|
|
|
- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
|
|
“AS FOR ME AND MY
HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” (2014 GBC THEME) “CHRISTIAN HOME
-1” (Nu 13:16; Ex 24:13;
Jos 24:29) 1/26/14 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. FAMILY CONCEPT IN JOSHUA’S FAMILY A. When it comes to
Joshua and his family
we are often reminded of the humorous play on words. In Ex 33:11, we read
that Joshua was the son of “Nun” (none). Obviously this is an equivocation on
the English sound of the word “none,” suggesting that in
regard to Joshua’s family, he had “none.” B. But actually “Nun,” or the Hebrew pronunciation “Nūn (noon),” was a man from the tribe
of Ephraim (Nu 13:8). C. Granted, that is all we read in regard to Joshua’s family, but we can arrive at a
number of good assumptions the concept of the family. II. FAMILY CONCEPT IN JOSHUA’S NAME A. We begin with the name of Joshua. Joshua
was born to Jewish slaves in Egypt. He and his family were
eventually delivered by God through Moses. B. While in bondage, Joshua’s parents
originally named him “Hoshea” (equivalent to “Hosea” Ho 1:1) (Hōshāa comes from yasha)
which means “salvation.” This would indicate that Joshua’s parents had faith
that God would deliver or save them from bondage. C. In an interesting turn of events, after
delivering Israel from bondage, Moses renamed Hoshea to Joshua (Yehōshūa), which poignantly means,
“Jehovah is salvation” (Nu 13:16). Moses was emphasizing that their God
Jehovah Himself, delivered them. Thousands of years later God would name His
own Son with the same name and we know it as “Jesus” (Grk.
Iāsous from Heb. Yehōshūa ,
Mt 1:23). III. FAMILY CONCEPT IN ISRAEL’S INHERITANCE A. The allotment of land was given not only
to each tribe of Israel, but also with regard to the size of the family (Jos
13:15, 24, 28, 29; total of 31 references). B. God considered the families within a tribe
according to their particular needs. So God takes
into account not just individuals, but the entire family. IV. FAMILY CONCEPT IN CONSEQUENCES OF SIN A. When Achan sinned against God’s ban (Jos
6:17-18) by removing gold and silver (Jos 7:19) from the defeated city of
Jericho, each family was brought before Joshua and questioned (Jos 7:14). B. Each family was
considered a distinct unity responsible for the actions of those
within it. Even though Achan was stoned alone for his sin (Jos 7:24-25), the
family grieved the loss of one of their own through the consequences of sin. C. In the same way, each Christian family
will experience the repercussions of sin from one of its members. D. Likewise, each Christian family will
experience the blessings of obedience to God from its members. An
illustration of this from the immediate context was Rahab the harlot. Because
of her faith in God (He 11:31), having hidden and protected the two spies
from the Jericho leaders, Rahab was promised safety not only for herself, but
also for her family (Jos 6:23, 25). V. FAMILY CONCEPT IN JOSHUA’S SPIRITUALITY A. Servant of Moses (Ex 24:13) 1. In Ex 17:9, we find the first mention of
Joshua where he was one of the leaders of the army of Israel. Joshua did all
that Moses asked him to do and defeated Amalek (Ex
17:10). After the victory the Lord told Moses to
write the events in the book of the Law and recite them to Joshua (Ex 17:14).
Only seven chapters later, Joshua is called the “servant of Moses” (Ex 24:13
cf. Ex 33:11; Nu 11:28) because of his servant’s heart, obedience, and
apparent calling from the Lord. 2. It would not be wrong at all to assume
that Joshua’s parents brought him up to have faith in the Lord, to have
spiritual character, and to serve the Lord by serving the Lord’s servant
Moses. As a result of such spiritual character,
Joshua was later rewarded with a new title as the “servant of the Lord” and
Moses’ future successor. B. Servant of the Lord (Jos 24:29) 1. Towards the end of Moses’ life, he was instructed by the Lord to appoint Joshua as his future
successor (Nu 27:18). Moses presented Joshua before the people of Israel to
be their future leader (Dt 1:38; 3:21). Near the time of
Moses’ death and just before Israel was to cross into the Promised Land, the
Lord instructed Moses to commission Joshua as their leader (Dt 31:14, 23).
