Monday: A Sign of Concern
Daily Lesson for Monday 15th of December 2025
The glorious conclusion of the whole section (Joshua 21:43-45) carries within it the fulfilled condition of obedience. Success is never to be taken for granted; it is always linked to obedience to God’s Word. Thus, the allotment of the land, besides being the token of God’s faithfulness to Israel (Nehemiah 9:8), creates space for an open-ended future development based on Israel’s attitude. Will Israel be able to secure what has been achieved?
Read Joshua 23:1-5. What are the major focal points of Joshua’s introduction?
Image © Kevin Carden from GoodSalt.com
Joshua’s speech moves from the old and aged speaker (emphasized twice) to the audience who will have to carry on the mission entrusted to them by God. He describes how the conquest of the land was possible: the Lord fought for them. Even though, because of their unfaithfulness and disbelief, the Israelites had to be involved in warfare after the Exodus, it was not through their military power but through God’s intervention that they managed to possess the land.
God has given rest to Israel from its enemies, but there are some nations left that still have to be dispossessed. Victory is not an accomplished, unchangeable reality for Israel but an ever-present possibility by constant reliance in faithfulness on God’s available help.
What are the similarities between how the Israelites conquered Canaan under Joshua’s leadership and the way Christians today can live a victorious spiritual life? (Read Joshua 23:10, Colossians 2:15, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, and Ephesians 6:11-18.)
The victories of the Israelites could not be attributed to their strength and strategy. Similarly, spiritual victory over sin and temptation have been secured through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but God’s people today must constantly rely on the spiritual supplies provided by the Holy Spirit in order to live a triumphant life.
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With so many wonderful promises before us, why do we still find it so easy to sin? |
So much of our conversation about daily living in Christian circles is about overcoming sin. It can be pretty discouraging at times. It comes with feelings of guilt that we are not doing the right thing. And feelings of pride that we have overcome another sin, in our journey to perfection.
Perhaps one of our biggest sins is our focus. If we are spending so much time thinking about sin, what time do we have left to think about the good things.
William Johnsson was the editor of “The Review and Herald” (Our Church’s long-running main magazine). He had this to say:
If we are busy affirming one another in Christ, we will be so busy we will have little time left to sin!
Another old man wrote this:
These old men had the cure for sin-inspired, aging grumpiness.
[*William Johnsson wrote that in 2021. He died in 2023. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia and had a degree in Chemistry. I met him when I was teaching in Adelaide in the 1980s]
Paul speaks to people not as projects or problems to be fixed, but as saints already claimed.
What we dwell on:shapes desire, forms character and directs behavior.
If the mind is trained to look for:truth, beauty, virtue and praise then sin loses oxygen. Not because we’re trying harder, but because we’re living toward something better.
God’s promises are secure, but to claim the blessings thereof calls for obedience to the will of God. The Children of Israel were given the Promised Land as a gift, but enjoying the blessings of the land was conditioned on obedience. God’s promises are faithful and secure, but how many blessings we receive depends on how much we cooperate with His will.
“Be very careful to love the Lord your God. If you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations… you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you.” (Joshua 23:11-13, NIV).
Our salvation is not different. It is a gift that calls for obedience. Inheriting eternal life requires obedience and faithful living to the will of God. Obedience can only be possible through the grace of God. God empowers us to do His will.
“Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13).
God’s people continued to experience conflicts in Canaan as there were unconqured tribes, yet through each battle and challenge came new possessions and a yearning for deeper reliance on God. Canaan was not heaven; it was a representation of our Christian walk with God. It was not a place of rest like heaven, but a place of continued spiritual warfare where growth was developed through daily struggles. God purposed to turn their focus from visible threats and human limitations to Himself—the true and ever-present help. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you.” (Joshua 1:3, KJV)
God strategically chooses difficult circumstances to manifest Himself in ways we may not always understand. Hard situations strip us of self-reliance and build dependence on God, allowing His power, grace, and ever-present provision to be revealed more clearly. What appears to be an obstacle becomes a divinely arranged opportunity for God to demonstrate His faithfulness.
