INCLINE YOUR HEART

INCLINE YOUR HEART

Joshua 24:13-24 (KJV)

And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

 

We are looking this morning at one of the most familiar Old Testament passages I think anyone knows.

 

It’s been posted on the walls of homes for centuries.

Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

 

·   You will find it in a plain plaque form

·   You will find it written in block script on a picture of a Colonial or new England house

·   You will find it in a casual script on a picture of a farm house or perhaps

·   You will find it in a calligraphy script on a picture of a Victorian mansion

 

I want to focus on that phrase in verse 23, “incline your heart unto the Lord….” And view that in a little bit larger context.

 

How does a person incline his heart unto the Lord?

 

First of all, 

I. THERE WAS AN APPRECIATION FOR GOD

Joshua 24:13 (KJV)

And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

 

You will see this appreciation represented throughout the earlier verses of the chapter

God made them a people

Joshua 24:2-3 (KJV)

And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

 

God gave them a land

Joshua 24:4 (KJV)

And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

 

God brought them out of Egypt

Joshua 24:5-6 (KJV)

I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.

And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.

 

God parted for them the Red Sea

Joshua 24:7 (KJV)

And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

 

God led them through the wilderness

Joshua 24:8-10 (KJV)

And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.

Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:

But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

 

God gave them cities they didn’t build

Joshua 24:11-13 (KJV)

And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.

And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

 

One of the most spiritually productive things any person can do is rehearse again and again the reasons to be thankful to God.

 

·   I keep a list of answered prayers

·   I keep a list of miracles that have happened

·   I keep a list of kind things that have been done for and to me

·   I keep a list of people I love

 

I go through the lists, editing them, adding to them and reflecting upon them.

 

And I try to do that even on good days, not just on the days I need some cheering.

 

There is something phony about using the good hand of good to cheer yourself up on bad days, if you can’t also enjoy them on good days.

 

By the way, we ought also to review the lists of the things did for Israel regularly.

They are really the ones that have weight and authority.

 

·   I like what God has done for me but 

·   I can trust the things the Bible says God has done for His people.

 

It was in response to that whole list of reasons to thank God that Joshua challenged the people, 

Joshua 24:14-15 (KJV)

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

 

And it was in response to that list of reasons to thank God that the Bible says, 

Joshua 24:16-18 (KJV)

And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.

 

Secondly

II. THERE WAS A FEAR OF GOD

Joshua 24:14 (KJV)

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

 

There is a fence that every believer must balance in which, on either side he can get messed up.

 

On the one hand, we need to rejoice in the LORD. 

We have to enjoy God eternally

We have to be thankful and mindful of 

·   His goodness

·   His mercy

·   His grace and

·   His love

 

There ought to be in every Christian a sense that we can come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

All Christian ought to feel free to call God “abba Father.”

 

On the other hand we must fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth.

 

Old Testament and New the Bible confirms

Our God is a consuming fire.[1]

 

We should feel free to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

But we must never come brazenly to that throne, thinking we somehow don’t need that mercy and that grace.

 

To incline my heart unto the Lord is to find that balance.

 

Thirdly

III. THERE WAS A CHOICE FOR GOD

Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

 

I am going to share with you a process I had to tread over the course of a number of years in the ministry.

 

I was saved by watching a TV evangelist – not the noblest testimony of salvation out there.

 

The evangelist preached his message:

·   On the one side the forces of evil

·   On the other, the Old Rugged Cross

 

He pointed his finger into the TV camera and commanded almost right where you are, kneel and call on the Lord.

 

I did.

 

I know I got saved. I knew it right then.

 

But years later I had doubts.

 

Then I met a pastor who criticized that sort of salvation experience. He called it “decisionism.

 

He traced it back to Charles Finney and he said it had its roots in an ancient heresy called Pelagianism.

 

I took the bait.

I bought the book and I entered into a discussion with him that lasted a few years.

