Renewing Our Devotion to God
& His Covenant
Joshua 8:30-35
Good morning! If you would, please turn with me in your Bibles to Joshua 8. We’re going to finish out that chapter this morning. Just about 5 verses.
But before we get into the passage, I’d like to do something different. Our passage is going to refer back to Deut. 27. So I want to read that passage. But part of that passage is what we call antiphonal. It’s when one person reads and another person responds. So, when we get to the part, I’m going to point to you and you are going to respond by saying, “AMEN!” The thing is, you have to say it like you mean it. Say it like a Jew and make it full of gusto.
[Read Deut. 27]
The reason I do that is because the passage we just read is going to be played out in our passage today. As you’ll very well see. Let’s read together Joshua 8:30-35
[Read Joshua 8] Let's pray...
Introduction
Well, this morning I want to start by showing you a few pictures on the overhead. I think it would be good to understand some of the lay of the land once again.
The first two pictures are just giving you an overview of where we’ve been in Joshua. I mentioned last time we are in what is called the “Central Campaign.” We crossed the Jordan, camped at Gilgal, attacked Jericho, and then laid siege to the city of Ai. We’ve started to make a cut across the central portion of the land of Promise. And this was to divide the land and make it so that the Canaanites could not band together to attack Israel.
But before we get into the passage, I’d like to do something different. Our passage is going to refer back to Deut. 27. So I want to read that passage. But part of that passage is what we call antiphonal. It’s when one person reads and another person responds. So, when we get to the part, I’m going to point to you and you are going to respond by saying, “AMEN!” The thing is, you have to say it like you mean it. Say it like a Jew and make it full of gusto.
[Read Deut. 27]
The reason I do that is because the passage we just read is going to be played out in our passage today. As you’ll very well see. Let’s read together Joshua 8:30-35
[Read Joshua 8] Let's pray...
Introduction
Well, this morning I want to start by showing you a few pictures on the overhead. I think it would be good to understand some of the lay of the land once again.
The first two pictures are just giving you an overview of where we’ve been in Joshua. I mentioned last time we are in what is called the “Central Campaign.” We crossed the Jordan, camped at Gilgal, attacked Jericho, and then laid siege to the city of Ai. We’ve started to make a cut across the central portion of the land of Promise. And this was to divide the land and make it so that the Canaanites could not band together to attack Israel.
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But you see in this second slide where we are today. We have traveled north to Mt. Ebal, which is by the city of Shechem. And we are about 20 miles north of Ai. The passage goes directly from Ai to Ebal, but this would have been a significant trip on foot.
Now directly across from Mt. Ebal was Mt. Gerizim. The city of Shechem lay in the valley right in between these two mountains. And that’s what these next couple of slides portray.
This third slide shows you a view of Mt. Gerizim from atop of Mt. Ebal. It’s a beautiful view. Then the last slide is a more modern picture of the landscape from the ground level. You have the two mountains in view and you see the city of Shechem in between (obviously built up much more than it would have been in Joshua’s day. But you get the idea of the landscape and how the tribes would have heard the reading of the law which we did just a few moments ago.
So there you have some of the landscape with which we are dealing. And now that you understand a lot of the context for our passage. You understand where Joshua is, why he is there, and what it would have looked like to some degree.
But let’s now turn to our passage and look at what it says. We are pausing from the battle campaign and we are conducting what they call a covenant renewal ceremony. In the mist of their war, they pause for worship. And there are 4 points that I want to look at today from this passage. The first thing I want you to notice, given all that we’ve looked at so far, is the obedience they gave.
I. The obedience they gave
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this one, but it does need to be mentioned. We have to point out that the Israelites here are being steadfastly obedient to the commands of Moses. What we read here (this whole passage- the mountain that they go to, the alter that they erect, the stones they set up, the words they write—all of it) is point for point exactly what they were supposed to do as commanded by Moses.
You heard me read Deuteronomy 27, and you no doubt saw as we read this passage that the two passages are virtually identical. Moses commanded, Joshua and the people of Israel obeyed.
