Joshua 24:1 – 28 “Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac,and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.
“‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea.But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.
“‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
“‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. So, I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord. “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.”
This passage is a bit long, but it is really impossible to chop it into little bits that will still make sense. The first thing to notice is that for one of the few times in Joshua’s life, he is speaking as a prophet. Moses routinely spoke for God; however, this is the longest recorded passage in which Joshua is speaking on behalf of God. Joshua begins with a brief overview of the history of the Israelites, reminding them of their origins, of their sojourn in Egypt, of their deliverance from the Egyptians, and of all the victories that God has allowed them to celebrate.
One shocking thing to note is that despite all Moses’ warnings, despite all Joshua’s warnings, despite all the evidence that idols are worthless, the Israelites are still carrying idols around. Joshua tells the people, “…throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”WHAT??? Even after all the miraculous things God has done, the Israelites are still hiding idols in their homes, most likely Egyptian idols their parents brought with them when they fled Egypt.
Four times, the Israelites promise to serve the Lord…. But notice that they don’t promise to throw away their idols! Even as the Israelites are promising to serve God and to obey Him, they are still acting in disobedience. If the Israelites really had been serious about putting away their idols, they should have brought them out of their tents and made one of the biggest bonfires in history as they burned them. The gold, silver, and bronze from those idols could have been stripped off, melted down, and given to the Tabernacle as a special offering. Finally, Joshua erects a large standing stone under the oak near Shechem as a witness against the Israelites. Rocks don’t change, and this large rock is there to remind the Israelites of their vows.
APPLICATION: Partial obedience is no obedience, and talk is cheap! The Israelites make all kinds of promises but conveniently ignore Joshua’s exhortations that they throw away those idols. Joshua isn’t even dead yet and the Israelites are already trying to twist God’s words. You can almost hear the muttering and mumbling in the back of the crowd, “Throw away that idol of Isis? But that’s what protected my wife during childbirth! Certainly not!”
Joshua is no fool; that’s why he throws down the challenge in verse 15: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua is basically telling the Israelites that he has made his choice; if they are foolish enough to refuse to serve God, they will reap the consequences!
What’s the purpose of the standing stone? Such stones were erected as signs of important covenants. The idea was that even if people would prove fickle, the rocks would still remain and the rocks would bear witness against the covenant – breakers. But can stones speak? When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the religious authorities begged him to silence the people. But Jesus told them, “I tell you, “He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” How would stones cry out? Perhaps by shaking in an earthquake. Was there a point at which the standing stone at Shechem silently cried out to God? Did the stone fall over in an earthquake?
Joshua’s challenge remains for each of us today: Whom will we serve? Will we whole – heartedly serve the One True Living God, or will we attempt to compromise as we cling to idols of our own creation? Choose wisely! You are choosing for eternity! But remember, the rocks may still witness against you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, let everyone who reads this devotional choose to serve You whole – heartedly all the days of their lives, along with their families. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
March 14, 2022 at 6:37 pm
I love the verse where Joshua says as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. I found it useful to say in for a penny in for a pound when the path of righteousness was gloomy. Good sermon.