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Joshua Chapter 24 (ESV)

Choose Whom You Will Serve

¹⁴ “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.¹⁵ 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.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, ¹⁷ for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. ¹⁸ 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.”

Joshua’s Death and Burial

²⁹ After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. ³⁰ And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

³¹ Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.

 

REFLECTION:

• Joshua gave his people the choice to serve the God who had chosen, liberated, and provided for them or to fall back into worship of the false gods of their ancestors on the side of the Euphrates before God called Abraham. In v15, Joshua declared his intention to serve the Lord and told the people to choose whom they would serve. This choice is the one for us as well; we must “choose this day whom we will serve”. If we choose false gods, such lapses today are a reversion to what we too had once been but for the grace of God.
• Meditate on the phrase, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” What does it mean for a family to “serve the Lord”? Where should we begin? When? How? Use this song Hi-Ne-Ni as your response to God’s calling you through Joshua.

 

PRAYER: 

Heavenly Father, You are a holy God, a God who abhors all sin and unrighteousness. You are also a loving God, abundant in grace and abundant in mercy! Though I often find myself trapped in sin and transgressions, I deeply understand that You will not despise a contrite and repentant spirit. If I acknowledge my sins, You are faithful and just, and You will forgive my sins. Heavenly Father, at this very moment, I wholeheartedly confess my sins and repent. I ask You to remove the worldly desires and pride from my heart. Break the idols within me and help me to serve You wholeheartedly and rely on You throughout my life! Please guard my thoughts and intentions, so that I may not misuse the precious gift of free will You have given me. Help me to avoid choosing false gods that lead to destruction. Instead, let me choose to draw near to You and be a faithful witness for You in this world, and in the future, receive eternal blessings and joy in heaven. O God, You are my portion, You are my inheritance! I desire to declare my commitment to You, just as Joshua did. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord! Amen!

 

HYMN:

We will serve the Lord – youtu.be/4Fic8YTiUsQ