And it’s even interesting that they take a little break from their war to do this. Again, you got to wonder about the strategy. You usually don’t stop a campaign against your enemies, especially a successful one. You may take a day or two to get a little rest, but you probably don’t march 20 miles north have a worship service, and then march over 20 miles back south to get your next target. It’s kind of absurd.
But that’s the thing: this isn’t so much about war as it is about being obedient to the Lord. Their success was not so much found in how many Canaanites they could kill off, but rather in how diligently they could follow the Word of God.
I just want you to remember that. God desires obedience over and above success. The greatest success you can have is abiding by the commands of God.
We’ve been trained as Americans to think that you have to get a good education so that you can get a good job. Then you have to thrive at that job so that you can be successful. We’ve been trained to think that that’s our goal in life. That’s supposed to be our drive. That’s part and parcel of the American Dream.
While a good education and occupation are great things, this makes us think. Those are not the prime objectives of our lives. Putting God first in your life, putting his word as the highest priority of your life, making his worship the most important thing is really the greatest things you can do.
You can be very successful, but if you are not being obedient, it really doesn’t mean much to the Lord. God puts primacy on your obedience over and above anything else in your life.
The second thing that I want you to notice in the text is the company they accrued.
II. The company they accrued
I don’t know if you noticed or not, but twice it said that in this great gathering of people were “sojourners” or some versions say “strangers.” It’s found in verses 33 and 35. The Hebrew word can also mean “guests.”
Now the book of Exodus tells us that a “mixed multitude” came out of Egypt. In other words, there were Egyptians that converted to the Lord and decided to leave their homes to follow the Lord. They embraced his promises and they became a part of the Israelite people.
I would assume that this may refer to them, but I also think that this probably means that some of the people in the land of Canaan had begun to cross over too. I wouldn’t doubt that had heard of the great acts of God and seen what had happened in Jericho and Ai converted and became followers of the Lord.
Either way you look at it, this is a reminder that the Lord is bringing people unto himself. It is a beautiful reminder of how the Lord is growing his kingdom and bringing in people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
What’s more, it’s a reminder that the greatest evangelism we have is not so much our going out and hitting the streets (though that certainly has its place), but it’s seeking to be faithful to the Lord. It’s and allowing Him to show forth his greatness.
We need to understand that people will be drawn to the Lord as we follow him and abide in him. God will make his name known in and through the people of God as they worship and obey him.
I’m certainly not discounting good old fashioned evangelism. That has a high place in my heart. But we see here that Israel wasn’t necessarily out there passing out tracts or doing evangelism as we typically perceive it. They were simply focused on being obedient and bringing in the kingdom as the Lord directed them. As they did so, the Lord was drawing men and women unto himself. People’s curiosity was peeked and they wanted to learn more about the Lord. They became guests in their worship service and eventually were assimilated into the covenant community.
So I want to simply encourage you to remember that faithful churches will likely be growing churches. Those churches that seek to abide by His commands, those are the churches that the Lord will typically bless.
When Hopewell first started, Dave John and I took some time to read a little booklet on church leadership. One of the things that was said in that book was that those leaders who are focused on being faithful shepherds will likely see their church grow. The author didn’t really back it up with Scripture, but he said this: God will place his sheep in churches where they will be properly cared for.
That’s always stuck with me. And that’s really an extension of what we see being said in this passage. Faithfulness to the Lord is primary. God will give the growth. The Lord is drawing people from the ends of the earth. And as we seek to be faithful disciples, the Lord will make disciples through us.
The third thing I want us to consider is the monument they erected
III. The monument they erected
Now Joshua has already erected a couple other monuments. Remember he set up stones on the bank of the Jordan River after they crossed over. I’d say that Jericho became a monument too—there’s nothing set up there, of course, because it was raised and it was a pile of rubble (if anything). But it was a national monument of sorts.
And then, you may say that some of the monuments he erected were graves. He piled up rocks over Achan and the King of Ai. These were monuments of sorts too, reminders of God’s holiness and what it means to break his covenant.
