What should someone do when they are exposed to the goodness of God? Some claim that God is good, with straight face and no joy. I do not understand that at all! Have you not seen the ones who claim the same and yet show no sign of change? The scripture clearly says that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. Maybe a famous line from Joshua, Moses’ second man, could help us understand. He said— “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;” (Joshua 24.15-16) We see a man reflective of the goodness of God not only for himself, but for all the people. We see a man compelled to make a choice. We see a man with praise on his lips and determination in his heart.
The people of Israel up to this point have been surrounded with living examples of God’s grace, just about every day, for 40 plus years. Events like the Red Sea crossing, commandments at Sinai, wandering in wilderness, Jericho walls, and the battles on the West side of Jordan. Joshua gave a testimony before that final charge of 24.15. That charge is the example and teaching we need, to answer— What should someone do when they are exposed to the goodness of God?
Joshua’s charge in chapter 23 demanded some serious reflection and dedication from them. It was a turning point, a decision had to be made. I feel this is the exact moment we are in today. They were in a good place and didn’t really know it. They had gone from battle to battle and now had rest. They were a people of blessing and ease at this point… as we are. That’s usually when the bottom falls out… like it is with us.
Joshua begins in Joshua 23.1-5 with reminding them how they got where they are now… God did it! Look at a scattering of the verses. In verse 1 it says— “the LORD had given”; In 3— “the LORD your God hath done”; “the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you”; In 5— “the LORD your God, he shall expel them”; “drive them”; “the LORD your God hath promised unto you”; In 9— “the LORD hath driven out”; In 10— “for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you”; In 13— “the LORD your God hath given”; In 14— “the LORD your God spake concerning you all are come to pass unto you and not one thing hath failed thereof”; In 15— “the LORD your God promised you”; “the LORD your God hath given you”; In 16— “which he hath given unto you”. It’s apparently all done by Him and therefore all about Him. What God has done, what He is doing, and what He promises to do. Joshua is clear with them and the Holy Spirit with us… God gets all of the credit because He has done all of the work. That’s who He is, that’s His character…He is always faithful. Seeing what God has done, we should be compelled to…
Remain Faithful. In reading verses 6-8 we notice in verse 6— “Be ye therefore very courageous”. This is the same line God told Joshua in Joshua 1.5-9, and 18. Notice also in verse 6— “to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;” Focusing on “written in the book of the law”, along with verse 7— “That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:” Clear, precise, focused teaching there… they and we should courageously obey the truth of God’s word and courageously not do what the world wants or thinks. We should add here verse 8’s— “But cleave unto the Lord your God…” Bringing it all together we have a definition to remaining faithful. We should be:
- Courageous in following God (6)
- Scripturally obedient to His word (6)
- Unattached from the world (7)
- Attached to God (8)
Here is the truth that cannot escape us…His faithfulness should provoke us to question our own faithfulness. In verse 11 Joshua says— “Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God.” Notice “yourselves”, we are responsible for our own spiritual life. We ought to “take good heed” or pay close attention to our own spiritual condition.
What if we don’t? What if we don’t cleave to Him? What if we allow our spiritual life to drift? Verses 12-13 make that answer clear— “Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.” God turns these distractions, hobbies, and affections we like, into “snares, traps, scourges, and thorns” it says. A “snare” is a noose, which would grab your leg and hang you suspended until retrieved. A “trap” is a ground fall-out trap, which you drop in until retrieved. A “scourge” is a beating wipe made with cords to inflict as much damage as possible (in your side). A “thorn” are barbs for pain (in your eye). Ouch!
Notice in verse 12 he said “cleave”. We choose a side every single day. We will chose to cleave to something this day, and tomorrow, and so on. The word “cleave” means constantly holding on.
There’s no better time to ask these kind of questions than when we are at a transition. Verse 14 tells us that Joshua is at His final days now. He’s reflecting just how good God has been. He was in a transition of life. But, who isn’t right now?! We are all in an upheaval of life. A transition. What are you going to do? Trust the world and yourself which are both untrustworthy, or an unfailing, faithful God? Remember this, God’s words have never, and never will fail.
The consequences of making the wrong choice here stings like the trap and snare God mentions through Joshua. God warned them in verses 15-16 if they chose to be unfaithful there are consequences. This isn’t just archaic Old Testament stuff, Jesus himself spoke of the reap and sow principle. In fact, the people from this text are the illustration He uses when speaking that truth. The children of Israel did as you must have guessed by now, they didn’t remain faithful. Yet 800 years later when Babylon exiled Israel, God still kept His word. We bail, yet He never does. We get distracted, yet He never does. We get in our heads, yet He never does. Faithful.
What did they do? They didn’t cleave to the Lord. They were snared, trapped and scourged by thousands of distractions, and eventually into physical slavery. They chose to cleave to this world. Sound familiar?
There has to be an attachment to God and an un-attachment to other things which simply distract us away from Him. Both actions have to take place simultaneously. Personally— I feel as if I owe Him. He didn’t give me salvation by happenstance. Nor did He passively bring me this far. He hasn’t ever left me and He deserves my best.
You cannot cleave to the Lord and be bound to His enemies at the same time. He chose you and still choses you every day… even when we don’t chose Him.