Title Don't be biased (Joshua 23:5-10)
Contents
The first lesson God gave to Joshua, Moses' successor and successor to become the leader of Israel, was, "Do not turn to the left or to the right." These words are the beginning and the end of the Book of Jehushua. The best thing to do is to stay centered.
It is said that the first thing he started was ‘central training’, where he drew a line on the ground and walked on the line with one foot. Because a person who cannot center on the ground cannot center in the air.
A shift to the left is called extreme left, and a shift to the right is called extreme right. It is not good to lean to extremes in theology or ideology. What I realize and emphasize is that everything has to be balanced and harmonious.
If theology is divided into the far right and the far left, the church will suffer. When ideology is divided into the extreme right and the far left and confronted, the country will be shaken and the people will be hurt.
The same goes for faith. The most important thing is to strike a balance based on the Bible. Adventism is the best faith, but it is not right to lean in one direction only, emphasize one faith and reject the other, or use it to go to extremes.
Heresy is no different. They say that only one's own assertion is correct, and only emphasizing it would be a heresy. So heretics say they are right, but there is no balance. I can't harmonize. Because they are biased, they already have no discernment and eventually fall apart.
So, at the moment of entering the land of Canaan, God gave Joshua, who was called as the new leader of Israel, a lesson, "Do not turn to the left or to the right." Following that lesson, Joshua stood at the center of his life and ruled the country without being swayed. I did.
That Joshua is now old and old. 23:1 says, "Joshua was old and old." And he reaffirmed God's command to the people as if it were a will.
23:6 says, "Therefore, be very diligent, and observe all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses, and do not turn from it and turn to the left or to the right."
Let's take a look at some of the lessons Joshua gave to the people.
1. They were told not to worship idols.
Look at verse 7 "".
Do not go, do not call, do not swear, do not bow down is to actively reject idols and not compromise.
In 1 Kings 11, the reasons for King Solomon's worship of idols are recorded. There were concubines that Solomon had taken, and these women were idolaters, but they fell for them and worshiped idols. As a result, the kingdom of Solomon was divided, and a servant took the kingdom and became king.
King Ahab also suffered the tragic end of his dynasty because he married a foreign woman named Jezebel and worshiped Baal whom she served. What is an idol? Idols are vain. It is cut, carved and poured. I mean, it's nothing.
What is our idol today? If you think that you are more precious than God and neglect God because of them, that is what you pay for. It could be power, it could be fame, it could be popularity, it could be money, it could be people. We need to move them after God.
2. He told us to be close to God.
Look at verse 8, "".
Close friends are called friends. In Exodus 33:11, God and Moses talked as if they were talking to a friend face-to-face, and in Isaiah 41:8, "Abraham is my friend."
The closer you are, the more friendly you should be. Just as branches must be attached to a vine to receive moisture and nutrients to live, so when I am attached to God, I do not die and live and live. That's why Paul said in Acts 11:23, "Stay on the Lord with a strong heart."
How close do you need to be with God? You have to stick with God.
How long should I stick with it? It must be stuck together forever.
Father-son relationship, marital relationship, sibling relationship, and friendship relationship are not permanent relationships. There may be divorces, and there may be separations. However, our relationship with God begins to dry up and die from the moment we leave.
A tree planted in the ground does not die even after 10 or 100 years. However, cut and bottled flowers are difficult to survive for more than a week. Even if you leave God, you can eat well, live well, and decorate your life as if you were happy for a while. But it ends in a moment.
Everyone! Let's draw near to God. let's be friendly Let's cling to God.
3. He told us to love God.
Look at verse 11 "".
Why should we love God? Because you loved me. He came to this world because he loved me and died on the cross. We must love because we are indebted to that love.
Money, fame, popularity, power, and work are necessary and relative values. It is good to have, and more is better. But God's love is absolute. Life and death are at stake with God.
So, what happens if you love God, draw close to Him, and live with Him?
See verse 9. “No one has been against you.”
Look at verse 10, "The Lord fights for you."
In order not to lean left or right, we must put God at the center and stand at the center of God. You can't go to the extreme left, and you can't go to the extreme right. You must go to God. You can't go left and you can't go right. A biased belief does not last long. is about to collapse.
Therefore, we hope that we should not be biased by any circumstances, but stand strong and live centered on God.