But everywhere he goes Joshua is leaving piles of stones. He is, in effect, leaving his mark on the territory.
And here in our passage we see the same thing happening. We are told that Joshua set up an alter of uncut stones on Mt Ebal. And then in verse 32 it tells us that they wrote the words of God’s law upon stones.
What you have to understand is that these stones would have been very large. They set up boulders or maybe they cut some giant stones into slabs so that they could write out the law of God on them. And this became another national monument, so to speak.
You got to ask, why do they keep making all these monuments? And the answer is because they understand the nature of Christian education. They see the need for a public witness to God and His law and understand that these monuments are reminders to the people of who they are and what they are to be.
In sum, these are cultural artifacts that help preserve and propagate their identity as a people who belong to God.
I want to bring this out because we’re living in a day where monuments are being torn down. The rioters and so called protesters of ANTIFA & the Black Lives Matters organization are vandalizing cities all over America and ripping down statues and historical markers. And pressure is being put on civil leaders to remove historical landmarks all across our county.
Not only do we see it in our own nation, but we see a similar thing going on in other regions of the world. Some of you may remember that there was a lot of talk a while back about ISIS. ISIS was attacking different places throughout Iraq and the Middle East. And as they did so part of their sinister deeds consisted of the destruction of certain iconic artifacts. There were a number of Christian churches that were razed, including one which was estimated to be around 1,000 years old.
But lest you think that ISIS is just picking on Christianity, you should know that it leveled almost anything in its path that didn’t adhere to their ideals. This included some Muslim mosques and shrines.
A lot of people look at what ISIS and the BLM rioters are doing and think that it is just senseless destruction. But that’s not necessarily true. It is a destruction with purpose in both cases. They are ripping these edifices down because they are seeking to destroy the ideas and ideals that they represent. It is an issue of worldview. Toppling the worldview of the land includes destroying those monuments that testify to that worldview.
Think of it this way, to destroy the cult, you have to destroy the culture. Culture rises out of one’s beliefs. It is a byproduct of one’s worship. And what they want to do is create a different culture. That’s because they belong to a different cult.
For instance, one of the large targets are those statues of Christopher Columbus. Why were these erected in the first place? The reason is because Columbus has a significant part to play in our nation’s history. It was as a result of Columbus that there came to be interest in the new world. It may not have been first discovered by Columbus, but it was populated to a great degree as a result of him. His 4 voyages were integral for the waves of people who would come after him.
Now, was Christopher Columbus a saint? Probably not. He probably did exploit many natives of the land. But does anyone hold up Columbus as a testimony to enslavement, exploitation, and white Western domination? Of course not. Columbus has traditionally been held up as a figure who represents global expansion, freedom, individualism, and economic diversification. He is a man who signifies the potential of the New World.
In contrast to this the Marxist culture that is developing around us wants to destroy those concepts. That’s why they will latch on to the sins and shortcomings of Columbus. They want to play up the grotesque in order to disparage the real significance of Columbus and his contributions to world history. And the Marxist worldview wants to raise up in its place their pagan ideas of collectivism, egalitarianism, financial redistribution.
It all amounts to this: You destroy the faith by destroying the icons.
It works the other way too, which is the point of this passage. When you create monuments, you help to preserve and propagate your worldview.
Joshua was creating a sizable landmark which would have been left for generations to come. They would see this and remember the great acts of God. They would read the words inscribed here and they would be moved to heed them. This was a way of bringing these things to mind, and impressing the truth more firmly upon their hearts.
This is why we want to erect God glorifying monuments. And we want to fight tenaciously to preserve things like crosses in public places. We want the 10 commandments placed in the public square and in courtrooms. These are foundational aspects of our culture and they preserve that culture by maintaining and publicizing our beliefs.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not making a case for any old American icon. I don’t think that any old patriotic propaganda is legitimized. What I am saying is that we everywhere that Christians go, they should be creating a distinctly Christian culture. Wherever Christians are, they should see that reflected in the society around them as they create art, build cities, and express themselves in the world.
