Wise As An Owl
JOSHUA’S WISE SAYINGS
What’s the best advice you ever got? People out west tended to always be willing to offer wise sayings, to give you their two cents. A saying “wise as an owl” comes to mind from advice I’ve been given over the years.
My Grandad used to tell me, “A wink is as good as a nod to a blind mule.” That is, don’t waste your words on those who will ignore you anyway. And one every cattleman knows: “No matter how hard the winter, spring always comes.”
MORE SAYINGS
Then you often hear, when you think someone’s undeserving of some good fortune they receive, “You never know the luck of a lousy calf.” That saying goes right along with this one, “Any horse’s tail can catch a cocklebur.” That is, a small success does not always mean great skill.
A good cowboy one, “There ain’t no hoss that can’t be rode and there ain’t no man that can’t be throwed.” This rodeo saying has helped me lots of times: “Throwing your rope before building a loop don’t catch the calf.” Without solid preparation first, don’t continue the project.
JOSHUA’S END OF LIFE WISDOM
There’s all sorts of wise sayings and I suppose towards the end of life, you begin to think of those things you want to leave for another generation. I believe that’s what Joshua was doing in Joshua 23. He’s coming up with the wisdom of a life lived serving God. His life spanned a great change among the people of Israel.
JOSHUA AND MOSES TEAM UP
Before long somehow the two of them got together and Joshua was kind of the secretary, the right-hand man of Moses. Joshua was there when Moses performed miracles. The angel of death passed over them and spared the children of Israel. He heard the hoofbeats and saw the clouds of dust from Pharoah’s approaching army. The waves rolled back from the Red Sea in a big heap and the people walked across on dry land.
Joshua and Caleb and ten others were assigned to scout out the Promised Land. He saw the vineyards, the fields and the pomegranate and olive trees. And the streams, fields of grains, and hillsides where flocks could graze. He also saw the walled cities and Canaanite armies. When those spies returned, most of them said, “We can’t possibly go in there. We’ll all get killed. There’s no way we can conquer the land.” But Joshua and Caleb said, “If God’s on our side, we can do it.”
They eventually took possession of the Promised Land. God was with them. But now, as an old man, Joshua gathered the people around him. Knowing his days are numbered, he wants them to remember a few things. He has some wise sayings, some good advice from a man who has seen it all. So, what is he saying? He gives five key principles he doesn’t want them to forget.
PRINCIPLES TO PUT INTO PRACTICE
FIRST, be resolute with no hesitation. Obey the law not only in spirit but in action.
Joshua 23:6 (NASB), “Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left.”
Jesus said it this way, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Old man Joshua said, “Look, if you want to live right in this world, then keep and do all that has been written down.” He looks up to the people through failing eyes and with a weak voice says, “Be firm to do and keep all that is written in the law.”
SECOND, cling to the Lord. That means to hold onto and not let go ever. To hold on tightly and never be separated from, no matter what.
Joshua 23:8, “You are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.”
Deuteronomy 13:4, “You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.”
There’s a progression here that can be used by teachers and preachers as an outline. It starts with following Him. Then, learn to fear Him. And keep His Word. Finally, serve Him and cling to Him.
WHAT DOES CLINGING LOOK LIKE?
Go to that story in the book of Daniel about the three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They refused to bow down to the statue in obedience to God’s Word, to worship Him and Him only. And the king is so furious, so angry. He drags them out and heats up the furnace and says, “Do you think your God can keep you from dying when I throw you into that furnace?” And what do those three men do? They cling to the Lord.
They say, “It doesn’t matter what He does. If He wants to save us, the hottest furnace in the world won’t make any difference. Or if it’s not His will, it makes no difference to us. We are clinging to Him, no matter what.”
THIRD, love Him.
in Joshua 23:11, “Take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.”
Love is giving to others, showing compassion without demanding something back in return. That kind of love offered towards God becomes difficult because most of the time when we go to God’s presence, we want something from Him. We reach for Him. We tell Him how much we love Him, then we ask for stuff or plead for action. That doesn’t mean we should never ask from God. But there has to be times when we just show God love. So, how do we do that? How do we love God? Here’s a few different ways. Some you may already know or maybe there’s a new idea.
LET ME COUNT SOME WAYS
How do you tell God you love Him? You can obviously do that verbally. You should say out loud, “I love You, Lord!” Just like you say, “I love you” to your mate or to your children or to those close to you. Say it out loud privately and also publicly. We can say it or sing it in praise.
Another way we can say “I love You” to God is through acts of service. When we serve Him, not for a reward. There’s a job in His Kingdom and we volunteer. Not because someone twisted our arm or because we’re gaining points on our way up the ecclesiastical ladder of authority. We do it because it needs to be done in the Kingdom and we’re saying, “God, I love You.”
