Joshua - Concluding Chapters

Now we're reading in Joshua chapter 10, Joshua chapter 10, now it came to pass when Adonai Zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it as he had done to Jericho and her king so he had done to Ai and her king and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them that they feared greatly because of because Gibeon was a great city as one of the royal cities and because it was greater than Ai and all the men thereof were mighty. Verse 5, therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together and went up they and all their hosts and encamped before Gibeon and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal saying, select not thy hand from thy servants, come up to us quickly and save us and help us.

For all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us. So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said unto Joshua, fear them not for I have delivered them into thine hand.

There shall not a man of them stand before thee. Verse 25, and Joshua said unto them, fear not nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage. For thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom you fight.

Now there is much ground we cannot possibly cover and we'll try just to give you a title of the intervening chapters and there are one or two verses I want you to read with me on the way through. Now chapter 14 please, verse 6. Chapter 14 and verse 6. Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenite, the Kenizzite, said unto him, thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses, the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh Barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to espy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.

Verse 10, and now behold the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years ever since the Lord spake this word unto Moses while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old, as yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, both to go out and to come in.

Now, further along the book please, and let us come to chapter 23. And it came to pass after many days, or a long time after that, the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age, or in years. And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and well stricken in age, or years.

And ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you. For the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you. Look please at verse 10, one man of you shall chase a thousand.

For the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. Take good heed therefore unto yourselves that ye love the Lord your God. Now, chapter 24, and Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to shake him, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God.

And this is a very challenging chapter as you will know, in which we have the great words of this man further down. Verse 14, now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt, and serve ye the Lord.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But ask for me at my house, we will serve the Lord. Verse 29, and it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old.

And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnas Sira, which is in the Mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Geash. And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord that he had done for Israel. And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamar, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver.

And it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. And Eliezer the son of Aaron died, and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas, his son, which was given him in Mount Ephraim. Now we trust the Lord will be pleased to bless to us the rich reading of his holy word.

Now, those that have been with us from the first night will remember that on each chapter, we have been simply giving a very, I do trust, helpful title. We had only time to look at some of the interesting items that appear in each of these chapters, and we have only got as far as chapter 9. With 15 more chapters to go, we would certainly require more time than we have tonight. But I will endeavor at least to give you a title for each chapter so that it will furnish you with material you can use when you come again to this book of Joshua.

Now, we have come to an important stage because the details are very great. I'm going to look at this chapter, chapter 10, and we're just going to point out some of the items and then move through some of the chapters and finish with the last two, if you will. Now, we have pointed out the simple words on our way through, and one of those very simple words occurs again in chapter 10, verse 1. We picked it up first when we listened to Rahab speak to the servants of Jehovah when she addressed them that night in her home.

She used that lovely word when we heard, when we heard, and she refers to what the Lord did at the Red Sea and to what he did at just on the other side of Jordan, that is to the kings of the Amorites. And Rahab said there was no more spirit left in us. Our spirits did melt.

In other words, they were heart of free as they heard of God's dealings. Now, we picked up the word again in chapter 5 and verse 1, and in that chapter we read that the kings of the Amorites heard. The news is extending.

And now when we come to chapter 9, chapter 10, as we have read tonight, we have it again. Chapter 9, rather. Chapter 9, please.

Look at chapter 9 and verse 1. It's a long verse, but there it is just at the end. And again, it's another list of kings, and they have heard, they have heard. So, when we come to chapter 10 and verse 1, the king of Jerusalem heard.

Now, you'll have to follow it through. I cannot possibly give you all the occurrences, but you'll notice we read the last one in our little reading. It's a lovely word in this book.

And what does it announce? Well, the word heard doesn't need to be explained, but the context in which it occurs indicates something that I do trust is operative, is working in this locality. What do the people around here in respect of the testimony of this assembly? Now, isn't that a most important and isn't it a very relevant question? You see, when Rahab heard, when these numerous kings heard, it struck fear in their hearts. And now when the king of Jerusalem heard.