To put it another way, the fingerprint of God should be witnessed in society wherever Christians gather. The culture we create, the artifacts that we fashion, are testimonies to the world (and especially the following generations) of who we are and what we are to be.
There’s one last thing that I want to point out from our text today. We would be remiss if we did not consider the words that they heard.
IV. The words they heard [34-35]
The last two verses tell us that Joshua not only posted the words of the law, but he read them to the people.
Now, think of how amazing this would have been. You have two mountains side by side and a valley down below. It is a natural amphitheater that would have been created. And the people are hearing the blessings and the curses of the law. They would hear what God required of them and they would hear what would happen if they obeyed or if they disobeyed.
All in all, this ceremony and public reading of Scripture was a reminder to the people that they were in a covenant with God almighty. God had made a treaty with them and given them life. He was giving them the land that he promised to them. And now they were to remember their obligation to love and serve him.
And this would have been all that much more profound as they heard the maledictions pronounced upon them. They would hear the blessings that would be in store for them and how wonderful life would be should they obey.
In sum, this ceremony afforded them the opportunity to dedicate themselves more fully to the Lord and take to heart His commands.
And that’s why this sacred assembly is akin to what happens here in this room each Lord’s Day. This is an opportunity for you to hear the word of God, remember His kind dealings with you, and devote yourself to him anew. It’s a chance for you to remember the obligation you have as God’s chosen and beloved people.
When you come into this place, you hear of the goodness and severity of God, how he pours out his favor upon those who fear him, and how he deals strictly with those do not walk not in his ways. And in hearing the word, you are to believe and know all that much more that it is good to serve the Lord.
Conclusion:
If we might sum up this passage, it is merely seeking to remind us of the prime place the Word of God should have in our lives and the deep respect we have for it. It is a terrible thing to neglect the word and there should be no reason why any of us are ignorant of it.
It just so happened that a study was put out this past week by the American Bible Society. It was called the State of the Bible report and it was a thorough chronicle on the Bible reading habits of Americans.
The study found that only 9% of Americans read their Bibles on a daily basis. That’s actually a 5% drop from the previous studies. From 2011-19, there was a pretty consistent average of about 14% of Americans who read their Bibles. In the last year though—perhaps the year when more people needed to be reading the Scriptures—that number has plummeted to less than 10% of our nation’s population who believe that daily bible reading is important.
If you add together those who responded by saying they read the Bible 1-4 times a week, you still only get less than 30% of the population. The same study found that 34% of Americans do not ever read the Bible.
Now, those are not good numbers for America. It is a woeful thing in the eyes of God. And you can understand why it is that our nation is seeing its Christian and conservative fixtures removed from the public square. As our nation and churches neglect God’s word more and more, you’re going to see God neglect us more and more.
But I’m hoping that we are different. I want to assume that the Hopewell church family is helping to keep those numbers as sound as possible. It’s my hope that each of our families are taking up the Scriptures together to read them and study them together. And I hope that each individual is dedicated to setting apart some time of the day to read at least some portion of it on your own.
If that is not the case, I want to encourage you to take to heart what is said here about how prominent the Word of God is to be in our lives. It’s not just to be advertised in public places and in monuments. It is to have a place in our homes. It will never be found on monuments downtown or adoring our civil institutions if it is not first read and cherished in our own hearts and minds.
What it all boils down to is this: These are the words of your God, the God who is pouring out his blessings upon you from heaven. He has dealt favorably with you and given us grace upon grace. These tokens of his kindness ought to move us to a greater love for Him and a deeper affection for what He has revealed to us.
But let’s now turn to our passage and look at what it says. We are pausing from the battle campaign and we are conducting what they call a covenant renewal ceremony. In the mist of their war, they pause for worship. And there are 4 points that I want to look at today from this passage. The first thing I want you to notice, given all that we’ve looked at so far, is the obedience they gave.
