INTERNATIONAL SERIES

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 29, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 44.

INTERNATIONAL SERIES

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL

LESSON 6.—NOVEMBER 9.—JOSHUA'S PARTING ADVICE.

Lesson Scripture, Joshua 24: 14–25. A.S.R.V.

(14) “Now therefore fear Jehovah, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt; and serve ye Jehovah. (15) And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah. (16) And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods; (17) for Jehovah our God, He it is that brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and that did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; (18) and Jehovah drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land; therefore we also will serve Jehovah; for He is our God. (19) And Joshua said unto the people, Ye can not serve Jehovah; for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression nor your sins. (20) If ye forsake Jehovah, and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that He hath done you good. (21) And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve Jehovah. (22) And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you Jehovah, to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses. (23) Now therefore put away, said he, the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto Jehovah, the God of Israel. (24) And the people said unto Joshua, Jehovah our God will we serve, and unto His voice will we hearken. (25) So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.”

Golden Text.—“Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” Verse 15.

Special Helps.—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” Ch. 49, pp. 521–524.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) How did Joshua tell the people they should serve God? What practical work did this involve? Verse 14. Note 1. (2) What alternative did Joshua present? What did Joshua himself determine to do? Verse 15. Note 2. (3) What answer did the people make to Joshua's appeal? Verse 16. Note 3. (4) What had the Lord done for them in Egypt? What had He done on their journey in the wilderness? Verse 17. (5) What service had He rendered them in the promised land? Verse 18. (6) How did Joshua caution the people regarding their promise? Verse 19. Note 4. (7) What would be the result of their backsliding? Verse 20. Note 5. (8) How did the people emphasize their profession of allegiance to God? Verse 21. (9) How then did Joshua state their position? And how did they acknowledge it? Verse 22. (10) Then what admonition did Joshua give them? Verse 23. (11) How did the people again respond? Verse 24. Note 6. (12) Then what action did Joshua take? Verse 25.

NOTES.

1. “Now therefore” shows that Joshua's injunction to “fear the Lord” is predicated on what he has said before. The preceding part of the chapter is a review of God's dealings with the people and with their fathers back to the call of Abraham. The force of the appeal can not be appreciated without reading the context. “In sincerity,” not merely in formal, ceremonial service, but in “truth,” in obedience to God's holy law. “Thy law is truth.” Ps. 119:142. This would be the practical, actual putting away of all false gods.

2. “If it seem evil,” if all that God had done for them was not satisfactory, if it was not sufficient proof of His goodness and mercy, and His superiority over other gods, they had the privilege of choosing whom they would serve. God would not compel them to serve Him; He accepts only the willing mind. Joshua set the example of making a wise choice for himself and household, basing his choice on the prestige of God's marvelous work and his own experience as a servant of God.

3. On the strength of Joshua's appeal, the people renewed their covenant of allegiance to God. But like their fathers who made a like covenant at Sinai, it was not many years before they again apostatized. See Judges 2:7 and onward.

4. “Ye can not serve the Lord.” Joshua does not design to deter the people from all effort to serve God; but he would warn them that in their own strength or wisdom they could not keep such a covenant. That had been demonstrated before; and God would certainly take account of any presumption on their part.

5. The blessings of God are not without condition. The doctrine “once in grace always in grace” receives a severe rebuke in the words of Joshua. No matter how much God has done for us in the past, the continuance of His blessings is contingent on faithfulness. He will even consume the backslider, after having done him good. The goodness of God can not be trifled with. “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matt. 24:13.

6. This self-assurance on the part of Israel, this positive assumption of their own holiness, was the evidence of their weakness. They were making these strong promises, while some still retained false gods in their possession. So sure were they of inherent holiness, that they were willing to risk the terrible position of being witnesses against themselves, and Joshua took them at their word. Their failure to serve God in their own strength should be a constant warning to us in these days, but even professed Christians, an increasing number, too, assume the same position, loudly declaring their own holiness, and inability to fall. But, as in the case of the self-righteous Israelites, they just as persistently ignore the law of God, the only standard of righteousness.