Joshua 24:29-33 concludes the book by highlighting three key individuals who are buried in their piece of the Land. Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar the high priest all have strong connections to the Promised Land. Joseph’s faith in God’s deliverance was displayed in Genesis 50:25-26 “…God will surely come to your aid…” Eleazar figured prominently in the distribution of the Land (cf. 14:1; 17:4). More importantly, though, is where these three burials leave the reader. Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16, 39-40 teach us that although they were buried in the Promised Land, that land was not the promise they were waiting for. These three burials foreshadow the resurrection of the dead to eternal life spoken of in Daniel 12:1-3. The life, death, and resurrection of our High Priest, Jesus Christ, makes it possible for us to hope ultimately in the creation of new heavens and new earth where the righteous will live (cf. Is. 65:17-25).

Joshua 24:1-28 records Joshua’s third and final farewell message to God’s people.  It is designed to help them maintain the LifePlus God has graciously provided for them.  One key to this section is to note the repetition of idolatry in v. 2 and v. 14.  When the people express their good intentions to worship God alone, Joshua says, “You are not able to…for he is a holy God…” (v. 19).  Of course, we know the rest of the story: God’s people didn’t keep their end of the covenant and were taken into exile.  The covenant Joshua made with the people at this renewal service (vv. 25-27) was violated and God judged His people severely.  Thankfully, the rest of the story includes another covenant made by Jesus’ blood (cf. Hebrews 8:6-12; 13:20-21).  By faith in Christ we fulfill our obligation to the covenant and live a life that pleases God (cf. Gal. 2:20).

In this section the wrap-up of Joshua’s message continues. Verses 6-8, 11 contain instructions that provide conditions for enjoying God’s salvation. Verses 12-13, 15-16 contain severe warnings against those who do not meet those conditions. Joshua’s second farewell sermon teaches how faith in Christ empowers us to obey our Lord and enjoy God’s life. There was no way God’s people could keep from “transgressing the covenant of the Lord” (v. 16). However, the good news is that on the cross, Jesus, the only perfect, Law-abiding citizen, gave His life so Believers could escape the wrath of God (cf. vv. 15-16).

This section contains a situation that threatened the plan of God. Verses 12-20 contain an accusation against the 2.5 tribes that were featured in the beginning of Joshua. It was perceived that they had built an unauthorized altar. However, that was not the case (cf. vv. 21-29 for their explanation). Verse 31, thankfully, contain the resolution. Attempts to maintain holiness must be balanced with the need to maintain unity. The scenario does show us how devastating sin is in the assembly of Believers. God’s people took sin very seriously because they knew that God’s anger would lash out against “the whole congregation of Israel” (v. 18) if this perceived sin went unpunished. Emphasis on the altar and sacrifices points to our Savior’s death for sin and the creation of His unified Body.

21:43-45 concludes the longest section in Joshua (chapters 13-21). 21:45 appeared to be such a significant summary verse that I felt it should stand alone in a sermon. Like many places in Joshua’s narrative, this story is not designed for Christians to emulate a particular character. This summary of Joshua provides Christians with great confidence in God’s ability to deliver on His promise to save/sanctify Believers. It’s amazing how much progressing in the Christian life is dependent upon whether or not I believe God will keep His promises to His people. We know that all the promises of God are “yes” in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20). In all this discussion of inheritance, we do well to remember that Christ is the true Heir of God whose life, death, and resurrection life provide the ultimate victory over God’s enemies. Belief in God’s promises-in-Christ drive our quest for practical holiness (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1). Is this important? Even though our Lord gave all their enemies into their hands (Joshua 21:44), God’s people did not always completely wipe them out. This tension explains that the Christian life involves receiving all God’s promises while, at the same time, working hard by faith in the power of the Spirit to fight temptation. This lack of faith-driven effort in the promises of God would lead to disastrous results in the Land. I must believe in the promises of God that are legitimately for the Believer and act on that faith.

Joshua 21:1-42 records the final allotment of land in the Promised Land. The distribution of cities for the Levites stresses the importance of teaching God’s ways. Theology is communicated through a study of the ministry description of the Levites. Why was it so important for God’s people to have Levites throughout the Land (cf. Deuteronomy 33:8-11)? Worship was to be and always will be central for God’s people. There is no enjoying LifePlus without vital worship of God through faith in Christ’s sacrifice.

