Gripped by Grace

When Joshua gathered Israel at Shechem in Joshua 24:1–13, it wasn’t just another meeting. It was sacred. This was the very place where God promised Abraham the land, where Jacob built an altar, and now, where the nation of Israel stood before God’s presence to be reminded of His faithfulness.

Joshua gives them a history lesson that I like to call “The Miracle of Israel.” This lesson does not glorify Israel’s strength, but it magnifies God’s grace. And if we listen closely, it’s a lesson we need just as much today.

Israel’s Story Begins with Grace

Joshua reminds the people where they came from. Abraham, their father, wasn’t chosen because he was holy. Scripture is brutally honest: Abraham and his family “served other gods” (Joshua 24:2). He was a pagan idol worshiper when God called him.

Why Abraham? Why not someone else? Grace. Amazing grace.

God reached down, chose him, and led him into the land. The miracle of Israel wasn’t built on human worthiness—it was born out of God’s inexplicable favor. And the same is true for us. None of us earns God’s love. We are chosen, redeemed, and sustained only by grace.

God’s Faithfulness Is Slow, but Sure

Joshua also highlights how long it took for God’s promises to unfold. Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac. Isaac waited 20 years for Jacob and Esau (who wasn’t even part of the covenant line)! Generations passed before God multiplied Abraham’s descendants.

But God wasn’t late. He was teaching His people that He is faithful in little, and faithful little by little.

We often want quick fixes—instant healing, instant provision, instant reconciliation. But if we only look for speed, we’ll miss the steady, patient faithfulness of God. His timing is never rushed, but it’s always right on track on his timeline of grace.

Hardship Doesn’t Cancel God’s Grace

Israel’s story wasn’t smooth. Jacob’s family went down to Egypt. God’s people endured slavery while Esau’s descendants enjoyed prosperity. Later, they faced armies stronger than themselves, wandering in the wilderness, and even curses spoken against them.

But God never abandoned them. He turned curses into blessings, parted seas, and provided food they hadn’t planted and cities they hadn’t built (Joshua 24:13).

God is honest about hardship. He doesn’t hide the reality of suffering. He doesn’t promise an easy road, but He does promise His presence in the darkness—and His grace is always enough.

Salvation Belongs to the Lord

Joshua’s history lesson makes one thing crystal clear: it wasn’t Israel’s power that saved them. It was God’s. From Egypt’s plagues to the crossing of the Red Sea, from Balaam’s attempted curses to the conquest of the land, God was showing His people that salvation belongs to Him alone.

And for us today, the same is true. Our cleverness, strength, or determination can’t save us. Only the Lord can.

Grace That Leads to Worship

Joshua’s history of grace points forward to Christ, the ultimate display of God’s favor.

Paul presses the logic of grace upon us. In Galatians 2:20, he says his life is lived for Jesus, the Son of God by faith in the Son of God. But Paul doesn’t stop there. He can’t stop there. Before he can help himself, he blurts out the beautiful truth. “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul’s life for the Lord is a response to grace. Who can imagine a God who would sacrifice Himself for me?

Grace always demands a response. Not apathy. Not pride. But worship. Like Paul, we should be so captivated by God’s grace that our hearts cry out: “To the King of the ages… be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).

Gripped by Grace Today

Joshua wanted Israel to remember their story so they wouldn’t forget their God. And the same call comes to us:

Friend, if you are in Christ, you are gripped by grace. And that grace will never let you go.

2025.09.03 | Gripped By Grace | Daniel Steeves