WHOM WILL YOU SERVE?
(A
Covenant at Mt. Shechem)
Joshua 24:14-26
Introduction: On New Year’s Day
I got a brief e-mail wishing me Happy New Year and with these questions: I hope
you enjoyed 2018 and ready for 2019. What did you do on New Year’s Eve? Did you
go anywhere? That made me think what millions of people did around the world
that night. For a brief time, as I watched the crowds standing in the rain for
7-8 hours just to see a “Ball Drop.” I wondered how many of them were thankful
to God for all he has done for them in the year passed, and how many were
entrusting their lives to Him for yet another year ahead of them? The
celebrations and the revelry of that night reminded me of the revelry of the
Israelites in front of the “Golden Calf” I quietly welcomed the New Year on my
knees praying!
In
the passage we read we are faced with a challenging question that Joshua asked
the Israelites thousands of years ago, and the response of the Israelites. On
this first Sunday of the New Year it would be worth to reflect on that question
and prepare ourselves to answer appropriately and make a commitment to walk
accordingly. Let’s see under what circumstances this question was asked, how
the Israelites responded what are its implications for us today.
HISTORY IN REVIEW:
The Book of Joshua describes the conquest of the land of Canaan under the
leadership of Joshua. Joshua was with Moses throughout the 40 years of the
wanderings in the wilderness. He was one of the twelve spies of whom, only he
and Caleb got to cross the Jordan river to enter the promised land.
He
was a man of tremendous faith, courage and leadership ability, who believed
that God could do what He promised. In the story we read, he was around hundred
years old. He gathered all the tribes of Israel, and elders for a summit on
Mount Shechem. Why Mount Shechem?
Mount
Shechem was a historically significant sight for the Israelites. Here where the
Lord first promised the land of Canaan to Abram (Gen 12:6,7). It was here Jacob
destroyed the idols which he had been brought from Mesopotamia (Gen 35:2-5)
Here the law of Moses was officially enacted (Josh 8:30-35). Here Joshua challenged
the loyalties of the younger Israelites by leading them into a covenant with
God. Before that he reviewed Israel’s History.
Chapter
24 gives us a snap shot of hundreds of years of history all the way from the
call of Abraham, slavery in Egypt, mighty battles of God’s redeeming power, the
crossing of the Red sea, the Jordan river and their final entrance into the
Promised Land. To hold the younger
generation accountable, and help them not to forget God who brought them into
this beautiful land in the first place, Joshua invites them to make a covenant
with God.
I. A
GREAT INVITATION: Vs 14-15
Vs 14-15, “So fear the Lord and
serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped
when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But
if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would
you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be
the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my
family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua
lays out three options before Israel: First, they could return to serve the
gods of their ancestors. “Beyond the Euphrates” which is better translated, “on
the other side of the river.” Second, they could serve the gods of the
Amorites. Amorites was a term, though referring to a specific people, which was
also used for all the people living in Canaan.
Third, they could follow the example of him and his family i.e. “to serve the
Lord.” For Joshua only one option is
open, i.e. together with his family to serve the living God and no one else. I
see a number of parallels between the state of Israel then and our current
state of affairs. Let’s explore them.
Serving
the gods on the other side of the river or Egypt is like turning our backs on
God and going back to live like the way we used to live before our salvation.
We all know how miserable and hopeless that live used to be. Serving the gods
of Amorites and the land of Canaan is to follow the secular gods of our world.
In his book, Jesus Among the secular Gods, Ravi Zacharias deals extensively
about them. Some time back our men did a study on this book to refresh your
memory here are the secular gods: “Atheism, Scientism, Pluralism, Humanism,
Relativism, Hedonism, and I might add to the list, Materialism.
Who
does Joshua represent in this story? Joshua, in Hebrew means, Yahweh is
salvation. Joshua is also the original Hebrew form of the Greek name Jesus. So,
we can safely say that Joshua here represents Jesus, but the difference between
Joshua and Jesus is huge. Joshua died at the age of 110, whereas Jesus lives
forever. Joshua only led the Israelites into the physical promised land
(temporarily giving them rest) whereas Jesus will lead us into our eternal
promised land, where we are permanently protected against our enemies. (Heb
4:8).
