Joshua's Farewell - Joshua 23

The weirdest thing just happened. I’ve been using the Institute Manual as a reference for the last 13 years and suddenly when I was reading the entry for Joshua 23, the screen refreshed and I was rerouted to the home page and now the IM is gone and replaced by some very vague “Scripture Helps.” This is unfortunate and I hope is just a glitch because I really want that content back. Here’s to hoping. Anyway.

Joshua is now very old and he knows he’s about to die so he calls “all Israel” together to give him his final departing address. Joshua reminds the people that they have seen God do many great things for them and that He promises to continue to drive out their enemies from the land. He tells them to keep the law of Moses and to not fall into idolatry by associating with the people around them by marriage, breeding, or to worship any of their pagan gods. If Israel does choose to associate with them, instead of becoming friends, “they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from of this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.” That sounds pretty intense, and what’s interesting is that even this generation of Israelites have seen God perform incredible miracles on their behalf, what makes them think He won’t put as much effort into working against them if they disobey Him. They have even seen the devastation that God is willing to work against those within Israel who are disobedient, and it was traumatic enough that they were set out to kill 2 ½ tribes because they thought they were being rebellious. So hearing these words about what will happen if they associate with these other people, I imagine that, at least at the time, the people believed that God was willing and able to do just that.

To that exact point, verse 15 says, “As all good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you; so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.” He will put effort into you, whether it’s productive or destructive is up to them. The last verse of chapter 23 is very much a call to the Book of Mormon, “inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.” Verse 16 says the exact same thing, “When ye have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.” I love finding overlapping teachings and even phraseology between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, it makes my little scripture loving heart happy. It just is another demonstration to me that this was always the plan. This isn’t God scrambling to set up His church with different people using what will just fit them only. No, this was the plan from the beginning and it always has been.