I. The obedience they gave
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this one, but it does need to be mentioned. We have to point out that the Israelites here are being steadfastly obedient to the commands of Moses. What we read here (this whole passage- the mountain that they go to, the alter that they erect, the stones they set up, the words they write—all of it) is point for point exactly what they were supposed to do as commanded by Moses.
You heard me read Deuteronomy 27, and you no doubt saw as we read this passage that the two passages are virtually identical. Moses commanded, Joshua and the people of Israel obeyed.
And it’s even interesting that they take a little break from their war to do this. Again, you got to wonder about the strategy. You usually don’t stop a campaign against your enemies, especially a successful one. You may take a day or two to get a little rest, but you probably don’t march 20 miles north have a worship service, and then march over 20 miles back south to get your next target. It’s kind of absurd.
But that’s the thing: this isn’t so much about war as it is about being obedient to the Lord. Their success was not so much found in how many Canaanites they could kill off, but rather in how diligently they could follow the Word of God.
I just want you to remember that. God desires obedience over and above success. The greatest success you can have is abiding by the commands of God.
We’ve been trained as Americans to think that you have to get a good education so that you can get a good job. Then you have to thrive at that job so that you can be successful. We’ve been trained to think that that’s our goal in life. That’s supposed to be our drive. That’s part and parcel of the American Dream.
While a good education and occupation are great things, this makes us think. Those are not the prime objectives of our lives. Putting God first in your life, putting his word as the highest priority of your life, making his worship the most important thing is really the greatest things you can do.
You can be very successful, but if you are not being obedient, it really doesn’t mean much to the Lord. God puts primacy on your obedience over and above anything else in your life.
The second thing that I want you to notice in the text is the company they accrued.
II. The company they accrued
I don’t know if you noticed or not, but twice it said that in this great gathering of people were “sojourners” or some versions say “strangers.” It’s found in verses 33 and 35. The Hebrew word can also mean “guests.”
Now the book of Exodus tells us that a “mixed multitude” came out of Egypt. In other words, there were Egyptians that converted to the Lord and decided to leave their homes to follow the Lord. They embraced his promises and they became a part of the Israelite people.
I would assume that this may refer to them, but I also think that this probably means that some of the people in the land of Canaan had begun to cross over too. I wouldn’t doubt that had heard of the great acts of God and seen what had happened in Jericho and Ai converted and became followers of the Lord.
Either way you look at it, this is a reminder that the Lord is bringing people unto himself. It is a beautiful reminder of how the Lord is growing his kingdom and bringing in people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
What’s more, it’s a reminder that the greatest evangelism we have is not so much our going out and hitting the streets (though that certainly has its place), but it’s seeking to be faithful to the Lord. It’s and allowing Him to show forth his greatness.
We need to understand that people will be drawn to the Lord as we follow him and abide in him. God will make his name known in and through the people of God as they worship and obey him.
I’m certainly not discounting good old fashioned evangelism. That has a high place in my heart. But we see here that Israel wasn’t necessarily out there passing out tracts or doing evangelism as we typically perceive it. They were simply focused on being obedient and bringing in the kingdom as the Lord directed them. As they did so, the Lord was drawing men and women unto himself. People’s curiosity was peeked and they wanted to learn more about the Lord. They became guests in their worship service and eventually were assimilated into the covenant community.
So I want to simply encourage you to remember that faithful churches will likely be growing churches. Those churches that seek to abide by His commands, those are the churches that the Lord will typically bless.
When Hopewell first started, Dave John and I took some time to read a little booklet on church leadership. One of the things that was said in that book was that those leaders who are focused on being faithful shepherds will likely see their church grow. The author didn’t really back it up with Scripture, but he said this: God will place his sheep in churches where they will be properly cared for.
That’s always stuck with me. And that’s really an extension of what we see being said in this passage. Faithfulness to the Lord is primary. God will give the growth. The Lord is drawing people from the ends of the earth. And as we seek to be faithful disciples, the Lord will make disciples through us.