And so, I want you to ask yourself, if I went out around your locality and asked the people about this building, about the people that meet here, what would they tell me? What would they say? What have they heard? You see, the impact that this assembly is making on the outsider is very important, very important. In fact, it would list among the most important items and any assembly represented. What impact is this assembly making on the outsider? Now, you'll understand that that's New Testament teaching.

When that young assembly in Thessalonica saw and were motivated by the simplicity of the gospel and the reality of the gospel, they went out with such zeal and with such activity that the apostle found there was no need to come there because that whole area had received the impact we're talking about. One day, a very good friend of mine, I didn't know him at the time of which I speak, but I got to know him afterward. He went to a Scottish town in which there is an annual conference even to this day.

And during the break in the conference, he strolled down to the harbor, a fishing village. And there at the harbor were a number of men standing against the wall, talking one to another and smoking pipes and whatever. And this dear man went along and he said, gentlemen, I'm a stranger here.

And you would know by my tongue I am, for he was an Englishman and he was in Scotland. He said, men, do you know anything about people called brethren in this place? That's a wholesome question, mind you. And he was asking the outsider.

And he was trying to assess the impact of the assembly upon the outsider. What have they heard? What have they heard? And you know, beloved, what we're dealing with tonight is the reality of the testimony. What do people hear? Are we ashamed of what they've heard? Is there any reason to be concerned about what they have heard? Or are we so clear in our living and so clear in our conscience that as far as our testimony is concerned in this locality and the locality in which you live, that when they hear, they're moved? That's what was here.

Rahab was moved. These kings, mighty and hostile though they may be, the Bible's emphasizing right through when they heard, when they heard. Oh, beloved, you just think of it, how careful we have to be, how responsible we have to be in our behavior, in our testimony, in our relationships, because we are creating, we are making an impact either for good or for something less than good.

So I think that this little word causes me to pause. What do people hear? What do they know? What effect, beloved, is our testimony having upon them? I know they may not appreciate the gospel, but in their hearts of hearts, surely, beloved, they respect those associated with the testimony for what they are, and for what they manifest themselves to be. And when God is moving, as he is in this great book, moving through a people that are united, the impact is great.

God moved through this locality in that way, through the assembly here, and through the assemblies represented. I would know how many or how few, but you know, and you know I'm addressing you from my heart. Then of course, it's not that these people are anxious for conciliation.

They are only intent in opposition. Their only effort is to thwart the progress of this forward mighty movement for God, and therefore you'll notice the intensity, the intensity of the test. Now there are five kings in close confederacy.

What are they doing? They have united, they have joined forces, they have come together so that they may oppose the progress of the testimony of God in the land. Well, there's plenty of that tonight, beloved. I think the longer the testimony is permitted to remain in these favorite parts, the more you and I will sense and see the intensity of the confederacy of man.

Ecumenicalism in all its subtlety, and in all its strategy, intent only in withstanding the progress of the truth of God. I do trust, beloved, you're not part of anything that contributes to that system, and to those systems, but that's what's here. Here is a, here is a, here is a confederacy, and you're going to see it's very strong.

They are kings, they have authority, they have influence, they have resources. I could go on, and you know it's unchanged tonight. It's still the same, but thank God there is something more than that.

Lovely to see that the servant of God, Joshua, has the consciousness of divine assurance. And dear young Christian, I trust you get that poured into your breast tonight. Here is God saying again to a servant in verse number eight, fear them not, fear them not.

And when the intensity of the test becomes almost unbearable in your situation, remember this, there is a God that is able to draw near. There is a God that is able to give assurance, and strength, and support, and comfort, and I could go on, but you understand my language surely. And here is God assuring, fear not, fear not.

Joshua, as he opposes with all his drawn force, the might of these kings looks to God for divine intervention. And God not only gives his assurance, but the mighty God establishes his assault. And stones fall from heaven, heel falls, and these men are crushed by the very power from God out of heaven.

