Choose You This Day

It is one of the most iconic lines in all of Scripture. "Choose you this day whom you shall serve." We think one of the options of that proposal would be God. And we would be wrong. The options on the table were the idols/false gods of the pagan nations Israel had been experienced with both before and after their triumph in the Land of Promise.

In Joshua 24, Joshua is reminding the people what God had done for them, how He had blessed them and prospered them. How everything good in their lives was the result of God's goodness to them.
Joshua 24:2–3 (ESV) And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many.
Joshua 24:6–7 (ESV) “‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time.

On and on, Joshua records what God had done. He gave them the land of the Amorites, He caused Balaam who was paid to curse them to actually bless them. He led them across the Jordan, He sent a hornet ahead of them against their enemies... and...

Joshua 24:13 (ESV) I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

Note the recounting of all that God had done. Why? Because we tend to forget it. We get so sidetracked so often with comparing ourselves with others or despairing about our challenges that we don't take time to say, "thank you" to God for all His overwhelming goodness over the course of our lives. We need constant reminders of His goodness or we will be tempted to serve the other "gods" of culture, comfort or selfish ambition. 

After recounting Gods goodness, Joshua presses in:

Joshua 24:14–15 (ESV) “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.”

Notice the options in Joshua's question are the gods of Egypt from whom God delivered them and the gods of the Amorites which were worshipped in the land they now live. 

A few thoughts:

1. No matter where we are or someday arrive, there will be "territorial" idols/gods of that place we must see as empty and powerless and therefore forsake. Right now, you are being tempted to worship something your context has determined to be the "epitome" of existence. A change in venue will only produce a change in idols. Be watchful because they are engrained in culture and have no power to save. 

2. We only serve false gods when we have allowed ourselves to view serving the true God as evil. That is the proposal of Joshua in verse 15. Do not let the patience of God and the deceptive appeal of false idols mislead you to think God is not good. He is. His ways are perfect. They are not always in our time, but they work. 

3. Remember most of all God's goodness toward you. That is the point of Joshua's speech here in chapter 24. We must never allow the persuasion of our culture and context to make us think we can be happier serving something or someone else. He is our source, He is our strength, He is our sustenance. And in HIM, we find our place and realize the promises He makes. 

Paul, knowing our propensity to drift toward either cultural idolatry or self-righteous intolerance reminds us in Romans 2:

Romans 2:4 (NLT) Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

The good news for those in Christ? The Holy Spirit takes up residence in us to echo in our hearts the testimony of our true and better Joshua, Jesus Christ: "As for Him and His house, they will serve the LORD."