The third thing I want us to consider is the monument they erected
III. The monument they erected
Now Joshua has already erected a couple other monuments. Remember he set up stones on the bank of the Jordan River after they crossed over. I’d say that Jericho became a monument too—there’s nothing set up there, of course, because it was raised and it was a pile of rubble (if anything). But it was a national monument of sorts.
And then, you may say that some of the monuments he erected were graves. He piled up rocks over Achan and the King of Ai. These were monuments of sorts too, reminders of God’s holiness and what it means to break his covenant.
But everywhere he goes Joshua is leaving piles of stones. He is, in effect, leaving his mark on the territory.
And here in our passage we see the same thing happening. We are told that Joshua set up an alter of uncut stones on Mt Ebal. And then in verse 32 it tells us that they wrote the words of God’s law upon stones.
What you have to understand is that these stones would have been very large. They set up boulders or maybe they cut some giant stones into slabs so that they could write out the law of God on them. And this became another national monument, so to speak.
You got to ask, why do they keep making all these monuments? And the answer is because they understand the nature of Christian education. They see the need for a public witness to God and His law and understand that these monuments are reminders to the people of who they are and what they are to be.
In sum, these are cultural artifacts that help preserve and propagate their identity as a people who belong to God.
I want to bring this out because we’re living in a day where monuments are being torn down. The rioters and so called protesters of ANTIFA & the Black Lives Matters organization are vandalizing cities all over America and ripping down statues and historical markers. And pressure is being put on civil leaders to remove historical landmarks all across our county.
Not only do we see it in our own nation, but we see a similar thing going on in other regions of the world. Some of you may remember that there was a lot of talk a while back about ISIS. ISIS was attacking different places throughout Iraq and the Middle East. And as they did so part of their sinister deeds consisted of the destruction of certain iconic artifacts. There were a number of Christian churches that were razed, including one which was estimated to be around 1,000 years old.
But lest you think that ISIS is just picking on Christianity, you should know that it leveled almost anything in its path that didn’t adhere to their ideals. This included some Muslim mosques and shrines.
A lot of people look at what ISIS and the BLM rioters are doing and think that it is just senseless destruction. But that’s not necessarily true. It is a destruction with purpose in both cases. They are ripping these edifices down because they are seeking to destroy the ideas and ideals that they represent. It is an issue of worldview. Toppling the worldview of the land includes destroying those monuments that testify to that worldview.
Think of it this way, to destroy the cult, you have to destroy the culture. Culture rises out of one’s beliefs. It is a byproduct of one’s worship. And what they want to do is create a different culture. That’s because they belong to a different cult.
For instance, one of the large targets are those statues of Christopher Columbus. Why were these erected in the first place? The reason is because Columbus has a significant part to play in our nation’s history. It was as a result of Columbus that there came to be interest in the new world. It may not have been first discovered by Columbus, but it was populated to a great degree as a result of him. His 4 voyages were integral for the waves of people who would come after him.
Now, was Christopher Columbus a saint? Probably not. He probably did exploit many natives of the land. But does anyone hold up Columbus as a testimony to enslavement, exploitation, and white Western domination? Of course not. Columbus has traditionally been held up as a figure who represents global expansion, freedom, individualism, and economic diversification. He is a man who signifies the potential of the New World.
In contrast to this the Marxist culture that is developing around us wants to destroy those concepts. That’s why they will latch on to the sins and shortcomings of Columbus. They want to play up the grotesque in order to disparage the real significance of Columbus and his contributions to world history. And the Marxist worldview wants to raise up in its place their pagan ideas of collectivism, egalitarianism, financial redistribution.
It all amounts to this: You destroy the faith by destroying the icons.
It works the other way too, which is the point of this passage. When you create monuments, you help to preserve and propagate your worldview.
Joshua was creating a sizable landmark which would have been left for generations to come. They would see this and remember the great acts of God. They would read the words inscribed here and they would be moved to heed them. This was a way of bringing these things to mind, and impressing the truth more firmly upon their hearts.