Solemn isn't it? Solemn it is indeed. And as Joshua is waxing bold in the fight, he feels the time, the day is not long enough in order that the victory may be fully wrought. And he looks to heaven, and he asks for something no man ever asked before.

And God gives it to him. Not only did he get God's assurance, and not only did he see God's assault, but thank God he had divine assistance to such a degree that their sons stood still. Oh, what a miracle, what a miracle.

I understand as you know that this is tremendous beloved, but let us just bring it into the compass of our lives tonight. Can we not in this day, in our own simple way, with the truth of God burning in our hearts, with the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, listen brethren, can we not prove God? Can we not? Why don't we put him as we have seen to a test, to see will he not do what we're anxious for him to do? Thank God he can do the impossible. The creator of God's at work now.

He's putting his hand on the universe. He's doing something that the astrologers and the scientists have established was done, you know. And they can it never down to the last split second.

And the find that this day was a little short. All too interesting for me to go into, but they are found where that time actually comes in again, and you'll find it on the dial of Hezekiah. But just now, God is working for his people.

Now here's something else that I like in the chapter. I'm going to call this chapter, the chapter of the standing son. That's very simple, isn't it? You'll remember it by that.

For this was the day that the son stood still. And, and Joshua says it never did that before because no one ever heard, the Lord never hearkened onto the voice of a man like this before or after it. This is absolutely unique.

And you know, beloved, it's a great thing. Let me just get back to it. Lest, lest I have missed a point in your heart.

I want to tell you as I stand here tonight, one of the chiefest joys is to prove God, to prove it. If I started to tell you some of the things that God has done for us, the clock wouldn't, wouldn't be at 12 before I'd be done. Now, listen, I want you to experience this.

This is not my prerogative. This can come within the scope of your simple faith. And that's what Joshua proved.

But now I want you to notice not only the reality of the testimony and the intensity of the test and the singularity of the triumph, but I want you to notice the unity of the tribes, the unity of the tribes. What I have done each night, and I trust my younger brethren and my younger sisters have their sense to see it and their sense to note it. You pardon me saying this.

I'm astounded in America that so few of the young men and young women take notes. I'm astounded at that. It must have tremendous memories.

But if you come to Malaysia, you'll see every soul in the meeting with a notebook. And if you come to Japan, you'll see every meeting is supplied with desks. So the notebooks are on the desk and made of a desk in between every row of seat for the most part at conferences that I have been at in Japan.

And there they are putting it down so they're not missing a word. So don't miss this. What is it? Each night I have tried to point out to you the recurrence of simple words.

And here in this lovely story, in this lovely chapter, you just read it carefully and find how many times you get this little expression of two words, all Israel, all Israel. There it is right through the chapter from verse number 15. I'm not going to tell you how many times, but you'll be able to read the chapter before you sleep tonight and you'll be able to put down how many times that lovely expression occurs in the chapter because it's important.

Important. I have said already in these nights that the great distinction between Joshua and judges is this. In Joshua, it is all Israel.

The nation is united. Every tribe to the man is backing the fight and is continuing in the battle. But when you come to judges, it's sporadic, it's spasmodic.

Deborah has to mourn what happened to those that abode by the seashore. Why did they not come when they were called? They were busy at their commerce. They were busy at their business.

They had other things to do. The call meant nothing to them. When Gideon blew his trumpet, look at a few that came.

And then when he saw triumph and was in the throes of victory, all he could get was criticism from his other tribes. Why didn't you call us? But all in Joshua, it's all Israel. What is it here? I'm going to ask you a question.

Are you in Joshua and judges? When the assembly makes an announcement for ministry meetings, is it all the assembly or just part of it? When the assembly makes an announcement for endeavor in the gospel, is it all the assembly or just the usual part or the ordinary part? What is it, beloved? Am I penetrating enough with this word before me? The unity of the tribes. What a testament it was, all Israel. I want you to get that in your soul and look at this lovely moment when Joshua has found these five kings in the cave.

