Joshua 23:12-16

Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the LORD your God has given you.
“And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

– Joshua 23:12-16

Devotion

Warning! A warning is not fun to talk about. Maybe it comes in the form of a severe weather alert, a test result from a doctor, or an uncomfortable meeting with your boss. Only those people who truly love you will tell you the truth, even if it’s something you don’t want to hear.

Joshua is not being harsh with the Israelites. He has seen the catastrophic results of Israel’s hard-heartedness. He’s seen the consequences of his own failure. Joshua cares so much for the nation that he’s willing to say the hard things that people might not want to hear, but he wants them to remember – that the call to obedience is a call to the best way to live in the land God has given to them.

The Big Question

This section is mostly a warning. There is one statement in the middle of it that is a contrast to all of the warning that Joshua is giving the leaders. How would you restate that in your own words? How is that contrast a good reminder to you of what your life looks like when you follow Him?

Conclude in prayer and silence, reflecting on what you’ve learned.