READING: Joshua 23-24
There is so much in these chapters that I wish I could write for days. The book of Joshua ends with a review of Hebrew history, followed by a covenant renewal ceremony. Throughout these texts is a recurrent theme we’ve seen since the early pages of this book — that is, that God gave the people victory. Indeed, Joshua summarized their history this way: “And you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you” (Joshua 23:3). That word echoes in these chapters: God will “cut off the enemies” (23:4), “push them back” (23:5); He has “driven out” the nations, (23:9), “gave them into your hand” (24:8), “delivered you” (24:10), and “gave you a land” (24:13).
God was, to state it simply, their Deliverer.
You would think that the people continually followed Him in gratitude as a result, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, Joshua had to challenge them to choose which God or gods they would serve— even hinting at the fact they were still hanging on to their foreign gods despite all that God had done (Joshua 24:23). Apparently, that’s how strong the pull of the false gods remained in their lives.
That picture ought to be a strong warning to us. Leaving the enemy behind is never as easy as we think it might be. Sin grabs us and holds on. Discouragement overwhelms us to the depth of our soul. Pride rears itself continually in our lives. The battle goes on day after day after day after day.
That’s why we must choose every day what Joshua and his family chose, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
Every day. Beginning today.
ACTION STEPS: Consider these steps:
- Choose this day to serve the Lord.
- Review the devotions from the book of Joshua, and thank God for any insights and applications you’ve gained.
- Tell somebody else today one of the primary insights you’ve learned.
PRAYER: “Lord, I choose this day to serve You. Help me to keep my word.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Judges 1-2
