July 13

And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110. — Judg 2:8 BSB

We don’t have a detailed account of the final moments of this godly man’s life. Many chapters describe his life, his work, his wise words, and his actions, but all we know about his death is summed up in one small phrase. If he had lived in our time, his death would have been described in great detail. We would know his last words, how he faced death, whether with fear or with peace, and what dying testimony he gave to God’s grace. But we have none of that. We are simply told, “he died.”

This is true of all the saints in the Bible. We don’t have deathbed scenes or descriptions of their final moments. The message is clear: it’s not how a person dies that matters—it’s how they live. Not many people experience rapturous joy at the end. Some of the most Christ-like lives end without any dramatic manifestation of faith or joy. Meanwhile, some who have not lived Christian lives experience remarkable joy at the end. All of this shows that it’s how we live, not how we die, that reveals our character. For a man like Joshua, it didn’t matter whether he had a triumphant end or simply passed away in the shadows of old age. His life was his testimony—he needed no other.