Monday, September 28 — Hold On Like You Mean It

There's a certain kind of talk an old man gives when he knows he may not get to give it again. He skips the small talk and says only what matters.

Joshua 23:1-11 — KJV

1 And it came to pass 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. 2 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 stricken in age: 3 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. 4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. 5 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you. 6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; 7 That ye 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: 8 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day. 9 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. 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. 11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.

Joshua 23:1-11 — WEB

1 After many days, when Yahweh had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, “I am old and well advanced in years. 3 You have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to all these nations because of you; for it is Yahweh your God who has fought for you. 4 Behold, I have allotted to you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even to the great sea toward the going down of the sun. 5 Yahweh your God will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight. You shall possess their land, as Yahweh your God spoke to you. 6 “Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you not turn away from it to the right hand or to the left; 7 that you not come 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 down yourselves to them; 8 but hold fast to Yahweh your God, as you have done to this day. 9 “For Yahweh has driven great and strong nations out from before you. But as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand; for it is Yahweh your God who fights for you, as he spoke to you. 11 Take good heed therefore to yourselves, that you love Yahweh your God.

Explanation

Joshua 23 comes near the very end of the book that carries his name. The Jordan crossing is decades behind him. The walls of Jericho are an old story. The tribes have received their land, and the fighting has mostly quieted down. The text says twice in two verses that Joshua is "old and stricken in age," as if he wants everyone to understand this is not a routine meeting. He calls in the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers — the people who will lead after he is gone — and he gives them his farewell charge. This is the season our unit calls the move from nomadic tribes to settled people. The tents are folded. The houses are built.

What stands out is what Joshua does not say. He doesn't recount his victories or remind anyone of his leadership. He points past himself: "the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you." Then he gives three instructions. Be very courageous to keep what is written, and don't drift to the right hand or the left. Don't blend in with the nations still living around you — don't even get comfortable saying the names of their gods. And cleave to the LORD your God. That word "cleave" is the same word Genesis uses when a man cleaves to his wife. It is not casual attachment. It is grip.

Notice when this warning comes. Not in the wilderness, when Israel woke up every morning to manna and had no choice but to depend on God. It comes when life is finally working. Settled life has its own temptations. When the battles are over, you relax, and comfort is usually where the drift begins. The nations that remained in the land were not mainly a military threat anymore. They were a cultural one — their gods of rain and harvest, their easy assumption that this is just how everybody lives.

That is exactly where Sunday's lesson is headed. "Radical Commitment to God's Way" asks whether our faith can stay distinct when the world around us offers a more comfortable way. Joshua's "not to the right hand or to the left" is the first draft of the word we will hear all week: do not conform.

Our drift rarely looks like rebellion. It looks like a full fall calendar, a promotion that eats our Sundays, a phone we check before we pray, a habit of saying "everybody does it." Holding fast means noticing the small detours before they become the road. And it means remembering verse 10: one of you shall chase a thousand — not because you are strong, but because God fights for you. So hold on. Not with white-knuckled fear, but the way you hold the handrail on the church steps when it's raining — because you know what keeps you standing.

Thought for the Day

Hold on to God the way He has held on to you.

Reflection Question

Where has comfort quietly loosened your grip on God, and what would holding fast look like this week?

Prayer

Lord, You have fought battles for us that we did not even know we were in. Forgive us for the times comfort made us forget You. Teach us to cleave to You on the good days as tightly as we did on the hard ones. Keep our feet from turning to the right or the left. In Jesus' name, Amen.

This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: Radical Commitment to God's Way.