Read Joshua 24, Jeremiah 46, and Romans 8.
This devotional is about Joshua 24.
The Bible contains some direct, didactic teaching about God. We read some here, today, in Joshua 24:19 which says, “Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.” That verse contains universal truth about God and humanity that can be quoted directly and accurately without any context. That’s what I mean by “direct, didactic teaching about God.” I mean statements about God that are direct declarations of truth applicable at all times.
As I said, the Bible contains some of that teaching about God, but most of the Bible’s teaching is couched in stories. But even calling them stories is not quite accurate. They are historical accounts of things that actually happened in human history to real human beings. The question I want to consider in this devotional is this: Why did God reveal himself in historical accounts rather than just giving us a set of universally understandable and applicable truths? In other words, why did God give us the Bible he gave us rather than a Bible that is a lot more like a textbook of systematic theology?
My answer to that question has two parts. I think there is more to the story and these two parts, but I want to focus on these two for this devotional.
- First, God revealed himself in real, historical situations so that we would know that he is a real God and that what he says is true and applicable in real-life situations. Now, listen: we need some direct statements of truth and God gives us those, like the Ten Commandments, for instance. But even truth like the Ten Commandments is embedded in historical accounts. If the whole Bible were written like the Ten Commandments with no people, no stories, no humanity, we might read it and think it is interesting or even profound, but we would also tend to dismiss it as too idealistic or too impractical for the real world. So, the first reason why God revealed himself in human history through historical narratives is so that we would receive his word as truth, not as fiction.
- Secondly, God revealed himself in real, historical situations so that we would remember the stories and pass them down to the next generation. And that’s what we see here in Joshua 24.
Joshua 24 begins with a history lesson. Joshua had kind of retired to his own land back in Joshua 19:49-50, but here in Joshua 24, he calls Israel’s leaders to Shechem for one final speech (v. 1). Joshua knew that his death was near (v. 29) and he wanted Israel’s leaders to affirm their covenant with God one last time before his death. In verse 2, we read, “Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says…” and what follows is a history lesson of Israel that started with Abraham (v. 2) and covered the events recorded in Genesis (vv. 2-4), Exodus & Numbers (vv. 5-10), and the book we now call Joshua. The purpose of this history lesson was to remind God’s people of all that he had done for them. We see that in God’s statements in verses 12-13, “You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.”
And, the people agreed. In verses 17-18a they said, “It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nation….”
The purpose of this historical review, then, was to call God’s people to once again be faithful to the covenant they made with God. Joshua said that in a verse 14 when he said, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness…..” Again, the people agreed saying in verse 18, “And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
As a Christian, God has done some things in your life. Your salvation testimony, first of all, is a testimony to God’s power and grace in your life. Throughout your walk with God, he’s answered prayers for you, provided for you, and protected you in various, specific ways. Remember these things! Call them to mind when you are tempted to sin or just to go cold in your walk with Christ. Tell your children–specifically, in the stories of your life–how God has worked in your life. Tell people you want to witness to about these things, again in specific stories from your life. Then, declare your intention to serve the Lord all your life as Joshua did in verse 15f, and encourage them to believe God and obey his will. This is a powerful way to keep your own spiritual life on track as well as to help others look to the Lord instead of to their own selfish ways.