplishments, to own them, to be strengthened by what we ourselves have done.  But are they truly our accomplishments alone?  And even if they are, we live in a world given to us, surrounded by opportunities that come from somewhere else.  If we have faith, we know God provides, and we know where to always place our thanks.  We know also that if we live faithfully, we have a place waiting for us that was not built by us but will regardless be freely given to us by a loving God.  The Promised Land was freely given to the Jews, though they didn't labor on it, build its cities, or plant its vineyards.  Heaven will be given to us in the same manner if we remain loyal and humble.

Another verse, Josue 24:15 reads "But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve..."  This is an amazing example of the existence of free will.  Joshua pleads with his people to remain faithful to the One God, but also adds that it is ultimately their choice.  They cannot be forced to follow God.  If they were, their loyalty would be meaningless.  Ultimately, the choice is always ours.  We choose heaven or hell, it isn't chosen for us.  Humility helps in this regard, as it's harder to choose a life of faithful devotion to God when we are so in love with our own strength and accomplishments.

The last thing I'll mention as I wrap up Josue, is the figure himself.  Joshua obviously holds a very esteemed place in the Bible.  He is the leader of the Israelites at that significant moment of transition from a wandering people to a people established in their Promised home.  He, through the grace of God, performs wonders and helps to destroy the pagan societies that were living in the Promised Land.  He shares the name of Jesus, and prefigures Him in so many ways as Jesus Christ is the One Who will break open the gates of heaven so that we may all have access to the eternal Promised Land.  It is even theorized by some that Joshua may have been the inspiration behind the mythological figure of Hercules, at least his most ancient forms as seen in Egypt and Tyre.  In the end, finishing the Book of Josue feels monumental in that the Israelites are now firmly established in their home, and now the history begins of the land of Israel and its people and the dramatic events that will occur over the next millennia.