Braveheart is a fabulous movie. In one scene Mel Gibson has war paint on his face as he is passionately speaking and leading his people into battle. It’s a great scene and how I picture this chapter in Joshua.
Joshua has all the elders, leaders, officers and judges together to speak on behalf of the Lord. He reminds them in detail of all the the Lord has done for them and challenges them.
““Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of 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 24:14-15
How did the people respond? “So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods… We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”” Joshua 24:16, 18b
“But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”” Joshua 24:19-20
Can you hear the passion behind Joshua’s back and forth yet? Imagine him with war paint on challenging these people and them getting passionate back.
“And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him.”
And they said, “We are witnesses!”
“Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”
And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”” Joshua 24:21-24
Here is the reality. They were fighting a physical battle to continue to claim all the Lord had promised them… today… we fight a spiritual battle to claim all the Lord has for the church. Our fight is not with swords and weapons but with love and sacrifice. Will you today say, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”? May we fight for our families, the people in our work place, and those we interact with in the places between with love and sacrifice as we seek the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Besides our heart should be “To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.”
- To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.