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Chosen no: R-4080 a, from: 1907 Year. |
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Israel Renewing The Covenant
--JOSHUA
24:14-25.--NOVEMBER 10.--
Golden Text:--"The Lord our God will we serve, and his
voice will we obey."--Joshua 24:24.
ISRAEL became God's people by solemn covenant (See Exod. 19:5-8), and on several
occasions that covenant was renewed that succeeding generations might not
forget the obligations thereby resting upon them. The instance before us was
one of these occasions, and a very appropriate one--after their settlement in
the land of promise and when Joshua their leader, being very old, must of necessity
soon be taken [R4080 : page 318] from them by death. Joshua, therefore,
remembering the command of Moses to thus remind the people of their covenant
obligations (Deut. 27), made this the occasion for solemn exhortation, warning
and counsel, as well as for leading the people to a renewal of their vows and a
purging of themselves from every semblance of idolatry, which his address shows
still lingered in some degree among them.
The counsel of Joshua was reverently
received, the covenant was renewed, and the nation purged itself from idolatry,
and in consequence was prospered and blessed. But why, we may reasonably
inquire, should we be interested now in seemingly trivial matters of history of
a date so remote? Why so minutely consider the experience and doings of that
nation more than others of the ancient peoples? Or why are they so minutely
given by the sacred writers?
Their importance to us lies in the
fact that in the experiences of that consecrated people were foreshadowed those
of God's consecrated people of this Gospel Age; and in God's dealings with them
we can read his judgment of us under similar circumstances, we, the Gospel
Church, being the antitypes of fleshly Israel, the Spiritual Israel of
God--nominally, as in the type, including all the professed members of the
Church, but actually only those who are truly the Lord's--"Israelites
indeed," Christians indeed.
In the nation of Israel (nominal Israel) we observe a constant
tendency to idolatry, while a faithful few ("Israelites indeed")
always resisted this tendency, and, with fixed purpose of heart, worshiped the
Lord in the beauty of holiness and endeavored to influence others to similar
faithfulness. But their forefathers prior to Abraham were idolaters; the
nations all about them were idolaters; and idolatrous worship, unlike the
worship of the true God, imposed no restraints upon the downward tendencies of
the fallen nature, but, on the contrary, cultivated and pandered to its
depravity. Nor did it require faith in the unseen, but presented to the senses
tangible objects of worship with rites and ceremonies suited to the carnal
nature. Hence the continual gravitation of the nation toward idolatry,
notwithstanding the wonderful power and goodness of God manifested on their
behalf. Joshua, after calling attention to the marvels of divine providence
which their wonderful history furnished, urged upon the people a prompt and
firm decision, saying, "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve," etc.
Joshua also gave them distinctly to
understand that in choosing to serve the Lord it must be whole-hearted and
sincere service, a full and complete turning to the Lord, and the putting away
of all rivals. This exhortation was coupled with warnings of the Lord's
indignation and wrath if they should wickedly ignore or violate their covenant
and turn to idolatry. "And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God
will we serve, and his voice will we obey."
Happy indeed was it for Israel that
such was their decision; and happy would it be for all God's consecrated
people, if, with fixedness of purpose they would pay their vows unto the Most
High. In his dealings with typical Israel we see that our God is a
jealous God and that he desires whole-hearted devotion to himself. If we permit
any rival to occupy the mind and heart that were solemnly consecrated to him
alone, then we are unfaithful to him and wickedly despising our covenant. Let
the language of every heart be, "The Lord our God will we serve, and his
voice will we obey."
"If ye forsake the Lord, and
serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt and consume you, after
that he hath done you good." The fact that the Lord has richly blessed us
in the past while we were in the way with him is no guarantee that he will
continue his favor with us after we have forsaken him. On the contrary his
positive declaration is that he will withdraw his favor from all such. In addition
to the above the Prophet Ezekiel says, "When a righteous man doth turn
from his righteousness and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before
him, he shall die." And Paul adds, ["because they received not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved"], "God shall send them
strong delusions, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be
condemned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness."--Ezek. 3:20; 2 Thess. 2:11,12. See also Heb. 6:4-8;
10:26-31.
We should observe specially in Heb.
10:29the reference to a sorer punishment to be visited upon the
covenant-despisers of this age than that visited upon the same class in the
Jewish Age, because of the higher privileges and advantages received here and
despised. The death penalty there was a hasty visitation of the original Adamic
penalty, but the death penalty here upon the wilful covenant-despisers is the
Second Death, from which there is no escape.
W.T. R-4080 a : page 317 – 1907 r