54 min
Passing the Baton Selah - A Podcast by Koinonia Fellowship
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- Christianity
As we have studied through the Book of Joshua, we have learned how God orchestrated events and passed the baton from Moses to Joshua. We have studied the commands and promises God gave to Joshua and through him to the nation of Israel. We have studied the new nation's ups and downs, lessons they learned, and miracles they witnessed God perform as they settled in the land.Now Joshua is nearing the end of his journey on this earth. As he prepares to pass the baton, there are many things on his heart that he wants to address. He speaks about compromise, indifference, concessions and tolerance. We also learn that God has called us to cross rivers that are impossible for us, and to trust Him when it comes to the Jericho kind of obstacles in our lives. But there is one thing that this aged leader puts forward that is without question heavy on his heart. Joshua, the old warrior, with all the elders and leaders present, knowing that this is most likely his final address to the nation of Israel, makes a statement (Joshua 23:11) that represents the first and greatest commandment: to love the LORD your God (cf. Matthew 22:36-38). Our love of God is a direct reflection of our relationship with God. Loving God is not a suggestion, so why do we treat it as such? Joshua 23:11 should cause us all to pause and wonder why it is that God’s people need to be told to love God. Yet great emphasis is given by the placement of this command in this chapter to reveal how the people of Israel are inclined to turn back to other gods and forsake the Lord in the land. God knows this, and Joshua knows this. But our motivation for loving God should never be to avoid consequences. Our motivation for loving God is because He is worthy of our love.
As we have studied through the Book of Joshua, we have learned how God orchestrated events and passed the baton from Moses to Joshua. We have studied the commands and promises God gave to Joshua and through him to the nation of Israel. We have studied the new nation's ups and downs, lessons they learned, and miracles they witnessed God perform as they settled in the land.Now Joshua is nearing the end of his journey on this earth. As he prepares to pass the baton, there are many things on his heart that he wants to address. He speaks about compromise, indifference, concessions and tolerance. We also learn that God has called us to cross rivers that are impossible for us, and to trust Him when it comes to the Jericho kind of obstacles in our lives. But there is one thing that this aged leader puts forward that is without question heavy on his heart. Joshua, the old warrior, with all the elders and leaders present, knowing that this is most likely his final address to the nation of Israel, makes a statement (Joshua 23:11) that represents the first and greatest commandment: to love the LORD your God (cf. Matthew 22:36-38). Our love of God is a direct reflection of our relationship with God. Loving God is not a suggestion, so why do we treat it as such? Joshua 23:11 should cause us all to pause and wonder why it is that God’s people need to be told to love God. Yet great emphasis is given by the placement of this command in this chapter to reveal how the people of Israel are inclined to turn back to other gods and forsake the Lord in the land. God knows this, and Joshua knows this. But our motivation for loving God should never be to avoid consequences. Our motivation for loving God is because He is worthy of our love.
54 min