 

If a person is not saved by choosing God, how is he saved?

 

After years of discussing with him what I learned was that all his crowd ever did was criticize the decision process, but their method of winning the lost still boiled down to them making a choice.

 

Here’s the thing.

The Bible says, 

Romans 10:13 (KJV)

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

I understand that there is such a thing as a false profession, but if you ask the Lord to save you in sincerity and truth,

 

Whether you called upon him because you were 

·   Stirred by a sermon

·   Read a tract or was 

·   Witnessed to by a loved one

 

There was a choice involved.

 

If you have never made that choice to call on the Lord and ask Him to forgive your sins and to save you, I am right there with Joshua, “choose you this day.”

 

Don’t put it off another day.

 

Fourthly

IV. THERE WAS A WARNING FROM THE MAN OF GOD

Joshua 24:19-20 (KJV)

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

 

I think this goes back to the fearing the Lord point.

 

And it reminds me that we must constantly be reminded that we are only able to come before the throne, because it is a throne of grace.

 

We may come bold to the throne of grace, but it is only

·   To obtain mercy

·   To find grace

·   In time of need

 

My best days as a Christian are those days when I am most aware that: 

·   I need mercy and

·   I need grace

 

“Without Him I can do nothing

Without Him I’d surely fail

Without Him I would be drifting

Like a ship without a sail”[2]

 

Finally

V. THERE WAS A DETERMINATION TOWARD GOD

Joshua 24:23-24 (KJV)

Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

 

There are three steps here

A. They left their old life

There can be no turning to God before there is a turning from something else.

 

People today don’t think they are religious.

They are the most religious in human history.

 

They worship the creature – namely self.

 

No one turns to God before they turn away from themselves.

 

B. They turned toward a new life

Consider, to be inclined toward a thing does not make one all in that thing.

 

To be inclined toward the Lord doesn’t mean a person is where God wants them to stay all their life.

 

When we turn to the Lord He justifies, saves and forgives us.

 

But He has much more in store for us.

 

C. They served God and listened to His voice

This is the process that every Christian has entered into.

 

We serve the Lord

We here and obey His voice

 

It’s called sanctification.

 

It’s the process of spiritual growth.

 

It’s the third element of the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 

Conclusion

I wonder, where is your heart?

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[1] Deuteronomy 4:24 (KJV)

For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Hebrews 12:29 (KJV)

For our God is a consuming fire.

[2] Words and music by Mylon R LeFevre

ACHAN, THE TROUBLER

ACHAN, THE TROUBLER

Joshua 7:1 (KJV)

But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

1 Chronicles 2:7 (KJV)

And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.

Achan derives from the word Achar, meaning “troubler.”

The word means, “to stir up – like a person would stir up water.” It is used to describe[1] the results of:

·   cruelty, 

·   disloyalty, 

·   greed, 

·   wickedness

The concept of the troubler is used several times in the Old Testament.

Jacob said Simeon and Levi had troubled him when they slew Shechem over the defiling of their sister, Dinah.

Genesis 34:30 (KJV)

And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

Jephthah said his daughter troubled him when she was the first into his house after he promised to sacrifice the first to enter his house if he won in battle.

Judges 11:35 (KJV)

And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. 

Jonathan said his father, Saul had troubled the land with unreasonable and uncharitable orders upon his soldiers. 

1 Samuel 14:29 (KJV)

Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.

Ahab accused Elijah of troubling Israel. Elijah replied that it was not him but King Ahab who had caused the trouble.

1 Kings 18:17-18 (KJV)

And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

I said last week that I would limit this series of messages to people who were of sinful character, and not had just committed a sin.

When we think of Achan, we think of his notable crime, he stole, “of the accursed thing.”

The thing is, when Achan was executed for the crime, his family was executed with him.

It’s one of those events in the Word of God that puzzles a lot of people because it seems extreme and cruel.