This is why we want to erect God glorifying monuments. And we want to fight tenaciously to preserve things like crosses in public places. We want the 10 commandments placed in the public square and in courtrooms. These are foundational aspects of our culture and they preserve that culture by maintaining and publicizing our beliefs.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not making a case for any old American icon. I don’t think that any old patriotic propaganda is legitimized. What I am saying is that we everywhere that Christians go, they should be creating a distinctly Christian culture. Wherever Christians are, they should see that reflected in the society around them as they create art, build cities, and express themselves in the world.
To put it another way, the fingerprint of God should be witnessed in society wherever Christians gather. The culture we create, the artifacts that we fashion, are testimonies to the world (and especially the following generations) of who we are and what we are to be.
There’s one last thing that I want to point out from our text today. We would be remiss if we did not consider the words that they heard.
IV. The words they heard [34-35]
The last two verses tell us that Joshua not only posted the words of the law, but he read them to the people.
Now, think of how amazing this would have been. You have two mountains side by side and a valley down below. It is a natural amphitheater that would have been created. And the people are hearing the blessings and the curses of the law. They would hear what God required of them and they would hear what would happen if they obeyed or if they disobeyed.
All in all, this ceremony and public reading of Scripture was a reminder to the people that they were in a covenant with God almighty. God had made a treaty with them and given them life. He was giving them the land that he promised to them. And now they were to remember their obligation to love and serve him.
And this would have been all that much more profound as they heard the maledictions pronounced upon them. They would hear the blessings that would be in store for them and how wonderful life would be should they obey.
In sum, this ceremony afforded them the opportunity to dedicate themselves more fully to the Lord and take to heart His commands.
And that’s why this sacred assembly is akin to what happens here in this room each Lord’s Day. This is an opportunity for you to hear the word of God, remember His kind dealings with you, and devote yourself to him anew. It’s a chance for you to remember the obligation you have as God’s chosen and beloved people.
When you come into this place, you hear of the goodness and severity of God, how he pours out his favor upon those who fear him, and how he deals strictly with those do not walk not in his ways. And in hearing the word, you are to believe and know all that much more that it is good to serve the Lord.
Conclusion:
If we might sum up this passage, it is merely seeking to remind us of the prime place the Word of God should have in our lives and the deep respect we have for it. It is a terrible thing to neglect the word and there should be no reason why any of us are ignorant of it.
It just so happened that a study was put out this past week by the American Bible Society. It was called the State of the Bible report and it was a thorough chronicle on the Bible reading habits of Americans.
The study found that only 9% of Americans read their Bibles on a daily basis. That’s actually a 5% drop from the previous studies. From 2011-19, there was a pretty consistent average of about 14% of Americans who read their Bibles. In the last year though—perhaps the year when more people needed to be reading the Scriptures—that number has plummeted to less than 10% of our nation’s population who believe that daily bible reading is important.
If you add together those who responded by saying they read the Bible 1-4 times a week, you still only get less than 30% of the population. The same study found that 34% of Americans do not ever read the Bible.
Now, those are not good numbers for America. It is a woeful thing in the eyes of God. And you can understand why it is that our nation is seeing its Christian and conservative fixtures removed from the public square. As our nation and churches neglect God’s word more and more, you’re going to see God neglect us more and more.
But I’m hoping that we are different. I want to assume that the Hopewell church family is helping to keep those numbers as sound as possible. It’s my hope that each of our families are taking up the Scriptures together to read them and study them together. And I hope that each individual is dedicated to setting apart some time of the day to read at least some portion of it on your own.
If that is not the case, I want to encourage you to take to heart what is said here about how prominent the Word of God is to be in our lives. It’s not just to be advertised in public places and in monuments. It is to have a place in our homes. It will never be found on monuments downtown or adoring our civil institutions if it is not first read and cherished in our own hearts and minds.
What it all boils down to is this: These are the words of your God, the God who is pouring out his blessings upon you from heaven. He has dealt favorably with you and given us grace upon grace. These tokens of his kindness ought to move us to a greater love for Him and a deeper affection for what He has revealed to us.