Meditation on Joshua 24:1-3a;
14-25
***
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned
the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they
presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus
says the Lord, the God of
Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived
beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. Then I took your father
Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and
made his offspring many….
‘Now therefore revere the Lord,
and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your
ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to
serve the Lord, choose this
day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region
beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but
as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’
Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for
it is the Lord our God
who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all
the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we
passed; and the Lord drove
out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we
also will serve the Lord, for
he is our God.’
But Joshua said to the people,
‘You cannot serve the Lord,
for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your
transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then
he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.’ And
the people said to Joshua, ‘No, we will serve the Lord!’ Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You are
witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.’ And they said, ‘We
are witnesses.’ He said, ‘Then put away the foreign gods that are among
you, and incline your hearts to
the Lord, the God of
Israel.’ The people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will
obey.’ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes
and ordinances for them at Shechem.
***
What
is the secret to success and prosperity? How does one find happiness and
satisfaction in life?
A poster on a doctor’s office wall caught
my eye this week. It was a numbered list
with the heading, “21 suggestions for Success” by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Brown is the author of 30 books, including the
bestseller, Life’s Little Instruction
Book. Curious about this author’s guide to “success,” I read on. Here are
some of the items on Brown’s list:
“Marry the right person. This one decision
will determine 90% of your happiness or misery. Work at something you enjoy and
that’s worthy of your time and talent. Give people more than they expect and do
it cheerfully. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. Be
forgiving of yourself and others. Be generous. Have a grateful heart. Persistence,
persistence, persistence. Commit yourself to constant improvement. Understand
that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships
with people you love and respect. Be loyal. Be honest. Be decisive even if it
means you’ll sometimes be wrong. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on
your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the one you did. Take
good care of those you love. And don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom
proud.”
I would agree that these “suggestions” are
all good things. Some of them are supported by Scripture. And I have to smile
at the last one about not doing anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud. I
hope my children are listening!
But I can’t agree with the premise of
these suggestions—that these are the keys to success. Certainly, not the “success”
or “prosperity” the Lord desires for us! Because this list does not include
serving the Lord—something that should be our highest goal!
God desires an intimate relationship with
each of His children. He doesn’t wish to share us with any other love in our
life. The Ten Commandments tell us that the Lord is a jealous God. We read in Exodus 20:
“I am the LORD your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You
shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved
image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to
them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations
of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and
keep My commandments.”
And
as we continue our study of the Book of Joshua this week, we learn the key
components of a godly life. His children are called to 2 things:
1.
Reverence or “fear of the
Lord” and
2.
Service—acting in obedience to
His Word
These two things were never
easy for God’s people. They could be distracted and tempted, as the Lord God of
Israel was not the only “god” across the Jordan River in Canaan. The land God
had promised to Israel was already populated with many different people groups,
worshiping their own pagan gods with the rituals and traditions of their
cultures. Further, it was common to worship more than one deity and to adopt
the idols of other cultures in the community. Israel was unusual in that it was
monotheistic—the people worshiped only
One God, and did not make any representations or images of Him.
Yes, this would be a challenge for Israel to
remain faithful to the One True God, without adopting any of the pagan beliefs and
ways of their new neighbors.
So
the Lord in His grace, when he calls Joshua to lead the people across the
Jordan River to the land of the promise, vows to be with them and help
them—just as He always had. But they must, in turn, vow to be “strong and
courageous”—trusting in the Lord, meditating on His Word “day and night” and
being careful to live according to Scripture.
***
In today’s reading, in the final chapter of
Joshua, we encounter the familiar call to God’s people to make a choice that
will mean life or death. Joshua calls for the renewing of the covenant of God’s
people with their Lord. He asks Israel, “Whom will you serve?”
Joshua, at the age of 110, is delivering
his farewell address at Shechem. The place is significant. This is where God
first addressed Abraham in Canaan in Gen 12:7; it’s where Joseph’s bones would
be buried; and it’s where Jacob led his household in an idol-burying ceremony
in Gen. 35.
Joshua
asks, “Whom will you serve?”
The assumption is that serving no one is
not one of the choices. We will serve someone
or something with our hearts and our lives, whether we are truly aware or
intentional about it or not.
It’s either God OR…. (Fill in the blank).
It can’t be God AND…. Because serving the Lord means rejecting all other gods
and anything that could become a god or an idol to a human being.
The commitment to serve the Lord was
intimidating in Joshua’s time, especially after he tells the people the truth
about themselves. That they are sinful human beings, unable to be faithful to
God.
“You
cannot serve the Lord,” he says. “For he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he
will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.”
But Israel
remembers God’s promise when the Lord led them to cross the Jordan into
Canaan—that the Lord would be with them, wherever they go and whatever they do.
He would guide and empower them, just as he will guide and empower us, as long
as we are “strong and courageous” and remember what he will always require of
His people: that we revere Him and serve Him, meditate on His Word. And seek to
obey.
Israel answers Joshua by insisting that
they will serve the Lord.
***
Friends, the question for the children of
God is still, “Whom will you serve?”
Soon, our nominating committee will be
meeting to seek the Lord’s will for our congregation’s leadership beginning in
2015. This is a difficult task for this group that realizes the weight of this
responsibility.
Please pray for them and for the members
they will invite to serve on session—that the Lord would give them courage and
prepare their hearts and minds to receive His call. Not all who are invited to serve welcome the
opportunity. Some have other commitments with work and family and are reluctant
to add on church leadership to their already busy lives. Some worry that they
don’t have the gifts that are needed to serve, though if they are being
invited, then others already believe that they do. Still others might say, “I’m
too old.” Or, “I am too young.” Or, “I haven’t been a member long enough.” Or,
“I already served. It’s someone else’s turn.”
But truly, answering the call to serve is a
matter of faith. No one feels ready! Everyone worries that they don’t have the
time or the gifts that are needed. Everyone feels anxious. Yet God always
provides! He has a plan for this church!
Remember—only 2 things are needed for
“success” in the tasks God calls us to do: reverence for the Lord and a desire
to serve, to be obedient to His will. So if you are approached and invited to
serve on session, pray about it! Study His Word. Then trust in the Lord and
lean not on your own understanding. He will guide your footsteps.
To
Israel’s proclamation that they will serve the Lord, Joshua responds with the words
his ancestor, Jacob, spoke to his family when they gathered at Shechem years
before.
‘Then
put away the foreign gods that are among you,” Joshua says, “and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’
“The
Lord our God we will serve,” says Israel. “And him we will obey.”
How about you, Ebenezer? Choose you this
day! Whom will you serve?
As for me and my household, we will serve
the Lord!
Let us pray.
Holy One, we thank you for
your faithfulness to us and to all our ancestors. Thank you for providing for
all of our needs through difficult times—for always guiding our footsteps as we
crossed into new and uncertain territory, for protecting us from harm. Lord, we
declare to you this day that we will revere and serve you. That you are Our God
– our Only One! Strengthen us to put away any idols and be faithful to our
commitment. Remove all fear from us. Give us courage to serve you in bold, new
ways. And Lord, we pray you would strengthen and give wisdom to the leaders of
our church and that you would raise up new leaders that will serve our
congregation in the years to come. Lead our nominating committee as they seek to do your will. Mold and shape us into the people you want
us to be, doing the kinds of ministry you have ordained for us to do. We pray
in the name of Christ our one and only King. Amen!
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