He brings them out and he asks the men of Israel to put their foot upon their neck. You remember the words of Paul when he's looking at something like this and he's writing about Priscilla and Aquila that they put their necks to the work. And then he also says in that chapter that God shall brew sitting under your feet shortly.

And as the kings were there and Joshua commanded the victorious people to crush them, they were hesitant. And Joshua says, fear not. And Joshua says, be strong and of a good courage.

Not lovely. He's ministering what he has got from God. He has got from God the fear not in the earlier part of the chapter.

He has got from God the fear not in the other experience we saw last night. He got three times from God the words be strong. He got from Moses three times the word be strong.

He got from the people be strong. Now he's commanding the people be strong and of a good courage for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom you fight. Now chapter 11 is the chapter of the sovereigns.

And you'll have to read chapter 11 and 12 together and you'll find that it's simply for the most part a tremendous list of kings. And 11 one starts as nine one and as 10 one, it says, and it came to pass when Jabin King of Hazor had heard. See, the news is spreading.

The impact is intensifying. The range of the impact of the people of God is being extended beloved. I trust that will be so in this company.

The more the Lord gives the strength and the power. Now come to chapter 13 very quickly. And in chapter 13 it is the chapter of the significant.

The significant. What do you mean by that, says someone? Well, there are two things in this chapter that set my mind at motion. And here is all Israel, all Israel.

And they're going to receive and they're receiving the mighty inheritance into which God has brought them. Tribe after tribe in these chapters now are being given the land for a position. But there is a distinct omission.

Look please at verse 14. Only unto the tribe of Levi, he gave none inheritance. The sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance as he speak unto them.

Look please at verse 33. But unto the tribe of Levi, Moses gave not any inheritance. The Lord God of Israel is or was their inheritance as he said or speak unto them.

Now you'll find that that is so in chapter 14. It continues into the first five verses. Gave no part unto the Levites, verse four, save cities to dwell in.

And then come with me please to chapter 18, if you will. Verse seven, but the Levites have no part among you for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. Now can you put all that together? Here are Levites and they're not going to own a section of all of the inheritance, not a part.

They're not going to own the territory that Ephraim possesses. They're not going to own a portion of what Benjamin possesses, Moses, and as it is here, Joshua. Only unto the tribe of Levi, he gave none inheritance.

But says the Lord, but says Joshua, the offerings, the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance. Now what is that? As you know, that's Hebrews. And then, but on verse 33, but unto the tribe of Levi, Moses gave not any inheritance.

The Lord God of Israel was their inheritance. Isn't that good? Not only the offering, not only their sacrifice, but now the person, the person, what a richness. We can put it in there, can't we? We haven't anything in this inheritance, but we have the offering.

We have their sacrifice. And thank God we have the person, the person. That must be Colossians in my simple judgment.

And what a precious thing it is to see the word inheritance in Hebrews and to see the word inheritance in Colossians, where the person of the Lord Jesus is presented in all his fullness. Chapter 14, save cities to dwell in. Well, beloved, I trust, I trust you know something of this.

That is, he gave unto the Levites no portion in the land, save cities to dwell in. Cities to extend. Where are you? You're in an assembly.

Is that a great inheritance? Where does the word inheritance occur in the Acts? Chapter 20. What's in chapter 20? The church of God. What is Paul saying? I came here.

I labored here. What did I see established? I saw an assembly established. And in those years, what did I do? I sought to establish the testimony.

I sought to extend the testimony. That's all I have. Is that you, beloved? When it comes to chapter 18, the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance.

That's Peter, isn't it? He loves the word inheritance. And he speaks about a holy priesthood. And he speaks about a royal priesthood.

Not only have we the personal priesthood of Christ, but you and I are priests. And you know that. And here we have the portion with the Levites.