Chapter 20 discusses the remote-to-us concept of the cities of refuge.  I found it to be one of the most difficult sections in Joshua to preach.  God in His mercy continues to make provision for saints who sin in the Land while maintaining justice.  The need for this legislation shows how messy life can be for God’s people.  Verse 6 explains how long the manslayer stays in the city of refuge–until the death of the High Priest.  The death of the residing High Priest restored fellowship in Israel by clearing the guilt.  His death cancelled the debt owed by the manslayer.  Jesus’ death, which extends mercy and procures justice at the same time, is pictured in the death of the high priest that allowed the manslayer to return to his own town.  These cities showed how much God valued life.  This process helps explain why Scripture such as 1 John 1:9 work for us regularly.  In a messy world God continues to extend mercy while maintaining justice for those who believe.  The Church is one place where God’s people can find spiritual refuge. We know from 1 Corinthians 5 and 6 that the local church is supposed to be able to administer justice.

Chapters 14-19 in Joshua record how each tribe in Israel received their inheritance in the Promised Land. One way theology is conveyed in the narrative is the special pleas that are made for certain pieces of real estate (cf. vv. 14:6-12; 15:16-19; 17:3-6; 19:49-50; 21:1-2). Five individuals display the kind of faith and tenacity necessary to enjoy LifePlus. They are included in the narrative as examples to follow. How and why God gave them their request is important. 14:8, 9, 14 repeat the reason why Caleb received Land: “because he wholly followed the Lord.” We also learn that women request and receive Land. In 15:18-19 Caleb’s daughter asks her husband to ask Caleb for a field and a blessing of two springs to go along with the property. In 17:3-6 five daughters ask for property and it’s granted to them. In 17:14-18 the tribe of Joseph asks for more land in the Land, but their request is turned down. Joshua tells them to get busy and clear off the wooded land they had. In 18:2-6 Joshua has to encourage seven tribes to get busy taking their inheritance. They were not following through to possess their land and needed to be prodded along. The quest or non-quest for enjoying more of LifePlus (God’s salvation) is mirrored in these mini-narratives. One key Christological idea is contained in the fact that Caleb is from the tribe of Judah. He points to our Savior who is the true Heir of God’s life. Through Him all who believe have an eternal inheritance (cf. 1 Peter 2:5-10). Caleb’s description of being someone who “wholly followed the Lord” (cf. 14:8, 14) points to our Savior who perfectly obeyed God’s laws. Through His death, believers can take on His righteousness and receive an inheritance of eternal life.

Like the previous preaching portion, this one is also extremely long to handle in one sermon (Joshua 13-17). Plus, there are so many historical details that do not function for the Church. However, I’ve made this decision in light of the reoccurring themes found throughout the chapters. Verse 13:6 records what God promised He would do (“I myself will drive them out…”). That would give His people an opportunity to move in, thoroughly defeat their enemies, and enjoy their new location (note the repetition of “inheritance”). Tension develops in 13:13; 15:63; 16:10; and 17:12-13 as God’s people fail to completely drive out the enemies. It’s not only what God promised to do, but also what God determines His people must do in this fight. This shows us that the only thing that keeps Christians from enjoying all the Life God has made possible is our disbelief/disobedience, not the strength of our enemy. Often Jesus called His disciples, “O you little-faiths.” Only our Lord Jesus’ death on the cross would make victory over our enemies possible, thereby providing a spiritual inheritance to all who believe. You may want to track some uses of the term, inheritance, in the NT epistles. In a practical sense, every Christian must expend great amounts of energy defeating temptation by faith, in the power of the Spirit. Without this fight, we can never enjoy all that God has for us. The story, of course, drives us forward in history to our Lord who would one day enter that same Land and completely conquer our enemy on the cross. Romans 6 contains the same dual emphasis of what God has done in Christ and what we are responsible to do in light of what God has done. We believe the Gospel and we do not let sin reign in our bodies. Believers never let up in their fight against temptation and sin.