Joshua 23:10-16 - "This Good Land"

15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16 When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you."   Again, let me thank you for your prayer for Luke. At this time, it appears that his surgery was successful and he has be upgraded to an regular pediatric room. It is a possibility that he could go home later today or tomorrow if he continues this good progress. Thanks again for all your prayers!     In Joshua 23-24, Joshua is giving his last words to the leaders and the nation of Israel. In verses 1-2, he calls them together either at Shiloh or at his home in Ephraim. In verses 3-4, Joshua reminds the people what the LORD did for Israel. In verses 5-9, he reminds them what the LORD said to Israel in the Book of the Law of Moses. In verse 10, Joshua quotes the promise that God gave to Israel through Moses in his last words to Israel before he died. This shows how well Joshua knew the Word of God. He meditated on God's Word day and night (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2) and hid it in his heart (Ps. 119:11).   Now, in Joshua 23:11-16, Joshua reminds them what the LORD would do to Israel. The Word of God is like a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12): If we obey it, God will bless and help us; if we disobey it, God will chasten us until we submit to Him. If we love the Lord (Josh. 23:11), we'll want to obey Him and please Him. It is so essential that we cultivate a satisfying relationship with God.   In verse 14, Joshua reminded the people that God's Word never fails, whether it's the Word of promise for blessing or the Word of promise for chastening. Both are evidences of His love, for "whom the Lord loveth He chastens" (Prov. 3:11-12; Heb. 12:6). Charles Spurgeon said, "God will not allow His children to sin successfully."   Moses had warned Israel against compromising with the evil nations in the land (Ex. 23:20-33; 34:10-17; Deut. 7:12-26), and Joshua reaffirmed that warning (Josh. 23:13). If Israel began to mingle with these nations, two things would happen: God would remove His blessing, and Israel would be defeated; and these nations would bring distress and defeat to Israel. Joshua used vivid words like snares, traps, scourges, and thorns to impress the Jews with the suffering they would experience if they disobeyed the Lord. The final stroke of chastening would be Israel's removal from their land to a land of exile. After all, if you want to live and worship like the Gentiles, then live with the Gentiles! This happened when God permitted Babylon to conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem, and take thousands of the Jews into exile in Babylon.   Three times in this brief address Joshua called Canaan "this good land" (vv. 13,15-16). When God called Moses at the burning bush, He promised to take Israel into a "good land" (Ex. 3:8); and Joshua and Caleb described Canaan as "a good land" after forty days of investigation (Num. 14:7). In his farewell message Moses used the phrase "good land" at least ten times (Deut. 1:25, 35; 3:25; 4:21-22; 6:18; 8:7, 10; 9:6; 11:17).   The argument is obvious: Since God has given us such a good land, the least we can do is live to please Him.   God bless!