Don’t neglect the gift of salvation

Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought terrible plagues on Egypt; and afterward I brought you out as a free people. But when your ancestors arrived at the Red Sea, the Egyptians chased after you with chariots and charioteers. When your ancestors cried out to the Lord, I put darkness between you and the Egyptians. I brought the sea crashing down on the Egyptians, drowning them. With your very own eyes you saw what I did. Then you lived in the wilderness for many years. Joshua 24:5-7 NLT

In 1905, philosopher George Santayana wrote in his book, “Reason in Common Sense,” this famous quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This is what we have here in the last chapter of Joshua. He was reminding the Israelites not to forget their roots that God has called them for a purpose. Joshua started to mention in the chapter how God has blessed them since the beginning. From the text, Joshua cited how God chose Joseph and sent him ahead to Egypt. This happened when he was sold by his brothers to slavery (see Genesis 37). Yet, the event was directed by God so Joseph will be used by Him to save the Israelites from famine. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20). Egypt also was spared from that famine but instead of being grateful to God, they enslaved the Israelites. This time, God sent Moses and Aaron and declared God’s judgment to Pharaoh by sending the ten plagues that culminated in the death of the firstborn. Though the Pharaoh decided to let the Israelites leave but he changed his mind and pursued them. God once again protected the Israelites by drowning the pursuing Egyptians at the Red Sea. Before Moses died, he reminded the Israelites of these events so that they will not take for granted what God has done for them. The observance of the Passover was instituted so that they will not take for granted the redemption God obtained for them that once they were in bondage as slaves in Egypt and that they were set free. The same attitude should be manifested by those who claim to be followers of God. They were before enslaved by sin and because of what Christ accomplished at the cross, they had been set free. It is a dangerous thing to drift away from faith because you took for granted and neglected the gift of salvation. “So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?” (Hebrews 2:3).

Blessings,