"A Father's Choice"
Joshua 24:1-15
Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Introduction: Father's Day is observed on the 3rd Sunday in June. The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington.
A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
I have noticed that there are some things that are unique about Father's day that make it different from Mother's Day for a variety of reasons. One thing that my family has noticed is that I'm not in many of the family pictures. I'm usually behind the camera, not in front of it! Also, and this is a very bittersweet thing is that each year when we order gifts for this special day we order far fewer gifts for this day than Mother's Day and that is because life expectancy for men in the U.S. is 76 and for women it is 81. We also need to recognize that changes to how our culture views family also affects Father's Day for many people. Millions of homes are led by mothers and men are noticeably AWOL so when we speak about Father's Day it may not mean the same things to you as it does to me so we have to be sensitive to the nuances of how we acknowledge this day.
It should also be acknowledged that if you see the role of a father in the media today the character will be portrayed as foolish, ignorant or intolerant if they are portrayed at all for in many media sitcoms depicting the family today the role of a father is noticeably absent. In our culture there has been a significant erosion of the role of the father in our contemporary society today. Fathers are becoming the proverbial dinosaurs of our day. Increasing numbers of children are being born each year through artificial insemination to single women, lesbian couples and many more thousands of children are being born in hospitals all over this country to women with absentee husbands or fathers.
* There are an estimated 66.3 million fathers in the U.S. today.
* There are 25.8 million fathers in married-couple families with their own children under 18.
* There are 2,000,000 single fathers, up from 393,000 in '70. Today, 1-in-6 single parents is a father, vs. 1-in-10 in '70.
* 105,000 "stay-at-home" dads care for 189,000 children.
* 60% of children under age 6 living with married parents eat dinner on a daily basis with their fathers -- 24% eat breakfast on a daily basis with dad.
* 88% of children under age 6 are praised by their fathers at least once a day. (Pastor's Weekly Briefing 6/18/04)
http://garydfoster.com/
This devaluation of the role of fathers has led many men to totally abdicate any feelings of responsibility towards the children that they sire, so these two factors have led the family in a downward spiral leading the cultural and societal chaos we have today.
WE THOUGHT YOU SAID...
The kids had talked Mom into getting a hamster. They promised to take care of their pet, whom they named "Danny."
Within two months, though, Mom was taking care of Danny. One day Mom decided enough was enough; Danny would be given to a new owner. She called the kids together to tell them. One child said, "I'll miss him. He's been around here a long time." The other child remarked, "Maybe he could stay if he ate less and wasn't so messy." Mom was firm, "It is time to take Danny to a new home."
"Danny?" the kids wailed, "We thought you said Daddy."
SOURCE: Positive Living, Sept/Oct 1995, p 39.
That being said we also need to acknowledge that when God designed the home and family He intended for every family to have a mother and a father and He gave different roles to them both. In our Scripture reading this morning we have the record of a father who made some decisions that affected his family in some powerful and far-reaching ways, and also served to challenge others to follow his example.
I. A Father's Challenge
a. His situation
Joshua was not a prince of Egypt like his predecessor, he was an ordinary man who God used in extraordinary ways. In many ways Joshua is much like Isaiah whose life took a dramatic turn when King Uzziah died in Isaiah chapter 6. In verse 1 of Joshua chapter I we learn that after the death of Moses, his mentor, teacher and spiritual leader, that the Lord spoke to Joshua with instructions to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. Moses had been such an imposing figure not only in the life of the nation but for Joshua personally that at least for a while there seems to have been a sort of paralysis as the nation mourned the death of their leader and deliverer.
b. His service
We are told that Joshua was a servant of the Lord who served as Moses "minister" or helper as it is often translated. This meaning that for most of his adult life he played "second fiddle" to Moses. He was the kind of guy who stood in his mentors shadow and is very seldom heard from or seen in the spot light.
c. His spirituality
Joshua was born in Egypt, raised as a slave, and had been exposed to the gods of Egypt all his life but he never allows himself to influenced by these idols and is a dedicated follower of Jehovah all of his life. The nation might backslide but not Joshua. He is steadfast in his faith and he follows the God of Israel without reservation.
II. A Father's Choice
In Joshua chapter 1 we read the following statement:
Joshua 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Everything we need to know about Joshua can be found basically in these first 9 verses of the book that bears his name.
a. His background
Joshua in the Bible began life in Egypt as a slave, under cruel Egyptian taskmasters, but he rose to be the leader of Israel through faithful obedience to God. Moses gave Hosea son of Nun his new name: Joshua (Yeshua in Hebrew), which means "the Lord is Salvation." This name selection was the first indicator that Joshua was a "type," or picture, of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The name Jesus is the NT equivalent to Joshua of the OT. When Moses sent 12 spies to scout the land of Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb, son of Jephunneh, believed the Israelites could conquer the land with God's help. Angry, God sent the Jews to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that unfaithful generation died. Of those spies, only Joshua and Caleb survived. Before the Jews entered Canaan, Moses died and Joshua became his successor. Jack Zavada
b. His behavior
There are three words that would characterize the behavior of Joshua, "trust, obedience and faithfulness." He trusted that Lord in everything in his life, he obeyed the voice of God in spite of the fact that there were other competing "voices" with only one blemish on his life mentioned in Scripture and that is when he did not consult the Lord in the matter of the peace treaty he made with the Gibeonites, a Canaanite tribe, because God had forbidden Israel to make treaties with any people in Canaan. If Joshua had sought God's guidance first, he would not have made this mistake. Other than this one incident he lived and exemplary life that was above reproach.
c. His belief
Joshua's belief system was founded on the "...book of the Law..." which in this case would be the first five books of the OT authored by Moses which we call the Pentateuch. Joshua would have had access to these writings and in verse 8 Jehovah tells him to "...Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful..." GNB
III. A Father's Commitment
a. His personal commitment (as for me)
A young student in China decided to play a trick on his elderly teacher one day. He caught a small bird and cupped it in his hands behind his back. He then approached the sage with this plan in mind. He would ask the old man what he had in his hand. If he answered correctly, he would then ask the teacher if the bird was dead or alive. If the old man said, "Alive," he would crush the bird. If he answered, "Dead," he would release the bird.
Upon approaching the teacher, the young student said, "Old man, what do I have in my hand?" The man responded, "A bird, my son."
"Is he dead or alive, old man?" the boy asked with a grin.
The old sage thought for a moment and then he replied, "The answer to that question, my son, is in your hands......it's in your hands."
You have a decision to make about Jesus.
You can't be neutral about a man who claims to be the way to Heaven (John 14:6).
Your friends and family can't make this decision for you.
It's in your hands.
b. His paternal commitment (and my house)
c. His purposeful commitment (we will serve the Lord)
Daniel purposed in heart that he would not defile himself with the Kings meat...
Conclusion:
THE BIG BLACK DOOR
An Arab chief tells a story of a spy who was captured and then sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. This general had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and the big, black door. As the moment for execution drew near, the spy was brought to the Persian general, who asked the question, "What will it be: the firing squad or the big, black door?" The spy hesitated for a long time. It was a difficult decision. He chose the firing squad. Moments later shots rang out confirming his execution.
The general turned to his aide and said, "They always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet, we gave him a choice."
The aide said, "What lies beyond the big door?"
"Freedom," replied the general. "I've known only a few brave enough to take it."
Don McCullough, "Reasons to Fear Easter," Preaching Today, Tape No. 116.
