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 24:15 ESV
Joshua asked the people to choose for themselves whom they will serve. He does not want them to follow God blindly. He wants them to really think it through. He wants them to count the cost of following God. He does not want them to follow God on the basis of God’s faithfulness and greatness shown to their fathers and forefathers, he wants them to realize that everything they have now, the land of their inheritance, is not just something that was passed on from one generation to the next. It is a demonstration of God’s faithfulness to them, now. One lesson we can find here is that we cannot simply live in the experiences of the past. We can certainly learn from them and know for certain that the same God who brought us through will come through for us again, but we need to keep on experiencing God for He remains faithful. And though Joshua gave the people a chance to choose who they will follow, Joshua and his family have already resolved the issue in his heart. He and his household will serve the Lord. And this decision will not be affected even when those around them will decide otherwise. Meaning, his decision won’t be affected by the decision of others. Even if the rest of the people of Israel will all turn their back on God, Joshua’s decision won’t change. 12 March
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