Based on Joshua 24:29-33 (New King James Version)
“Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph. And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim.”
Joshua's life is probably one of the most exemplary in his testimony of loving the Lord and doing His will. The Bible speaks of Him in a unique way, as we read today. But we must understand something. Joshua was imperfect, because he was ultimately a man. And not everything he did every day of his life, 24 hours a day, was recorded. The Word tells us the general things about Joshua. What's more, the Bible doesn't date everything the Lord Himself did while He was here on earth, because the Apostle John wrote this very thing: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:25. The Lord didn't just resurrect a few people, but many more. The Lord didn't just heal certain people, but thousands upon thousands. The Lord didn't just free certain people from demons, but possibly thousands as well, because the Word does speak of Him spending entire days doing all these things, and of course, teaching about the kingdom. A lot can happen in 24 hours. So, God Himself, through the Holy Spirit, inspired His saints to write down what was necessary, both about the Lord and about this Joshua, especially the main things in Joshua.
Now, where am I going with this? It can be assumed that Joshua did many things during his 110 years, he did good things, and as a man, he must have had his moments of imperfection. Also, within all the responsibilities he had, he also had to take care of his family and everything related to that, as well as the well-being of an entire nation that was in a time of conquest and formation. When I begin to think about Joshua's daily life, it must have been incredible. Joshua had to fight wars during his life. God gave him victory, but he still had to fight alongside the entire people. Joshua didn't lead the people from the comfort of an office, so to speak, or with all the comforts of royalty. Joshua had to take care of everything, both for himself and for others, and yes, carry and use the sword when God Himself commanded. Joshua lived a very difficult life.
So, what can we see through all of this? That God doesn't necessarily expect perfection from us while we're here in this temporary world. And that we can achieve not only great things, but even more importantly, we will find entrance into His kingdom and be able to stand confidently before His presence one day when God sees the tally of our lives, if we've done what we should (because true faith leads you to do God's will). What Joshua did wasn't an accident, it wasn't just because. There was an intention within Joshua himself, a thought, which must also be within everyone who professes to believe in God, that one day we will have to give an account, even those of us who follow the Lord. No one is exempt from the coming judgment. Because the Apostle Paul himself wrote this: “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” 2 Corinthians 5:9-11a. Joshua simply cared about what God thought of him, and he understood that God was watching everything he did. That is the essence of Joshua's life. Despite his imperfections and weaknesses as a man, what stood out and was written in the Holy Scriptures were the results of his faith, because faith must have deeds. This is what the Word says of the father of faith, Abraham, as it is written: “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” James 2:20-24. Abraham and Joshua, and everyone who is already in the kingdom of God, found favor with God through their faith and the works of their faith. For if Abraham and Joshua had remained with faith alone and had done nothing about it, they would not have found entry into the kingdom of God, as the Bible teaches it so.
Some may say, "What about the thief on the right?” His faith had works, even if you don't believe it. If we use just a little common sense, we'll see the work his faith had. Did the thief die moments after his confession? No. He hung on that cross for hours, suffering, seeing the scorn and mockery after his confession, and of course, seeing the very God he had confessed hanging with him. Don't you think his faith couldn't have been shaken in the harshest way by being in that situation for hours? The repentant thief did have works as a result of his faith, and he did more than many do in their entire lifetime, and God Himself made sure his work was recorded as a memorial to him, for the Lord honors those that honor Him.
Coming back to Joshua, what was the resolution of his life? His actions speak for themselves: “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15. This was Joshua’s sentiment: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ‘And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:4-7. Israel not only served the Lord all the days of Joshua, but also all the days of those who were around Joshua, and that was not an accident, but rather, a very intentional purpose. If you are preoccupied with loving the Lord above all things and seek to do His will as a fruit of your faith, the summary of your life before God will be good, and your faith in Christ will yield you the most important thing: favor with God and wide entrance into His kingdom. But if your focus is not on the Lord but on other things, no matter what faith you profess to have, you will fail and be a bad influence on everyone around you. The choice is yours. So, what will God say about you when your time of judgment comes? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!