The story of humanity at every point in history is about finding our place in the world. Some of you are applying for college, discerning God’s place for you in a community of learners for the next 4ish years. Some of you are scouring the internet for job postings, trying to find the right fit for the right pay in the right location so you can do what you love with the people you love. Even those of you who have set down your roots and made a place for yourself likely still have an ongoing desire to belong, to find your role in a world changing at the speed of technology as your friends and neighbors and grandkids and cousins take turns moving across the country.
And it’s not just us. We hear stories of Syrian refugees forced out of their homeland as wars rage, desperate to find safety and belonging for their families in cities such as Dearborn. We read novels like Little House on the Prairie and discover the ambitious and arduous journey of Early American pioneer settlers, working tirelessly to build a home for their families, for their children’s children. We’ve been taught the ancient Biblical narratives of the Israelites, an expansive community of people who find themselves enslaved to the Egyptians and then wandering for 4 decades in the desert all in search of the land God has promised to their great, great, great, great grandfather Abraham centuries before.
And that’s where our story begins today. We read Joshua chapter 24 where Joshua is commissioning the 12 Tribes of Israel to renew their covenant with Yahweh God. Joshua was the leader who took the helm after Moses had died, and finally after years and years of doubt and homelessness, fear and drought, cold nights and scorching days, the Israelites have stepped foot into the Promised Land. They’ve gathered together to hear a word from their leader, Joshua, the one who who was privileged to lead them into this place. And when I say “a word” I’m talking about chapters of declaration, of sermon, of prophecy, of praise.
So let’s back up just a smidge from Chapter 24 to chapter 21 after God’s people have all been divided into territories, cities within this great land. They’ve set down their belongings and started planning for how to make this land a home. And then we read these words even to me, as a reader, sound like music to my ears:
43 Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to their ancestors that he would give them; and having taken possession of it, they settled there. 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their ancestors; not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
Joshua 21:43-45
After time for celebration and the reality of this land begins to sink in, Joshua does what a righteous leader must do, commissioning this vast people to choose this day whom you will serve.
14 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 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.”
Joshua 24:14-16
Ever person, every family, every Tribe has a choice to make. There will be no tolerating multiple allegiances. If you want to go serve your ancestors’ gods, so be it. Go. If you want join the locals in their worship, so be it. Go. But you cannot serve both Yahweh God and all of those others. On this day, Joshua declares to the people, you have a choice to make. You must draw a line in the sand and commit.
This reminds me a bit of the passage at the other end of the Bible, Revelation chapter 3. John has had this crazy apocalyptic vision and receives a powerful, prophetic word from God for each of the 7 churches in Asia. To the church in Laodicea, God says:
“I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:15-16
Ooof. That is NOT a word I want Jesus saying about me. Lukewarm water isn’t good for much, it’s not soothing and cleansing or refreshing and cooling. Blech….
When the people boldly declare they’re going to make their allegiance to Lord God, Joshua doesn’t just say, “Ok, cool. Moving on.” He stops and forces them to really think through the consequences of this allegiance. He makes them consider the character of this faithful God they are willing to serve. The Lord God is a jealous God, not tolerating allegiance to this and that and the other thing. To know and love God and be faithful to God alone requires the kind of covenantal relationship demanded in marriage, a fierce and loyal and eyes-for-only-me kind of jealous love.
The people agree:
“The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.”
Joshua 24:24
So friends, on this day, I want to be your Joshua, your shepherd, prophet, teacher, leader, inviting you to choose this day whom you will serve.
We may not have other “gods” in the same way the Israelites did. But that’s not to say we don’t still have a choice to make. Be honest with yourself and list all of your priorities. What are the things that matter most to you?
Aside from our family and friends, there’s the need for a solid career, a great retirement fund, notability or recognition in your circle, catching your favorite sporting event or never missing that new episode, keeping your house and yard a certain way, taking trips and vacations, having time to chill, not abandoning that extracurricular group counting on you.
Where do you allegiances lie? What are the things you choose over God, over time delighting in God’s word, over listening quietly or talking a walk with Jesus, over spending time in communion with your church?
Whether you’ve considered yourself a Christian for decades or weeks or still aren’t there yet, I urge you to choose this day whom you will serve. From everything I’ve learned and experienced of this God I’ve chosen to serve, there is only grace and love and an abundance of faithfulness and goodness to be found. This covenant is hard, it’s one worth really considering, but once made it bears the fruit of peace and joy and love, fruit that lasts far beyond my days.