GIVE HIM TIME
We can also show love by giving Him uninterrupted time. Spend time with God without any interruptions. Many of us are busy people and we may like to double up events. The same is true with prayer. You can pray when you travel. But you also need time to pray when there are no distractions. The TV’s off and the noise down. Just spend time with Him. Nothing on our prayer request list or anything else to do. Another way to say, “I love You, Lord!”
GIFT GIVING
You have an opportunity to do that just about every time you have a church meeting. No apologies needed for having offerings. It’s an opportunity to say, “I love You, Lord.” No one ever asks you to give more than you want.
A poor widow came and left those two little mites, two coins, two half-pennies, whatever they were. Jesus said that was a wonderful gift to the Lord, the best gift He had that day over anybody who put money in the treasury. God doesn’t care about the amount, but the giving of gifts says, “I love You!”
LOVE OTHERS
A unique way of showing love to the Lord is by giving love to other people, including any you consider your neighbors. “As you have done it to the least of these,” Jesus said, “You have done it unto me.”
Every loving act given to another, without expecting something in return, is like saying, “I love You, Lord.”
Old man Joshua looked around at the people, cleared his throat again, and said, “Take diligent heed to love the Lord your God.”
SERVE GOD
Fourth, serve Him by accomplishing His goals. Joshua 24:14, “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth.” Fear Him and serve Him.
A lot of Scriptures mention we should fear the Lord and that causes some confusion. What does that mean? To fear the Lord is to respect Him for who He is.
Jesus warned the Israelites, “Yes, you’re the chosen people and you’re in the Promised Land, but don’t take your relationship with God too lightly. Remember who He is, how great He is, how powerful. Honor Him and serve Him. Give Him the respect He deserves. Fear the Lord.”
MORE WISDOM
After these four proclamations, what else could be left to say? Old man Joshua got to the end of these instructions then told the people that they had to make up their minds.
Joshua 24:15,16, “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Whose side were they going to be on? He reminded them, “Folks, you’ve made it through the wilderness, at least your parents brought you this far, and we have conquered the land of Israel, and this Promised Land is ours. God has given all these blessings and instructions, but you have to make a conscious choice of the will to be on God’s side.” And he said, “I have made the choice. In fact, I’ve made the choice for my whole household.”
Now, Joshua’s not saying that his choice made salvation come to every individual. We can’t choose for everyone in our household, though we wish we could. That’s a personal commitment. But we can choose that our household will be on God’s side and that we will serve Him.
WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN?
As for me and my house, my family, we will serve the Lord. Let’s dig a little deeper into that phrase.
First, if you make that statement, you are saying clearly and without hesitation, that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You can’t force that on all the members of your family or household but you’re making a statement about your own commitment, “I know Him; therefore, we will serve the Lord.”
Second you are stating that the rules of your house, your yard, your property are God’s rules. And the laws of God will be obeyed by everyone. You can make the commitment that God’s laws will be followed in this place.
Third, you’re stating that God will be honored in your domain. He will be honored by all people, whether believers or not. He will be honored by all relatives, by all friends and guests, and not dishonoring acts or words will be tolerated.
MORE STATEMENTS
Fourth, we’re stating that as a family, and you as an individual, will seek God’s will and His purpose over any individual or family dreams. You are saying, “We will seek God’s guidance and we will follow it over all other priorities.”
Fifth, you state that all the physical, mental, and spiritual resources within your family are ready to be used by the Lord for whatever purposes He desires. Every talent, every gift, every material possession, every ounce of human strength is available for His use, to accomplish His purpose.
Sixth, you’re stating that no major decisions of any sort will ever be made without first consulting Him. We will seek His direction and His counsel. We pray and seek God’s lead.
Seventh, you will allow no person, no possession, no idea to compete with or supplant your worship and devotion to God. Nothing is going to come between you and the Lord. Joshua said it in just a few words, “Choose you today whom you will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
JOSHUA’S WISE SAYINGS
Old Joshua’s sayings were so wise they have lasted since 1400 B.C. We still need a push to get going. God still has to tell us, “Rise, and cross this Jordan.”
Sometimes we still need to trust God’s miraculous intervention, just like those walls of Jericho that fell down. We need God’s power to give us the strength to survive. And a holy reaction in the midst of accomplishing God’s will, like awe at the sun standing still.
And we still need to be challenged to make up our mind who our family really serves. God wants us to decide.
Stephen Bly
Maranatha Bible Missionary Conference Center, Muskegon, Michigan
Circa 1989
Wise As An Owl Image by KirstenStar from Pixabay
Love Your Neighbor Hat Image by HAMED ASAD from Pixabay
Love God & Reach For Him Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Wondering Imoji Image by Christian Dorn from Pixabay
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What a blessing we have the freedom and ability to have God be The One we serve!