What
about Joshua’s “household then? I believe he was just not only referring to his
immediate family and other God-fearing Israelites, but prophetically inviting all
the future generations who would follow Christ and come into the family of God
as well. Through our study from the Book of Ephesians we have learned, “we have
become citizens along with all God’s holy people. We are members of God’s
family.” In other words, we are God’s household. This challenge and the invitation that Joshua gave to the Israelites
is as relevant and timely for the Church of Jesus Christ today as then. Unlike
never before, we are constantly being bombarded by the media, and the secular
people to compromise our faith and abandon our loyalty to God and serve their
political and atheistic ideologies. Let’s
keep these in mind as we explore the response of the Israelites and the final
covenant that Joshua made involving them.
II.
A GREAT DILEMMA & RESOLVE
The Israelites were presented with
three options, along with that a challenge. Joshua said, “choose for yourself
today whom you will serve, but as for me and my family we will serve the LORD. Israelites
were now in a great dilemma. Whom would they choose? Let us put ourselves in
their position, if we were given those three options which one would we choose?
To
serve the Lord God almighty, right? That was exactly what they did. All the
people with one voice said: Vs 16, “We would never abandon the LORD and serve
other gods…, we too will serve the LORD, for he alone is God.” Mark these
words. But to their surprise Joshua replied, are you kidding me! “You are not
able to serve the Lord,” but the Israelites insisted and said, “No, we will
serve the Lord.” Why did Joshua doubt their commitment to serve the Lord?
Joshua
had strong reasons to doubt their commitment because their ancestors said the
same, but failed miserably. After holding them as their own witnesses to what
they said, Joshua challenged them with one very practical thing. All right
then, Joshua said, destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the
LORD God of Israel.
The
people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.
Then Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Mt. Shechem, committing
them to follow the decrees and regulations of the LORD. As I read through this story, I began to
think about my own life and the lives of all of you at Hope Church. What
implications this story in the history of Israel would have on us, if we were
to face with similar challenges?
III
WHOM WILL YOU SERVE?
On this first Sunday of the year
2019, if Joshua were to come to Hope Church and confronts us with this
question, choose for yourself whom will we serve today? What will we choose? Your future will be
determined by the choice you will make today.
I
wish, all of us here would say, like Joshua did, “as for me and my household we
will serve the Lord.” If we did that then we are required to do something else,
i.e. to destroy the idols among us. You say, shockingly idols! We are Americans,
that too we are Baptists, we don’t worship any idols, neither do we bow down to
any objects. It is they the heathen in the east or in Africa who worship idols.
Yes, in one sense you are right, in the west you may not see such blatant form
of idolatry as much as we see in India and other places.
But
it doesn’t mean we don’t have idols among us?
Of course, we do, we just may not recognize them as such. Briefly, what
is an idol and idolatry? An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God. The
definition of idolatry, according to Webster, is “the worship of idols or
excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.”
The
most prevalent form of idolatry in the OT was the worship of images that were
thought to embody the various pagan deities. God was angry with those who
worshipped idols. In the N.T Jesus condemned it and Paul warned
about the devastating effects of idolatry. Consider
the following scriptures: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one
and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” In Timothy we read “the love of money is the
root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from
the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (I Timothy 6:9-10).
Unfortunately,
these days, many around the world, including many God-fearing Christians
greedily run after money, wanting to get rich. Colossians 3:5, “So put to death
the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy
person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” Here Greed is
equivalent to Idolatry.
Another
form of idolatry is gluttony. In writing to the Philippian believers Paul
challenges them to follow his example when it comes to controlling their bodily
appetite for food. Phi 3:17-19, “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives
after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you
often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many
whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are
headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite,” (their god is their
stomach) NIV.
In
the bible excessive eating and drinking are often associated with idolatry. This
uncontrollable appetite for food is called, “gluttony.” There could other idols
but greed and gluttony are the two most powerful idols that seem to control
many people in the world and Christians are not spared either. More can be said
about the other idols we secretly worship.
If
we are not watchful, where would our idolatry lead us in the end? Revelation
21:8, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who
practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery
lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” That is precisely what
Yeshua, Jesus came to spare us from. He died on the cross for each of us so
that we might cross over that lake of fire and live forever with God in heaven.
In
closing, we are given a challenge on this Sunday, 6th of January
2019. We are invited to serve God wholeheartedly, by entering into a covenant
with Him. We realize, without destroying the idols in our lives, neither can we
serve Him nor enter into a covenant with Him.
Therefore, let’s examine our
hearts, what are the idols that we need to destroy? In know, on our own this
may not be possible, but by the power of God we can in indeed break free from
the control of the idols of our heart and go on to serve God whole heartedly. My
prayer is that in this New Year we will experience God’s continued grace as we
resolve to serve Him alone Amen!