I suggest to you that the execution of his family with him implies: 

·   Achan’s troubling involved more than this incident and that

·   Achan’s character was learned by his family

I. HIS NAME MEANS TROUBLE

Whether that was prophetic, or a name given to him after people recognized this character in him, I don’t know.

I do know that in those days a person’s name was almost always given on purpose.

They didn’t look through books to find names they liked.

They named their children to mark a significant event, or to remind them of a truth.

·   God changed the name of Abram[2] to Abraham[3]

·   God also changed the Jacob[4] to Israel[5]

Each of Jacob’s sons was specifically named to describe his mother’s emotions at the moment.[6]

I propose that Achan was known for causing trouble, for stirring the pot.

Achan may not have been the man who was in the fight, but he was very likely the guy who caused it.

Some people just like to stir up trouble.

They hear something, tell it to someone they know will get upset about it, and when the fur stars to fly – they sit back, smile and say, “Hey I’m not the one swinging fists.” That might be true, but they sure enjoyed stirring things up to a fighting fervor.

The Bible also calls them a meddler

Proverbs 17:14 (KJV)

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

Notice the reference to water, as in stirring up the pot.

Proverbs 26:17 (KJV)

He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

A troubler, a meddler, will sooner or later get himself bit.

Not only does the name Achan mean troubler,

II. HE IS CALLED THE TROUBLER

1 Chronicles 2:7 (KJV)

And the sons of Carmi; Achar[7], the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.

·   It’s his name and

·   It’s his reputation

The specific incident goes like this

A. God said that everything in Jericho was to be dedicated as a sacrifice to God

Joshua 6:17-19 (KJV)

And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

People take things from church all the time.

For some reason we can’t keep an extension cord. 

Never have as long as I’ve been here.

People get into the refrigerator like they are at their parent’s house.

I wonder if they have withheld the blessings of God upon themselves and us because of it?

B. Achan took of those things in Jericho and hid them in his tent

Joshua 7:19-22 (KJV)

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

It doesn’t say so, but the context certainly implies that his family was privy to what he had done.

C. Israel was defeated at Ai. God attributed the loss to the theft of the accursed thing

Joshua 7:5-12 (KJV)

And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Men died:

·   Wives lost their husbands

·   Moms and dads were grieving

·   Little children had lost their father

All because Achan saw a few valuables and stole them from God.

D. Achan (and his family) “forced” Joshua to find him before he confessed

Joshua 7:14-19 (KJV)

In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

·   They didn’t confess anything.

·   They were caught so they were trying to work out the best deal with the prosecutor.

Then look at this,

III. HE WAS BURIED IN A PLACE OF TROUBLE

Joshua 7:22-26 (KJV)

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto thisday.

I don’t know if they named the valley after him or if they buried him there because it was a fitting final place.

I read that what they would do is that, even years after the fact, people would walk by this type of grave and add a rock to the pile to remind themselves of the reason this grave existed, and as a deterrent of others committing the same offenses.

Conclusion

A troubler is a selfish person.

Whether they are

· cruel, 

· disloyal, 

· greedy or just plain

· disobedient

They are also thoughtless, uncaring and negligent of others.

It’s probably inherent in all of us to some degree, but it is most often a learned characteristic.

As I think is the case of Achan’s family – they learned to be troublers from the head of their home.

The troubler should be 

Warned

Proverbs 26:17 (KJV)

He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

Avoided

Proverbs 20:19 (KJV)

He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

Disciplined

2 Kings 14:10 (KJV)

Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

And every one of us ought to symbolically pick up a stone tonight and place it on the altar of our own “troubling” character so that we remember how much it hurts: 

·   Ourselves, 

·   Our family and 

·   Our church

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IInternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia

[2] Father

[3] Father of a multitude

[4] Supplanter, to undermine

[5] God prevails

[6] See Genesis 29:32–35:18

[7] Achar and Achan come from the same root meaning, to disturb or trouble water.