Day 66, or March the 7th. Now a new generation
of leaders is needed. Our thoughts today are
taken from Joshua chapter 24, verse 29. After
these things, Joshua, son of Nun, the servant
of the Lord, died at the age of 110. First, the
big picture surrounding this verse. The covenant
renewal is confirmed before Joshua dies, and
with him the whole generation who left Egypt
with Moses have passed away. Amongst his last
duties is a challenge to the tribes to be God's
faithful people. He also gives them a brief walkthrough
of the story so far. Back to Abraham. The people
also witnessed the keeping of the promise made
by their ancestors to bury Joseph, whose body
they had brought with them when they left Egypt.
It's been over 400 years since Joseph died, but
at last he is given a resting place in the land
where he lived with his father Jacob and his
brothers, who were now represented by the tribes
made up of their descendants. In addition to
Joshua, Eliezer the priest died too. So the slate
was totally clear, and the land was all ready
to become the homeland of the Israelites. And
now today's action step. Even today, to live
to the age of 110 is unusual. So in the days
of Joshua, for him to reach that age was truly
remarkable. He had served the Lord faithfully,
and many would forever recall his final challenge
to them. Choose today whom you will serve. Would
you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond
the Euphrates, or will it be the gods of the
Amorites in whose land you now live? As for me
and my family, we will serve the Lord. The final
chapter of Joshua is laced throughout with the
word serve, underlining the whole ministry of
Joshua. Centuries later, Jesus would tell his
disciples that he came to serve, not to be served.
In Joshua, we have a great example, but in Jesus,
we have the perfect example. Serving does not
come natural to most people, but with the help
of the servant king, You and I can do it as we
follow him today.