And so, I like that little study there that just brings out the chapter of the significant. Now, chapter 14, the chapter of the steadfast. The chapter of the steadfast.

I think when I come to the biographies in our Bible, I think they're beautiful. And in this lovely chapter where we have read, we have Caleb. We have to hurry through now.

And what a joy to see Caleb. I'll just give you a few points about Caleb that I trust, dear beloved brother, describes you tonight, young or old. But I want to encourage the older, if you allow me to do that at this moment.

One thing that strikes me about their story from verse six to the end of the chapter is the energy of the man. The energy of the man. I do trust, beloved, though age is coming on and years are increasing.

And that's what Caleb is talking about here. Yet, what does he say? He says, I'm as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, for going out and for coming in.

I do trust, beloved. I know the old physical frame is getting a bit difficult. We all know that.

The outward man perishes, but the inward man is renewed day by day. I do trust, as age increases, dear soul, tonight, you'll know something of this spiritual energy that marked this steadfast servant of God. He said, 40 years old, I was when I first engaged in the things of God.

When I was first sent, he said, by Moses, just by the land. It's 45 years on from then, and I'm still the same tonight. God grant us, God grant us that to the day he calls us home.

Spiritual energy. But there's more than that. I want you to notice his exercise.

His exercise. What does he say? He said, I'm looking back 45 years ago when Moses sent me to the land, and I told him what was in my heart. And what was in your heart, Caleb? I want to tell you, he said, just as Joshua told us in that chapter, and they both sing it out together in that lovely chapter we looked at the first night we were together.

They both said, it's a goodly lie. A goodly lie. And what is it? This man hasn't changed his mind.

45 years on. 45 years on, beloved. It is still good.

It is still clear in his mind. His energy is unchanged. His exercise is unchanged.

Is yours? Did God call you out to his name so many years ago to be separate from all around? I'm asking you, beloved, has your mind changed? Has your exercise altered? Has there come in something that has caused you to wonder, did I do the right thing? Man, there was nothing of that in this man's exercise. What I want to tell you is this. When I spoke of that land and said it was good, it's as good now as it was then.

Thank God for men. Thank God for women. Thank God for brethren.

Thank God for sisters of that persuasion. I had the privilege of being brought into the assembly as a boy of 14 in 1939. That's a long time ago as far as I'm concerned.

And what thrills my soul tonight is this, beloved. It's a sweeter today than ever it was. Is that to you? Is it? Or does it not appeal anymore? Has it changed? Do you look on it now as you looked on it then? Oh, beloved, if there's an alteration in your thought about the things of God, you go home tonight and get down and get it cleared from your mind as quickly as you possibly can.

Energy unchanged. Exercise unchanged. His expectancy is unchanged.

He says, you know what happened on that day? You know what Moses promised me? Verse 12. Now, therefore, give me this mountain. A man at 85 wanting a mountain.

I could have understood if he said, give me the valley, give me a mountain. You can see, you're going to see spiritual expectancy in his heart. You can see, beloved, the freshness and vigor of the power of God in his soul as he looks at divine things.

I do trust, beloved, as you look at this great book we're looking at tonight, and not only Joshua, but the whole of the divine volume, you're asking God, give me this mountain. Minister to me the riches, the heights, the majesty of the word. Give me this mountain.

I'm expecting tonight that God will fill my soul with divine truth as never before. Or I'm asking you, beloved, with a sob in my heart, is it a burden to you? Is it nice to notice his enjoyment is the same? For he said, it says here, unto this day. Isn't that lovely? Verse 14.

Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, unto this day. Unto this day. Oh, his enjoyment was unchanged.

He had got Hebron. What's Hebron, fellowship? Now, what's the secret? What's the secret, beloved? What is the secret to this? I'm looking at you and you're looking at me. It's the man's experience is unchanged.

What's that? He wholly followed the Lord. Moses said it. Joshua says it.

God says it. That good? Three. He wholly followed the Lord.

