Joshua 24, a covenant renewal, and a Kingdom whose parameters only seem like folly

---

Dear Readers,

I suppose I should preface this entry with the fact that I realize this blog has traveled topics over the years. If there's anything I remain consistent in, it is my inconsistent posting schedule and my blatant refusal to expect every entry to confine itself into a niche.

In fact, this is most definitely not the place to hang around if you are hoping for niche writing. Almost 9 years later and it appears I still can't do that :)

But here we are still, and if you're feeling adventurous enough today wherever you may be in the world, I'd love for you to pull up a seat with a fresh cuppa (it can be whatever --- another thing I'm not niche in... my cuppa today is literally ice water) and have a think or two with me.

---

Earlier today, I was wrapping up my study of the book of Joshua. I had started it back in June and have surprisingly finished it almost a month later to the day --- a rare occurrence for me, who likes to chew the Word at varying paces.

For context, because I'm sure you're chomping at the bit to know, I very rarely use studies written by someone else.

They definitely have their time and place, for certain, but I find that if I'm to come to my own understanding of the Word it is historically unhelpful to have such easy access to someone else's interpretation of it. Not to mention, there's a whole sea of interpretations out there! But, the unadulterated Word itself has proven to be, time and time again, far more simple and straightforward than I think many are willing to take the time to come to intimate cognizance of.

That said, if you've ever wondered how to explain Joshua 24 to someone in plain -- current -- English who doesn't yet have the foundation of the previous 5 books and some odd change of the Bible, this is just the thing for you!

Joshua 24 starts with a recounting of Israel's* heritage, challenges Israel to forsake idols in favor of service to God, and ends with a brief description of Joshua's** death including a very sobering and still relevant reminder.

---

Pause!!

To continue reading this entry with a complete understanding, a couple of terms need to be defined first.

ISRAEL -- As defined by Romans 11, Israel represents anyone who professess Messiah and abides by his Law. It is crucial to our understanding of the Word to recognize that through our acceptance of the completed work of Yeshua the Messiah, he has grafted us into his Kingdom and we are now also under the parameters of that Kingdom, just as the Israelites were back then. However, we mustn't forget that as we are warned by Romans 11:20, pride can be the undoing of that graft.

The Israelites were but a small portion of Israel. The Kingdom of God spans countries and nations and peoples, and currently, is dispersed throughout the world rather than in one central location.

For the sake of this entry, the terms "Israel" and "people of God" are used interchangely but carry the same meaning.

JOSHUA --- Joshua was the son of a man named Nun, and after the death of Moses, God tasked him with the stewardship of Israel. He was an elder of sorts, someone they looked to for leadership, guidance, and mentorship. A reasonable understanding of the role Joshua played in Kingdom dynamics would be to call him a mediator or an intercessor of sorts as Joshua was the one God used as a mouthpiece to communicate with Israel in tangible ways that reminded them of the power of the God they were in service to.

Unpause!!

Now we can pick up where we left off --- about to walk through the heritage of Israel.

---

As mentioned previously, to study Joshua 24, there's a needed foundation that spans 5 books of the Bible not including the previous 23 chapters found in Joshua. To sum up that foundation, it's safe to say that there is A LOT to Israel's heritage at this point. This is meant to be a plain English kind of thing so understand that there is a lot of depth that can only be found when you read the Word for yourself.

That said, this is Israel's heritage in eight sentences.

God led Abraham from point A (a river) to point B (the land of Canaan), and grew his family during that time. God gave Isaac to Abraham. God gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. God gave Esau the land of his inheritance (a hilly country called Seir) and led Jacob to Egypt. God sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt. Once Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt, God plagued the land. Then, God brought Israel out. God delivered his people into land that wasn't theirs and cities that they didn't build, and into an abundance of harvest whose crops they didn't plant.

After Joshua delivered a similar recountance of their heritage to Israel, he challenges them to choose who they want to serve --- they can serve idols and things of no eternal value, or they can choose to serve God. And despite a history of seasons of lack of faithfulness to God and lack of obedience to Kingdom parameters, even Israel couldn't deny that it was God who had perpetually led, delivered, preserved, and blessed them.

So they chose a life of service to God once more, and along with it, a life of abiding by Kingdom parameters. This is just one of many instances of covenant renewal mentioned in Scripture, and this particular instance occurred in a place called Shechem.

If you'll allow for a brief segue-way ---

Similarly to how things are now, when we who are alive today make the decision to serve Messiah instead of the world, we are adopted (remember the grafting I mentioned earlier?) into a Kingdom --- the Kingdom of God --- whose parameters (the Law) sound like folly to the one who doesn't yet understand the unadulterated Truth of the Gospel. This is why we who obey God and stick to the parameters of his Kingdom are often despised and hated.

The way we lead our lives quite literally does not make sense yet. But God is ever faithful, and in his timing, it will make sense.

Okay, back to Joshua ---

After collectively remembering their heritage and making the decision to choose God, Joshua dies at the age of 110.

It's interesting to note what is revealed near the end of the chapter in Joshua 24:31. The people of God remained faithful in their service to God for as long as those who knew the work he'd done for them. When their heritage stopped being known or grew unfamiliar, service to God somehow came to matter significantly less --- and this is unfortunately still true in present day.

This is why we ought to study our heritage, why our roots as Israel --- the people of God --- matter so much. This is why we testify of the work of God in our lives both then and now!

Because when we forget our rich heritage, the deliverance we have in Messiah, and the freedom we have to love him through our obedience to the parameters of his Kingdom ---- we only serve to perpetuate completely avoidable and unnecessary suffering.

That should give us pause. It's a sobering wake up call.

So, when was the last time you sat down to study your heritage as a citizen of the Kingdom of God?

If your answer was today, because of our chat, it still counts :)

But keep that momentum going! Keep growing an intimate cognizance of the Kingdom you belong to and the God you serve. Testify too! Tell of the mighty and wonderous works of God!