Diamonds in the Rough
Judges 2:7-8 & 10a
And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. … And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers.
Godly leaders don’t have the power to produce God-honoring communities, but they certainly help in fostering them. Men like Joshua can’t change the hearts of his constituents by the force of his integrity nor even by wise and just policies, but his example sets the tone for everyone else. Yet, how do we begin to eulogize an entire generation of saints who unilaterally sought the face of God in all their achievements? Perhaps in this way: by saying that the jewel Joshua wears for all eternity is a jewel his entire congregation shares in common. That Joshua is as every man and every man is as Joshua—a commonwealth in the truest sense of the word.
Joshua’s generation taught us that even in a fallen world, even with sinful lures dangling before our eyes, even with enemies seeking to destroy our faith, even with vain pursuits lauded all around, even in the face of hulking giants and towering fortresses and impassable waters, we can walk with God in obedience, humility, and unity. We can praise the LORD rather than constantly complain. We can tear down idols in our society by first removing the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life from our own hearts. We can stand as Joshua stood before Og and as Caleb stood before the sons of Anak and as Phineas stood before the Midianite rebels and as Rahab stood before a corrupt king and tell the gospel truth and practice the gospel truth and advance the gospel truth with the breath we’ve got left.
Oh, that each one of us would cease making excuses and instead storm the gates of hell today, casting aside in repentance the sin that entangled us yesterday, and run with perseverance the race God has set before our feet. Perhaps in the end, when our present generation has ascended to heaven, we’ll be given a jewel to match theirs.