Joshua's Speech To Make A Choice Series

Life is made up of choices. In just one day, you make hundreds of choices—big ones and small ones. If we never had to make choices, we would be robots, programmed to do a specific task. But that’s not how God designed us. God designed us with the ability to choose.

In Joshua 24, the nation of Israel must make a choice. This is not some small, insignificant choice which can be made flippantly, no—this is a big choice! The choice is whether Israel will serve God or not. We would think that the choice is obvious, especially after all that God had done for Israel. However, this is also a choice which every Christian today must make. The choice should be obvious, right? Sadly, some choose to serve another god.

Joshua, who is now an old man, gives a final, rousing speech to his people. This speech reminds them of their history, admonishes them to choose to serve Jehovah solely, and then makes a covenant with them. At the end of the chapter, Joshua dies. These are his final words, and every Christian needs to hear and heed them. You see, this chapter is not just for God’s people back then; it is also for God’s people today.

Let’s notice four important words that God’s people need right now that are found in this passage:

1. REMEMBER (v. 2-13)

The Children of Israel had just defeated over thirty different pagan peoples. They saw God personally fight for them and give them victory after victory. Yet despite all of this, Joshua felt the need to remind them of their previous history. He goes all the way back to Abraham—the very beginning of Israel—and goes up to the present moment under his leadership.

Why did Joshua have to give this history lesson? Didn’t Israel know their history? Well, don’t forget that this generation had not seen any of the events he described. They did not see the plagues, or the crossing of the Red Sea, or even the miracles in the wilderness. This generation were those who were twenty years and younger when the Kadesh-Barnea incident happened. Some were very young at the time and others were not even born. Yet they were getting the land which had long been promised to their families.

Read verse 13. In other words, they were getting something which their ancestors only dreamed of getting; don’t take it for granted! Remember all that God has done to get you to this point.

Sometimes it’s good for us to take a moment and remember our history. Think about your family history. Did you grow up in a Christian home? If so, you should be very thankful. Perhaps your ancestors saw God work in amazing ways. Did you grow up in an unsaved home and later come to Christ? If so, don’t take for granted what God has done for either you personally or for your family.

We’re preparing to make a massive choice, but before we come to it, let’s stop and think upon what God has done for us. He has done much to get us to this point.

2. RECOMMENDATION (v. 14)

In the first 13 verses, Joshua is speaking the words of God to the people. Now in the next two verses, he personally speaks to Israel. Let’s notice three admonitions which Joshua gives to his people.

a. Fear the Lord

The first admonition is to fear the Lord. This should also be the first priority for any Christian today.

Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…”

This kind of fear is not terror or fright, but rather, a reverential awe for God. A frightful fear would be appropriate as well since God is so powerful and will judge us one day for everything we do.

Example: A child should fear his father if he has disobeyed. He fears him for two reasons: (1) because he respects his father’s authority and (2) because of the punishment he will receive. If the child lacks respect for his father, he will disregard the father’s authority, and perhaps will not fear any punishment.

Fearing God is the first step in preparing to make this big choice. It is a foundation which wisdom can be built upon.

b. Serve the Lord

Joshua admonishes the people to serve the Lord “in sincerity and in truth.” That last part is vitally important. Anyone can serve the Lord out of a sense of duty, but surely this displeases Him. God desires that we serve Him in sincerity and truth. For God, the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

When we serve God out of duty, it quickly becomes a chore. Does anyone ever enjoy doing chores? Probably not, but they have to be done. Don’t treat God that way.