His experience over those years was unchanged. Now, beloved, may that just be a blessing to you. The chapter of the steadfast.

Now, I'd love to have come into chapter 15 because his daughter's in there and his son-in-law is in there. And that's a great, that's a great area. I'm going to call that the chapter of the soldier.

And you study often when you get an opportunity in light of this and in light of judges and you'll find it a blessing. Chapter 16 is the chapter, the chapter of the settlement. Chapter 17, chapter 17 is very important.

It's the chapter of the spirit. Now, I don't know what you have asked God for before you came to the meeting. It was very good.

It was very encouraging to hear our brother pray tonight. At least I know what was in his soul. He had opportunity to express it and I thought he expressed it lovingly and with deep compassion.

And he asked God for a blessing. You know, beloved, in that chapter that we have in time to look at, chapter 17, the sons of Joseph asked for a double blessing, a double blessing. They weren't content with just one portion.

They remember, they must have remembered the character of Joseph, the bounteous hand that God put upon him through his devotion to God in a long, long day pass. And you remember what his father said about him. Now these, his sons, way down their years, remember that.

And they come into Joshua. It's a great section. And what do they ask? They want more.

They're not satisfied with something that they feel would be content, but beloved, they ask for more. Do you do that? Chapter 18 is a lovely chapter because what I, what I discover in the chapter, rather, I was thinking of chapter 19 there. Sorry, I was looking at chapter 19.

Chapter 18 has a sad note. It's the chapter of the slackness, the chapter of the slackness. For as Joshua says, as Joshua says, verse three, how long are you slack to go to possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers have given you? That would be a big exercise to come to that.

Now I'm going to ask you a question again. Pardon these, pardon these questions tonight. What progress have you made this year? What time are you setting for your spiritual enrichment? Did you hear our brother pray? Hope you'll listen to the prayers.

I do. I listen to every word. I don't judge a man's smoke, a man's sacrifice by a smoke, but I can tell you it is quite a, quite a reasonable thing to judge a man's spirituality by his exercise for the people of God.

What our brother pray that you may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. How have you progressed in that? Is it to be asked of you? Why are you so slack? Young man says, well, when I get my studies finished, I'll go down to the Bible. I want to tell you, you'll never do it.

Young couple say, when we get married, we'll, we'll get down to the book together. You'll never do it. And the man says, well, when the children, you'll never do it.

I want to tell you from the depth of my heart, man, if you're not doing it now, you'll never do it then. Have I started to tell you of the mourning tears have been on my shoulder over the years with brethren that have missed it? Done well, years wasted now beyond the ability to grasp as they once would the things of God. Listen to this man, listen to his penetrating question.

Why are you so slack? You slack? What's for someone? You have no idea how busy I am. God bless you. But listen, if you're so busy that you're depriving your soul of moments with God.

I was told by Frank Knox years ago, you're busier than what God ever intended you to be. I know what you're going to say. I know what you might be saying.

Your soul is all right for you. You have all day. Now, listen, I want to tell you, and I'm looking at you and you're still looking at me.

I didn't come into the work to study my Bible. I can tell you that. I didn't go to Malaysia to study my Bible.

And that's just personal to me. I'm straight to you. And you know that, you know, I'm speaking to your heart.

If you don't know what it is to set aside time of your sleep, and most of us could do a less and a no sacrifice before God, you'll never know progress as God wants it. I could make excuses. I did make excuses.

I remember writing to the late Mr. Kandik. When I find myself in a room with a wife and a little one, that's all I had. And I wrote to Mr. Kandik, I said, Fred, I don't have room.

I can't do this and I can't do that. And I wrote a lovely, sympathetic, tearful letter expecting that the dear man would just rub my shoulder the right way and I'd be very happy. What did he do? One of the tersest letters ever I got from him.

He says, Tom, if you're not faithful in what is least, you'll not be faithful in what is greater. That just knocked me right back on my back. And that's just what I needed.

