Joshua 24:15
“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.” Joshua 24:15
Fear Of Missing Out
The message in this text is for the hesitant and the indecisive. This inability to choose one option is fuelled by our fear of missing out on something better. The children of Israel were enticed by the culture of the Amorites (Judges 1). The Amorites had so many gods, covering every single human need. Yet Joshua is telling the Israelites “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if the gods of the Amorites are true follow them.”
Some people like to see their doors open, yet never go through any of them. The journey that the Israelites had taken was over 40 years in length. This present moment Joshua is old and they are settling down in the promised land. The urgent counsel from Joshua depicts that their arrival in Canaan was the beginning of a new story. He calls them out on their indecision. It was time to stop limping from one commitment to another.
Your Will Be Done
You would think that after all Israel had been through the decision to serve God would have been an easy one. Jesus explicitly taught us that we are not capable of serving two masters (Matthew 6:24). In the prior verse Joshua taught that to serve God, they would need to fear the Lord, serve Him with all their faithfulness and put away all the foreign gods (Joshua 24:14). The choice to follow God and serve Him must be intentional. C.S. Lewis says, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’and those to whom God says in the end,‘Thy will be done.’”
Choose Your Master
The second thing that Joshua highlights is the urgency. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:2 “ Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation to echo the urgency Joshua felt. There is no one who can boast of tomorrow for we do not know what it will bring. Many are stuck in the valley of decision, they can not decide whether to fully follow Christ or follow the devil. There are three types of believers. The first belongs to those who have made the choice to follow Christ. The second belongs to the unbelievers, they profess Christ but they do not know him.
The third one is those who are neither enjoying the pleasure of sin nor enjoying the life in Christ. As concerned as Joshua was for the nation of Israel he knew that he and his family must live by their faith in God. In the same way brethren, choose God, love Him with all your hearts and make Him the center of your life and home.
King James Version (KJV)
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
New International Version (NIV)
“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.”
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region 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.”
New American Bible (NASB)
“But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
“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.”
The Living Bible (TLB)
“But if you are unwilling to obey the Lord, then decide today whom you will obey. Will it be the gods of your ancestors beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites here in this land? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”