At the beginning of Joshua leadership over Israel, the Lord Himself spoke and
commissioned Joshua (Jos 1:1). Under Joshua’s leadership, the Lord gave much
of the Promised Land to Israel. At the end of Joshua’s life that it was
confirmed that Joshua indeed had possessed the honorable title of the
“servant of the Lord” (Jos 24:29 cf.
Jos 5:14). C. Spiritual Leadership (Jos 1:8) 1. Joshua had been
commissioned by the Lord not only to lead the people of Israel
militarily but also spiritually. When the Lord commissioned Joshua, He also
instructed him to meditate upon God’s Law so that he would be careful to obey
it (Jos 1:8). 2. After defeating
Jericho, Israel went on to defeat the city of Ai (Jos 8:28-29). After this victory, Joshua built an
altar to the Lord (Jos 8:30) and read the law to Israel. This also included
all the families in Israel, including women and children (Jos 8:34-35). 3. Why did Joshua read the Law and why did
he include the families? The answer is because Joshua did have a perspective
of the family concept. Joshua had been taught this perspective
by Moses according to the Lord’s instruction. a) Families were to serve the Lord and teach
their families the Law of God (Dt 6:4-9; Dt 11:18-19). b) Families were gathered together
corporately to hear the law of Lord (Dt 31:10-13). c) Families were included in Israel’s
memorials, which were intended to remind them of God’s deliverance and glory
(Ex 12:24-27; Jos 4:6, 21-24). VI. FAMILY CONCEPT IN JOSHUA’S FINAL CHALLENGE
(Jos 24:15) A. At Joshua’s final challenges to Israel, he
gathered “all Israel” (Jos 23:2; 24:1) to hear him, which would mean “all the
people” (Jos 24:2) and their families. He also called Israel’s leadership of elders, heads, judges, and officers (Jos 23:2;
24:1). B. Consequently, when Joshua spoke his
challenge in Jos 24:15 (cf. Jos 24:19-20), he spoke to all the people, which
would have included their families. The people along with their families
answered Joshua in unison (Jos 24:16-18, 21). C. Furthermore, when Joshua placed the stone
under the oak tree for a memorial, it was to be a witness by all the people
and for all the people, including their families (Jos 24:22-27). D. There is no question then that Joshua
indeed had the perspective of a family concept. This same family concept was
ultimately heard from and confirmed by Joshua’s challenge, “as for me and my
‘house’, we will serve the Lord.” This would have been Joshua’s own house and
family. VII. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. Joshua’s parents had the foresight and
faith to call him “Hoshea” looking to God for His deliverance and salvation. There is no question that the greatest responsibility of the
Christian family is to bring them to salvation in Christ. You are
raising them in a Christian family, a family which
knows the Lord and has chosen to serve the Lord. This is your privilege and
your responsibility. In prayer, your hope is that that one day each of your
children will put their faith in Christ. This is the primary family
distinctive of the Christian home (2Ti 1:5). B. Israel, including Joshua took every
opportunity to teach their families and children concerning the Law of Lord.
This is not world’s responsibility. This is not the school’s responsibility.
This is not even the church’s responsibility, though the church desperately
seeks to aid you in this responsibility. The ultimate responsibility of
raising your children in the admonition of the Lord falls upon the parents
themselves (Ep 6:1). C. When you take into account the privilege
and responsibility of leading your family to Christ and teaching your family the
Word of God, it becomes the foundation for the Family Concept
which the Lord originally designed. This is the basis for true love
for one’s family, the motivation for time for one’s family, and the capstone
for a reverence of the Family Concept. Though the world is not without some
natural love for the family, without the Lord, there is no true foundation
for the family. It easily disintegrates into a self-centered concept, a
purely materialistic-centered concept, and all too often a necessary imposition. |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