You got that? You got that? Oh, you say, wait till I get a bigger house or wait till I get this. Now, listen, if you're waiting for something to begin, I want to tell you plainly, you'll never begin. Now, chapter 19 is the chapter of the sympathetic.

That's what I had in mind. Isn't it lovely to think that after all the tribes got their land and everyone fully satisfied with the abundance of God's provision. Isn't it lovely, beloved, that the tribes thought of Joshua.

Oh, I'd love to dwell on that. Brethren, don't forget your older brethren. I tell you, don't forget the men that are born in the heat of the day.

Don't forget, beloved, those that have led and blazed a trail for God and you know them. I don't. I'm speaking of your area, but I know the men that were the men of God to me.

And I have a joy in my heart tonight that when I would come home, I'd go way up yonder and ask the dear old man now almost passed. Would he go to a conference? And I would get Mr. Knox into my car. I thought it was the greatest thing on this earth to have that man sitting beside me, pray along the road.

Oh, beloved, let us, let us build a sympathy. Lovely to think that they gave Joshua a lovely portion of the inheritance. That's what he asked for.

Timnath, Sera and Mount Ephraim. Now, chapter 20 is the chapter of the shelters, the cities of refuge, as you know. And chapter 21 is the chapter, I think this is very beautiful, is the chapter of the servants.

Because here are the Levitical servants now, getting a reward. The sons of the Koaffites, the Gershonites and the Morarites and so on. And I think that would be very precious to consider.

But now we come to the last two chapters, the three chapters. Chapter 22 is an interesting chapter, the chapter of the symbol. But chapter 23 is the chapter of the survey.

Hope you've got those words down. They'll help you a great deal, I'm perfectly sure. Now, all I want you to do is just for these few moments, look at chapter 23 with me and quickly chapter 24 and I trust it will prove helpful.

I would love to know where this gathering was held. We're not told where it was held, but I'm going to say something about that in a moment. But what I am told is this, that Joshua in this chapter gathered the elders, the officers, the heads, the judges, and he brought them together.

And the first subject he had to talk to them about was this, his age, his years, his years. Now, lest I forget, unless I miss the point, you men that work at your Bible and you women too, can you put alongside this chapter another man that did the same? And we're right in Acts 20 again, and here is the apostle and he gathers the elders. Joshua gathered the elders, Paul gathers the elders of Ephesus.

And what does he talk about? These three years. What a parallel. Now, beloved, I'm asking you again, what about your years? How have they been spent for God? You look at what this man has got to say.

Take time to read it. And then I want you to notice, please, from verse number six, be you therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you turn not aside from to the right hand or to the left, that you come not among these nations, these that remain among you, neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them nor bow yourselves unto them, but cleave unto the Lord your God as you have done unto this day. Here's his appeal, his appeal, his age, his appeal.

Verse 12 to 13, you'll notice his alternative. If you don't cleave to the Lord, then know of a certainty that your God, your Lord, the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you, but they shall be snares and traps unto you and scourges in your eyes until you perish from off this good land, which the Lord your God has given you. And then I want you to notice from verse 14 to verse 16, his anxiety.

He says, I'm going to leave you very soon. I'm going to go the way of all the earth. Now listen, all that I want you to do is to put this chapter down in black and white on a page and put down the message of Paul in Acts 20 and see his years and see his tears and listen to his fears.

He said, I know that after my departure, grievous woes shall come in, not sparing the flock. Men shall arise in your midst. And you know, beloved, Moses said the same.

I know that after my departure, you will utterly corrupt yourselves. Joshua says the same. Paul is warning of the same issue.

And as we're losing men of character and men of caliber in these dreadful days, think of the many men you have lost. Think of those men that God has taken home in the last two years that were so close, particularly brother Maxwell to myself. I can never express the loss I've sustained.

