Joshua 8:30-35

I ask her if she's all ready and she says, mm hmm. Yeah, well, welcome to coffee and devotions. Maybe you need to have, you know, it'll probably put some pep in your step. A bit of coffee. No, no coffee for you. Fine. Okay. Well, we're at Joshua chapter 8. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. Joshua chapter 8 verses 30 through 35. Just six verses. It's going to be a fun time. We're going to talk about something Moses told them or the Lord told them through Moses they were supposed to do. So Joshua chapter 8 verses 30 through 35. I'm going to let you read today.
Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool. And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses which he had written. Then all Israel, in their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded before that they should bless the children, the people of Israel.
And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. and there was not a word of all Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before the assembly of Israel with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them. Okay, so this is a fun passage. We need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize? And C, what are we called to do? Okay, so what is going on here? What is this about?
It starts off in verse 30. Now, Joshua built an ark. Nope, not an ark. Joshua built a, verse 30, an altar. Okay. So he builds an altar to the Lord where? Uh, in Mount Ebel. So on Mount Ebel or in Mount Ebel, right? I don't know why it says, why does it say in? Yeah, because it's, I'm going to guess if I was to pick up my Hebrew, it would be something like, the prefix would be the letter bet, which is, so in, but the preposition can also be on or at. It just depends on how it's being used. But anyways, so they're at Mount Ebal, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded the children of Israel. Right, where did he command this?
Deuteronomy chapter 27 we looked at that last year so Deuteronomy chapter 27 just as Moses is getting ready to die notice here verse 20 chapter 27 right the law inscribed on stones and then curses pronounced from Mount Ebal you see all those curses Cursed is the one who treats his father and mother with contempt.
Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's landmark. Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road. Cursed is the one who lies with his father's wife. Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal. Cursed is the one who lies with his sister. Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law. Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly. Cursed is the one who takes a bribe of an innocent person. Cursed is the one who does not affirm all the words of this law by observing them.
And after each of these the people are saying Amen, amen. Amen. Amen. You missed one. I Missed one of them. Yeah, which one did I miss? Well, you've got a an eagle's eye for detail here girl, which one did I miss I was trying to give a certain survey but that's fine What's that one? Oh, curse is the one who perverts the justice due to the stranger, the fatherless and the widow.
Yeah. All right. So he makes an altar. in Mount Ebal and it says, as it's written in the book of the law, an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool, right? So that's also in Deuteronomy chapter 27, when Moses was telling them, this is what you're supposed to do. And they offered and burnt on an offering to the Lord and sacrifice peace offerings, right? So they first, they build an altar. What's special about that altar? Um, it's like stones that were not mined. Yeah. Right. So they're not mined. They're not hewn. They're not fashioned without any, like with, with human tools. Right. Uh, and then there in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones, a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. So, the question is, what law did he write down?
Was it all these curses, do you think, or do you think it was something else? I think it was something else. What do you think it was? I don't know. Well, what else was written on stone? The Ten Commandments. Yeah, I think that's what was probably copied here was the Ten Commandments. That's right.
Then all Israel with their elders and officers and judges stood on either side of the ark before the priesthood. So the ark of the Lord is there too. So this is God there as their covenant king. You have Joshua there as the prophet. You have the priests there, right? So you have prophet, priest, and king all in that same scenario. who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and then you have the stranger as well as he who was born among them.
So there's a mixed multitude, right? There's the stranger. What do you think they mean by that, that the stranger was there with them? Yes, this is like maybe people who were born in Egypt, but were what would later be called God fearers. They weren't Jews by birth, but they started to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and now of Moses and of Joseph.
And so half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim. So you see, I have a picture here, Debra. I have Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. And there's half over here at Mount Ebal, half over there at Mount Gerizim. So the people are split in half. And what do they do from there?
They bless the people of Israel. Good, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterwards he read the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, according to all that's written in the law. So there's this, both blessings and curses coming from the law.
I wonder if those curses were like short to come or like then, like right then. Hmm. Maybe both. And maybe sometimes they were quick to come and sometimes they were long and slow. Like people who had done some of this stuff here, just like drop dead. Hmm. It doesn't tell us that any of them dropped it at that moment. Uh, but there's an interesting part here.
Let's let's turn in our new Testament, right? This is where we're going to go for calling the Genesis or Galatians chapter three. So I always find Galatians by general electric power company. So Galatians chapter three, And if we look at verse 10, so for as many as are, well, man, sorry, my eyes aren't going to see that very well. Get on my old man glasses here. Hey, don't you agree with that?
For as many as are the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Curse is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident. For the just shall live by faith. Yet the law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live by them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, becoming a curse for us.
For it is written, curses everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Then I want to read to you this part, verse 19. What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made. And it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? What do you think? Is the law against the promises of God? No, certainly not.
For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. It's the promise that's given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which afterwards be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
So why did God have them do this whole ceremony? This is a covenant ceremony, by the way. Blessings and cursings, the prophet, priest, and king are there, the king being God himself. He's giving them blessings, giving them cursings, as Joshua says, every single thing that the Lord commanded right in front of the women, the little ones, the strangers, all who are living among them, all of Israel, he says this, and they're saying, amen, amen, amen, let it be, let it be, let it be, yes, we're gonna do this, yes, we're gonna do this, yes, we're gonna do this.
But could they do all of it? And so the law brought what? Suffering? More than suffering, death. The law never justified any of them. Actually, the law condemned them. Until the promised seed came. And who was the promised seed? Jesus. Jesus. Oh, that sounded nice. Yeah. Jesus. Right. Jesus. And Jesus brings, does he bring life or death? Life. Oh, be careful. Revelation says that his robe is dipped in blood when he comes again. Does he bring life or death? How does somebody bring life or death and death? Well, life for those who believe in Him and death for those who don't.
Yeah. Those who are trusting in Him and resting in Him, there's life. We get the blessings. But for those who do not have faith in Him, I think that they can actually keep this law. And they aren't resting in His finished work. What do they find? death. So what do you think is the calling from this passage? To trust in Jesus and recognize that you are not perfect. Alright, to trust in Jesus and recognize that you're not perfect.
Are you perfect? Nope. Is Daddy perfect? No. Yeah, does Daddy sometimes do things that are mean or out of proportion? Sometimes sometimes like we're having problems with this morning that you think that he was disciplining out of proportion And I could be wrong Thank God my salvation does depend on me being perfect Thank God your salvation doesn't depend on you being a perfect daughter either does it How are we made perfect Through Christ You ready to pray? Yeah. Do you want to or do you want me to? You want me to? Okay.
Lord, we thank you so much for the joy that you have given us in Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you that there's grace to be found in you. Lord, we thank you for the hope of salvation and for the joy that is set before us in Jesus Christ. God, we confess that we're not perfect. Lord, we fail. We stumble. We can't keep your law perfectly, but you have sent us the promised seed. Lord, so we do thank You for giving us the law as a tutor to lead us to Christ. And Father, we pray that we would trust You and follow after You and walk in Your ways. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. May God bless you. May He walk in His ways. May He trust His Son, who has kept that law perfectly. We'll see you next time. Bye.