Joshua 24:15
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of 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.”

Application: 

In this verse, Joshua laid all his cards on the table. He said, ‘Choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship?’ As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord. Joshua spoke like a kingdom man. He couldn’t control the hearts of the people of Israel, but he knew whose agenda he would follow and who would lead his home. He was determined to serve the Lord. He called the Israelites (and us) to make the same crucial decision.

In response to Joshua’s bold declaration, the people replied, “We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods!… We too will worship the Lord because he is our God (24:16–18).” To this, however, Joshua responded, “You will not be able to worship the Lord” (24:19). Now that response may seem a little odd. 

Why challenge them to follow the Lord and then call them liars when they promise to do so? Joshua said this because he recognized the danger of not backing up your words with actions. Talk is cheap, but deeds demonstrate our true intentions. Frankly, Joshua didn’t believe they were truly committed, so he emphasized his point. 

He warned, “He is a jealous God.… If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you (24:19–20).” Indeed, God is jealous—righteously jealous—for his people, just as an honorable husband would be justifiably jealous if he saw his wife misbehaving with another man. It isn’t enough to acknowledge the truth; you must act on it.

“Other gods” are not only idols (statues, figurines, etc.) made of wood, stone, and gold that we bow down to and pray to, but also anything we prioritize above our God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and His kingdom agenda. These other gods include religion, sex, careers, ambition, family members, sports, pride, and many more. Jesus Christ must be our Lord, not only our Savior (Luke 6:46-49).*

Reference: Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019), 261.

*Reference: Ricardo R.

To God be the glory!

Our Lord Jesus Christ created everything! By Him, For Him!

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

Disclaimer

When God inspires me, I write blogs. Consider this writing as a Bible study. Like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, search the Scriptures to determine whether what I write is so. Always consult with your church ministers about biblical matters. I am also not a professional writer, so some grammar or spelling errors may be present. I try my best to write as efficiently as possible. Your brother in Christ, Ricardo

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