A Choice to Make

 

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15 ESV).

 

We are coming to the end of our brief look at the life and leadership of Joshua. Today our reading is a part of Joshua’s final instruction to the people he has led into God’s Promised Land. The battles for the land have been fought and won; the people have received the promise. That which remains is the practice of the new lives in the new land. He seems to offer Israel a choice between two bad things: to serve the old gods of their ancestors in Mesopotamia and Egypt or the new gods of the local peoples in Canaan. However, this is not what is taking place at all.

 

But Joshua is not really offering a choice between old and new, both of these groups are false gods. Having reminded Israel of God’s mighty deeds, he now challenges the people to acknowledge and serve the Lord in the land God has given them. In effect, Joshua says, “You may choose to live like your ancestors or neighbors did, but here in God’s Promised Land, I won’t!”

 

This is the same choice believers are faced with today. We have been redeemed. We have the absolute guarantee of eternal life in Christ. Now that we have been born again we are given choices in our behavior. Joshua’s challenge here reveals a sad truth: God’s people have great difficulty giving up their old ways of life and resisting the temptations of their new surroundings. The “old gods” are comfortable. The “new” gods that are still worshiped by their neighbors are distracting and alluring. Yet they are all empty.

 

The God of Abraham, the Father of Jesus Christ, is the only true God. He has shown himself to us again and again, especially in his Son. His Spirit blesses us even now. Trust in the Lord to truly bless your family, your work, your mind, and your eternal future. Don’t depend on empty promises. Revisit your memorial stones. The choice is clear.