January 23 - Joshua 23: 1-13
January 23 - Joshua 23: 1-13
23 A long
time afterward, when the Lord had
given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and
Joshua was old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua summoned
all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I
am now old and well advanced in years. 3 And
you have seen all that the Lord your
God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. 4 Behold, I
have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that
remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan
to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them
out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 Therefore, be
very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of
Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 that you may not mix with these nations
remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or
swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, 8 but
you shall cling to the Lord your
God just as you have done to this day. 9 For
the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for
you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand,
since it is the Lord your God who fights
for you, just as he promised you. 11 Be
very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your
God. 12 For if you turn
back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and
make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before
you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides
and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that
the Lord your God has given you.
As Joshua is finishing
the allotment of land and nearing the end of his life, he reminds the children
of Israel of all God had done for them.
God had protected them, guided them, fed them, given them victory in
war, given them the land He had promised them, and been there for them
throughout their disobedience. He then
warns them of what is ahead for them and how vital it is for them to follow and
love God.
As I read these verses I
stopped on verse 11 where He tells them to be very careful to love the Lord
Your God, and then in the following verses tells them to be careful of the
traps they will fall into because they didn’t obey God by not eliminating the
enemies when they took the land. God
knew these traps would be their downfall.
That is why He instructed them to not leave anyone alive. But, as usual, they disobeyed.
What areas do you find a consistent
struggle to be obedient? Have you seen
that God’s protection is in place when we are obedient? Why do you think God allows us to suffer
consequences when we are disobedient rather than force us to follow His
desires?
Heavenly Father, how
often I fall into the same sin over and over and it is a trap, but one I seem
to not fall into because that would be an accident, no, I walk right into the
trap at times. Why do I do that? You gave me free will, and I just take that
free will and walk right into disobedience.
I know that Your laws and commands are there for my protection, so why
do I have so much trouble following Your
will for me on some things? Help me to
step forward in faith and follow You without question. I know that being disobedient is a form of
lacking faith. I want to believe
completely. Why can’t I come like a
child and believe without reservation? I
believe, help me with my unbelief.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen!
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