Joshua 24:15, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served 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 was calling Israel to honesty and commitment. He wanted them to have one heart focus. He desired to see his people fear God and serve Him with an undivided heart. James 1:8 tells us that “a double-minded man is unstable in all he does” Joshua wanted stable committed followers, not those who jumped on the bandwagon. Joshua desired Israel therefore to make a declaration of allegiance to the Lord in his midst.
He stared by saying “If it seem evil to you to serve the Lord”. He basically asked them, if you think that it is a waste of time, undesirable, unfulfilling, unworthy, or too hard then speak up now to who will be your god. Joshua was not condoning nor encouraging idolatry, but rather explaining that all must serve something as their god. It is innate that we worship something; the only question is who or who. Joshua drew the line in the sand of commitment, and allowed them the opportunity to which side they would stand on.
This is why the US military has boot camp, to weed or sift out the uncommitted, unfit ones. Titus explained it this way “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him“. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. Joshua didn’t want a bunch of half-hearted followers, and neither does God.
Look at Joshua’s declarative statement. Here is a man that is focused, and committed, and a leader not only among Israel, but also he takes seriously his role as the spiritual priest of his home (family). He declares, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Notice he doesn’t say we might serve the Lord, we will try and serve the Lord, or even we will probable, we intend, to follow the Lord. No he stakes his claim and he stands strong upon his statement. We read nothing of a family discussion on the matter, he didn’t appear to take family votes on this issue – NO! Joshua knew that the spiritual direction and atmosphere of his family was his responsibility.
However, in this day and age, there are too many husband and fathers that don’t take their priestly role seriously. They let their kids decide If they want to go to church. They don’t have daily devotions with their wives or children. Many church attending parents rely on the Sunday school teacher or Children’s Pastor to be the only teacher of the kids on the truths of the Lord. I know this because I was a Children’s Pastor for four years. Do your children have a say on what they want to eat or not? Then why do we allow our kids to choose if they want to spiritually eat or not. The state would have parents behind bars if they did not feed their children, yet many allow their families to spiritually starve and spiritually die. Many wives and children are not being spiritually nourished at home. Why is this? Husbands are too busy to take their family responsibility seriously. Exodus 4:24 states At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him! “Because Moses didn’t circumcise his children, God was going to kill Moses. Joshua was leading a huge number of people; he had taken over for Moses. He filled some pretty big shoes, so much so that God constantly told him, “Be strong and courageous” Joshua was the leader of a whole nation, yet he made it his business to lead his family faithfully in the thing of God.
Application: How committed to the Lord are you? If you are single and not committed what makes you think you can lead a family spiritually? If you are married, are you and your household (family) following the Lord, because of your leadership? If you are leading well, be encouraged, “Lead On!”
Blessings,
Pastor Phil
He Has Magnified His Word 