But what's going to happen to us without their preserving power, without the preservative power of their presence? Are we going to utterly corrupt ourselves? Are we going to allow the drift to continue? What did that man of God say to those elders? He said, listen, take heed unto yourselves. What does this man of God say? What does this man of God say in verse 11? Take, take good heed, therefore, unto yourselves. I often wonder, did Paul read this before he went to the meeting with the elders? I do indeed.

I've wondered, did he read this chapter? He seems to be following every sentence, every breath of it. What's he doing? He's given a survey of his work. He's given a survey of his toil.

Now he's looking at these men that are going to lead after he's gone. And he's asking, what do you want to do? What do you want to do? Now chapter 24, why did I ask? Why did I say, I just don't know where chapter 23 was held? I'd love to know. I'm going to suggest that probably it could have been Shechem.

But now what you're going to have to do, and I didn't do all the work for you because if I did, you'd have nothing more to do, wouldn't it? So now what I want you to do is this. I want you to read this book and I want you to list every reference to Gilgal. And I want you to visit every gathering at Gilgal.

Will you do that? Someday I may come back and ask you for your work. See what you've done. And then at Gilgal, you'll see there were victories.

There were victories. And then I want you to read this book again and I want you to notice how many gatherings there were at Shiloh. For at Shiloh, Joshua states values.

Values. That was the sphere of the priest. That was the place likely where God had put his name.

So they gathered at Gilgal. Remember circumcision, won't you? Remember the key to the land? Remember their defeat through not living a circumcised life? And then I want you to come to Shechem. And at Shechem, there are vows.

We're at Shechem now. We're almost at the close. And what does this man say? He's looking at the host of the Israelites and he says, choose you this day whom you will serve.

What a summary devil. Now this is the chapter of the service. For you see my way through, don't you? And I keep it right to the very last chapter.

I've done the same in each chapter, but I haven't been able to tell you it all. But 14 times in this chapter, you get the word serve or the word service or the word served. 14 times double perfection.

The last chapter is the chapter of the service. Now, beloved, can't you see the sense of looking at those who have done? Visit Gilgal in this book. Visit Shiloh.

Visit Shechem. See the victories. Listen to the values.

But beloved, bend an ear to the vows. You know why? This book commenced with a burial. My servant Moses is dead.

And this book ends with three burials. Three burials. Joshua is buried.

The bones of Joseph are buried. And Eliezer the priest is buried. And so here's a mighty book of activity in between two sets of burials.

What about the man that started the business here? Our God. How soon? How soon will you follow Joshua? How soon will I? I don't know. But if the Lord be not come, it will come.

You see, our lives are bounded by that kind of thing. Amen. Thank God for men that commenced this work.

Got a little bit of it today. Told me. They're all buried.

If I remain away for a while and come back, if God spares me, in due course, there may be some here. Your day will have ended. Now you see the challenge of this book.

While God does bury work, God carries on. Will that be true of you? I trust it will. Thank you for your patience.

The Lord bless. Until we meet again. Our blessed God and Father, we find ourselves prostrate before thee at the close of another meeting, conscious of thy goodness to us in these nights.

We trust, Lord, that thou will bless thy word. We thank thee for these great chapters. Oh, how rich thy word is.

How commanding and yet how demanding. We think of the young life here. We coveted for thee.

Young men and young women in the freshness of youth. We thank thee for their devotion. We thank thee for their determination.

And Lord, we pray for their development. We long to see them mature into spiritual leaders for the good of the assemblies with which they're associated. We thank thee for the prayerful assistance of the older and for the godly guides amongst them.

Bless them, we pray. Thou knowest the way ahead. Thou knowest, blessed God, the days that are unseen to us.

Help us then to live in light of any eventuality. The Lord is coming. Soon we're going to have to give account with that day in view.

Help us to be faithful. So put thy hand upon us, thanking thee for the patience of thy people, some that have journeyed a long distance and all that have come night by night. The Lord reward and bless and grant us thy peace as we separate in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.