OBEDIENCE

Joshua 24

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.

19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.

22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.

27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.

28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.

Continuous decisions to follow God or succumb to the way of strange gods

Joshua 24

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

God is the Creator of man. He knows a man's heart. Therefore, through Joshua, He presented two options for Israel to pick to operate their lives. We either in some ways “serve the LORD” (Joshua 24: 15) or serve the customs of the land. There is no in-between.

In our current time, we are bombarded with so many influences and diverse ways of infiltrating strange doctrines and beliefs that we are in danger more than ever to fall away from God’s instructions in the Bible and in our hearts. With the inventions of television, internet, mobile phones, social media, and images of advertisements in almost every corner of the streets, it is not hard to say that temptations are now one click or one glance away. To truly abide in Christ, our battle against temptations and sins will be not only daily but also constant. Any moment, a Christian can tumble into sins.

We must not underestimate the enemy and their devices to trap humanity. If it was easy to fight sins, God would not have said “And if it seem evil” (Joshua 24: 15). We must understand that for most people, living for God is not convenient. Living in sin is much easier. God creates man with free will. God allows man to choose which way to live. God is not forceful to mandate anyone to His house. You and I have the will to obey God or obey the world, but we all know the consequence of being followers of the world. That consequence is hell fire and eternal damnation.

Idolatry, which obviously includes the act of worshiping idols or strange deities, is a serious sin, and God who is a jealous God will punish idol worshippers severely. However, in this passage of Joshua 24, we must interpret further that it is also about an act of following any deeds that do not have the mark of God’s approval. If it is not ordained by God and we do, we have already not served the LORD, but served other gods.

Joshua made a smart decision as he said “but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24: 15). We must learn from this lesson, and our households will serve Him all the days of our lives.

Complete obedience after conversion into Christianity

Previously in Joshua 24

3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

4 And I gave unto Isaac and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.

6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.

7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.

We quickly go to verse 13

Joshua 24

13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

Without a doubt, following God and Christ provides us with clear tremendous benefits. Many people come to Christ as they experience miracles that God brings into their lives, a miracle of being forgiven from deadly sins and miracles of being rescued from challenging situations. In the passage above, we see testimonies that God gave Israel deliverance after deliverance and victory after victory. It seemed natural for Israel to obey God and worship Him as they claimed “therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God” (Joshua 24: 18). Similarly, submission to Christ after experiencing power of deliverance is natural and is something we must appreciate because faith in Christ is not by us, but a gift from God. Billions of souls are now in hell because they did not receive such faith in Christ.

That being said, being saved is only the beginning of Christian journey. Many will remain in this perpetual phase of baby Christians without stepping into maturity.

Remember this in verse 19 of Joshua 24

Joshua 24

19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye can not serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

Joshua looked at the conditions of Israel and concluded that they did not meet the standards God wanted them to have.

God is a holy God. He cannot accept sins in His house. Anyone that sins cannot make it to heaven. Faith in Christ and conversion to Christianity must be followed by complete obedience to Christ’s doctrine. Without that commitment, without being holy, Christians will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Joshua warned children of Israel as God warns us now to self-examine and consider our state of holiness.

Consequence of disobedience

Joshua 24

20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

“We are witnesses” (Joshua 24: 22). We are our own witnesses that we make this commitment to God. If we don’t truly follow His commandments, God’s punishments upon our heads are sure. Notice the use of words “consume you” (Joshua 24: 20). God will not take His words lightly. Who does not obey Him shall suffer.

Remember the warning in Revelation 21.

Revelation 21

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Sam Christian

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Acknowledgements

Vocabulary and grammar checks were done with the help of Collinsdictionary.com, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.

The Bible used is the King James Version by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA (King James Version Bible Large Print Thinline Edition, 2016). Some texts were inspired by boldfaced words from this Bible book.

Style of quotation followed partly the APA style-7th edition.