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV)
As pockets of remaining enemy tribes persisted, God was teaching the Israelites that an easy life lacks the spiritual depth produced by trials. Difficult situations in careers, business, family, or even in our walk with God bring us to a place of surrender. It is there that God is most clearly seen, and His love and mercy are deeply experienced. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, KJV)
We are all born with a sinful nature, which creates an intense struggle within ourselves — the fiercest battle we will ever face. Yet, through the profound example of Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice, we can attain true victory. By following His path, we are empowered to strive for obedience. The successes we experience are not solely our own; they stem from His transformative work within us, guiding us toward a life of purpose and triumph.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the enormous tragedy that unfolded in Australia yesterday afternoon, where two shooters attacked a Jewish Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach in Sydney, leaving fifteen people dead and scores injured. In the aftermath of this tragedy, one of the abiding themes is the bravery of Ahmed Al Ahmed, a Syrian migrant to Australia, who disarmed one of the gunmen at great personal risk. It is an enormous tragedy for the Jewish community and a shock to the rest of Australia because such events are so rare. But, the unselfish kindness of one man has been an important rallying point for Australians in coming to terms with this event.
It is in keeping with the theme of my earlier comment that in the face of evil, we concentrate on the good.
Good morning Maurice. My prayers go up for the bereaved families. I applaud the brave Syrian migrant who disarmed the gunman at his own peril. It comforts me to know that people can help and be willing to save others irrespective of their cultural differences. His act is another example of what I call your “mantra”: “_By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another_”.
Put on the whole Body of armor of god for we fight with fleah and blood.also put the hemlt of salvation for the battle is cornal.
I believe that too often Christians let down their guard and actually believe they can beat the devil at his game. What did Jesus say about accomplishing things? John 15:5 should serve as a constant reminder. Also we are told to live by every word that proceeds from the Father.(Matt.4:4) It was Jesus’s method of overcoming temptation and it is also ours, if we will appropriate it. Zech. 4:6 is as applicable to Christians today as it was to Zerubbabel back in the day. There is a reason that Jesus was victorious and it’s not because he was “Superman” and had super powers. How does that hymn go? Faith is the victory! It’s not about trying harder. It’s about believing more and taking the off ramp provided when tempted. The battle is real, but so is the victory. Praise Him for it.
When Joshua called all the Israelites together, he reminded them that they have seen all that the Lord God has done to other nations, and while he apportioned the lands for the tribes to inherit, it was the Lord who fought the battle for them. Although Joshua cut off some nations, he promised the Israelites that the Lord would expel those nations from their sight for them to possess the lands He promised to them entirely. Joshua 23:1-5.
The following verse, from today’s thought question, is most important to me (you may have your own verses):
Ephesians 6:18, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— (NKJV)”
Paul is saying to us that we must put on the Whole Armor of God, but we must not forget about “Prayer”. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” is a reminder that we will not be able to fight this spiritual battle on our own.
As Joshua reminds the children of Israel, that “…for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you. Joshua 23:3”, we too must remember that it is “for in Him we live and move and have our being, Acts 17:28”.
Prayer changes all things!
Happy Holidays, and God’s blessings to you all!!
I wanted to understand better the definition of the word ‘obedience’ and googled it. The NIH – ‘National Library of Medicine’ has an interesting article by Stephen Gibson. A few sentences of the article explain that:
“Psychologists have typically defined obedience as ‘a form of social influence elicited in response to direct orders from an authority figure.” “However, in the present paper, it is argued … it is our conceptualization of obedience that is wrong.” “The study concludes by presenting a new definition of obedience that omits the need for direct orders.”
How can this be accomplished? I have always been concerned about the impact the frequent use of the word ‘obedience’ has on our understanding of ‘Salvation based on Faith through Grace. Considering that disbelieve/doubt leads to ‘unfaithfulness and disobedience’ when engaged in stricly observing God’s Law given by Moses, it is no wonder that so few of the children of Israel were able to experience the joy of ‘doing right’ through learning to love God by trusting Him to do right by them.
The ability to move from mere ‘obedience’ to ‘trusting His faithfulness’ is a matter of spiritual maturity, brought about by loving the law-giver by faith in His rightousness. As long as our response is ‘obedience without loving the law-giver’, we tent to engage in ‘self-justification’ void of the benefit of spiritual self-introspection. Loving and trusting the law-giver is essential for ‘righteousness through faith’ – Rom.21-26.
Thank you Brigite for this study on obedience. You may find it interesting or may already know that in in Exodus 19: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine? The word obey is “Shawmah” simply means listen and pay attention. The word “keep” is the word “shawmar” which means to cherish and to guard. So God was telling His people if they pay attention to and cherish His covenant (promises) He will transform us into a spcecial treasure. Like you found its all about loving and trusting God. Love, trust and obey.
Thank you, Willam – knowing the Hebrew language is so helpful with getting it ‘right’! I am happy to know these to be the better words to express the meaning and sentiment of ‘obedience’! 😊