Joshua 24:19-33.  We come to the end of the book of Joshua and it seems to end on a very harsh note.  Joshua has all of the people gathered and has challenged them to choose who will be their God.  They are quite loud about choosing Yahweh.  They will serve Him.  But Joshua warns them that they will not serve God (v. 19) and that if they do not, if they are unfaithful to God, then God will punish them.  We have seen this type of warning before, in fact the whole ceremony at Shechem earlier in Joshua (Joshua 8:30-35) was just such a reminder.  Now they are back at Shechem being reminded again.  Of course that was at least 5-7 years before and possibly 25 or more years before.

Some Bible experts think that Joshua end on a good note, they see peace and harmony with the people settled in the land.  But the people are only partially settled, there are Canaanites still in the land or back in the land, and in verse 23 Joshua has told the Israelites to “put away the foreign gods which are in your midst.”  After only a few years and with the some of the people still around who witnessed God’s miracles in bringing the Israelites to the land they were already cheating on God.

I think that both ideas are present here in the end of the book.  There is both hope and warning.  Joshua had been faithful and lived a good long life and was buried on his inheritance.  Eleazar also was buried in the inheritance of his son Phinehas.  And God had even honored Joseph’s faith as we see his bones being buried in the land (See Genesis 50:25-26 which happened over 400 years befoe).  God is faithful but he is also holy and will not allow sin to go unpunished (See Exodus 34:7).

But Exodus 34:7 not only teaches that God will punish sin it also teaches that He is faithful and forgiving.  The two have their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus who took our punishment and satisfied God’s holiness and justice but also made possible forgiveness.  Just like the Israelites we must choose who we will serve and we must be careful not to let the foreign gods creep back into our lives.  Even with good leaders around we need to continue to focus on what God has done.  We need to set up “witnesses” in our lives and keep going back to them.  I think the experts are mostly right the book ends pretty hopefully, but mostly because it shows us God’s faithfulness.  The people had their land, Joshua had his land, even faithful Joseph had his dying wish fulfilled.  We need to learn to be faithful.  Hebrews tells us that the men of faith in the Old Testament were looking for a heavenly land.  That is our hope too.  We may get things here and now but we need to keep our real hope on an eternity with God in heaven.  Joshua was 110 when he died, Joseph too, but most of us will never reach that age.  Life is short but eternity is forever.  Keep your eyes on the witnesses so you don’t forsake God.  Lord help me always remember.  Help me keep the right focus, on eternity.  Keep me each day from the things which I might replace you with.  Thank you for your love and forgiveness.  Thank you for your faithfulness.  Teach me to be faithful to you.