Re:Verse reading–Joshua 23; Joshua 24:14-15 (day two) “But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.” Vs. 8
Joshua had seen the nation of Israel as far as he could go. Another moment of transition was upon them, and these words were a fitting end to his ministry. They were a reminder that although God had delivered nations, lands, and blessings to the people of Israel they were still surrounded by foreign cultures that were in opposition to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s past deliverance is not a get out of jail card from all future trials and temptations. Joshua’s counsel to his people was to remember, tell the stories of God’s faithfulness, and hold true to the word.
When we are freed from sin and places of darkness it is common to have a period of clean living followed by a return to the old life. If you are delivered from darkness it stands to reason that those temptations haven’t disappeared. God wants us to remember where we’ve been, and how he freed us from bondage so that we will not repeat those mistakes. Cling to his word, trust his promise, live in his mercy.
Amen! Well stated of our constant struggles with sin and desperate need for Him on a daily basis.