Choose, Choose Wisely, Week 7 Day 5, Joshua 11, 23 and 24
First we start with the history lesson. Apparently God is pretty big on history. Sometimes it seems like half of the Old
Testament is repeating thing things that happened in the Old Testament. Remember is a important word in the
vocabulary of God.
Joshua passes on the history lesson from God. It starts with Abraham, Father Abraham who received
the promise to become the Father of a nation and a blessing. Then there’s Isaac, Jacob and Esau. The Aaron and Moses, leaving Egypt, the Red
Sea, wandering the desert, crossing the Jordan and conquering all the people of
living in the Promised Land.
The there are the final instructions. “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. But if
serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, the choose for yourselves this day
whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefather 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.”
We kind of think of Israel as always following God. Apparently while they were in Egypt the Israelites
had turned and worshiped the gods of
Egypt. I guess that’s not too
surprising. They spent over 400 years in
Egypt, most of that time as slaves. When
in Rome, or I guess when in Egypt, do as the Egyptians do. So they had that to remember. 400 years following other gods.
But then they had the plagues, the Red Sea, mana and quail,
water from the rock, 40 years in the desert, God conquering their enemies, and
crossing the Jordan. And now it’s time
to choose.
Joshua made his choice.
“But as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.” And so the people choose. “No! We will serve the Lord.” Joshua asks them if they are sure, they will
be witnesses against themselves. “Yes,
we are witnesses.” Translation, “Yes
were sure.”
But it turns out that the choice has a cost. Joshua tells them, “Now then, throw away the
foreign gods that are among you and yield your heats to the Lord, the God of
Israel.” 40 plus year of miracles, 40
plus years of God freeing them, leading them, feeding them, fighting for them,
and they’re still carrying around idols, other gods. After 40 plus years of God leading them, they
still are following other gods. How can
they possibly keep their promise?
And were back to rocks.
What is this thing with God and rocks?
First Joshua makes covenant, an agreement between the people and
God. The people agree that they will follow
God and only God. And then Joshua places
a large stone under an oak near the holy place of the Lord. And that rock is a witness. A witness against the people if they don’t
live up to their choice, if they are untrue to God.
But the rock, the rock can also help serve as a witness to
God’s faithfulness. A God who remembers
His promise to a man called Abraham. A witness
to a God who saves His people even when the people are slaves and worshipping
other gods. A God who feeds his people
even when they grumble. A God who gives
them water when they are thirsty. A God
who conquers their enemies. A God who
brought them into the Promised Land.
The rock is a part of their history lesson. It can remind the people of who God is and
what God has done. And the rock can
remind the people of the promise that they have made to serve God and only
God. Choose. Choose and remember. Choose and be faithful. Choose and be faithful to the God who is
faithful. God has chosen us. We need to forsake all other gods and choose
Him. Yeah, choose God and remember.
God, You’ve been present throughout history. And You’ve been present throughout my
life. Help me to always remember what
You have done in my life. Help me to
remember the choice that I made to give my life to You. Place rocks throughout my life as a witness
of Your faithfulness. Place rocks throughout
my life as a witness of my choice to follow You. Amen
Leonard
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