May 16, 2016
Joshua 24: 19-25
14"Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw
away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and
serve the Lord .
15But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for
yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served
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 ." 16Then the people answered, "Far be it
from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17It was the Lord our God
himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of
slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on
our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18And the Lord drove out before us all the
nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the
Lord , because he is our God." 19Joshua said to the people, "You are
not able to serve the Lord . He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not
forgive your rebellion and your sins.
20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring
disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you."
21But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the Lord ." 22Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses
against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord ." "Yes, we
are witnesses," they replied.
23"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods
that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of
Israel." 24And the people said to
Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God and obey him." 25On that day Joshua made a covenant for the
people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. 26And Joshua recorded these things in the
Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under
the oak near the holy place of the Lord . 27"See!" he said to all the
people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the
words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are
untrue to your God." 28Then Joshua
sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. 29After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the
servant of the Lord , died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30And they buried him in the land of his
inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount
Gaash. 31Israel served the Lord
throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who
had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.
Title: Mission Accomplished!
Message: Faithfulness pays off. Careful
obedience to God’s laws merits blessings. Joshua carefully obeyed God’s
commandments and manifested God in his life that even before he died he saw to
it that the people he brought to the Promised Land would keep their vow to
serve God. As God’s servant he apparently knew God’s grace. Further, he knew
that God extends punishments for people’s wrongdoings. Thus, he gathered his
fellows and reminded them of God’s great deeds and made them decide among
themselves whom they would serve – the gods who couldn’t hear and see or the
God who performed all the wonders before their forefathers and delivered them
from bondage. The people who had awareness of everything listened to him and
vowed to serve the TRUE God.
Promise to Claim: God’s grace abounds and His
mercy never ceases. We might have sinned and would have been punished or would
be punished for it. However, as we ask forgiveness and turn back to God, He
willingly accommodate us and extends to us what we ask for, just like what
happened to the Israelites. They worshiped other gods and offended the Lord
with such act. God forgave them nonetheless, as they threw their idols and
settled on serving the LORD of all lords. God’s blessings and provisions were
with them as they continued winning battles and gaining their inheritance as
they lived in the land He gave them.
Command to Obey: Let us serve the LORD of
lords. Let us leave our wicked ways behind and embrace what God wants us to do.
Just like Joshua, let us demonstrate faithfulness to God. We are not Israelites
but as Jesus presented the covenant of salvation to those who accept Him and
live in accord to the Father’s commandments, we have the guarantee of that
promise. Hence, it’s never too late.
Warning to Heed: Unfaithfulness to God and
disobedience to His commandments yield failure and sufferings.
Application: I and my family will serve
the Lord.
