JUL 23

Joshua 24:1-27
Memorise Joshua 24:15
“but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”

The two most commonly quoted passages from the book of Joshua are the first and last chapters of the book. The book begins with God exhorting Joshua, preparing him for the onerous task that lay ahead of him. He was assured of God’s presence with Him, to be strong and very courageous and to always obey the Lord. In the ensuing chapters of the book, we see Joshua heeding God’s advice and God keeping His promise - The Israelites were granted victory in every battle that they faced.

At the close of his ministry, it is now Joshua’s turn to exhort the children of Israel, calling upon them to affirm their allegiance to God and promise that they would put away their idols and serve only the true and living God. He began by recounting how it was the Lord who had made them what they were. Starting from the time that God called Abraham to leave home and go down to Canaan, there is a whole long list of what God did (notice a whole string of verbs in the first person singular; I gave, I took, I sent, I brought etc.) God reminded them of His goodness to them despite their repeated rebellions, as He brought them out of Egypt, through the wilderness and finally into the Promised Land.

In response to all that God had done for them, comes the challenge from verse 14 onwards: Will you serve the LORD? Joshua confidently declared that, he and his house would certainly serve the Lord. The people too, replied in kind and said, “God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods” (v. 16). They acknowledged all that God had done and affirmed that, they would certainly serve the Lord. It was a very good response, and surely it was a sincere one as well. However, Joshua’s reply was quite surprising: he said that they could not serve the Lord, for He is a holy and jealous God. Joshua was warning them that such a vow was not to be taken lightly or flippantly. Indeed we cannot hope to serve the Lord sincerely and in truth if we still harbour sin in our hearts. Yet the people were truly sincere, and affirmed their commitment. And so Joshua sealed their promise through a covenant with God, that they would put away all their idols, serve the Lord and obey His Word. Dear teen, will you do the same, in all seriousness and sincerity?

Thought: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
Prayer: Help me O Lord, to serve You in sincerity and in truth.