Joshua 24
Today’s Passage: Joshua 24
In highschool my mom would always tell me, “It’s not if something happens, but when something happens.” My mom would walk me through scenarios after school and try to prepare me to respond to whatever I could/would encounter.
As we wrap up the book of Joshua, we see that Joshua is similarly charging the Israelites to choose to serve God. It was not “if” the Israelites would be tempted to follow what was right in their own eyes, but “when.”
When you are under pressure to make a choice, what you choose to do will be a culmination of the convictions you have already chosen. Joshua is charging the Israelites to choose now so that when they are tempted to follow what is counter to God, they will be led by that prior conviction.
But this is not meant to be an empty, blind conviction. No, this conviction is formed by reflecting on God’s faithfulness throughout history and His faithfulness to you personally. God had been with the Israelites for generations. Joshua 24:1-13 is filled with the Lord proclaiming all the ways that He had saved them. Look for where the Lord says “I _____.”
Verse 13 says, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.”
Everything the Israelites had, everywhere they had been, and every battle they had won was because the God of all creation had orchestrated all things for the good of His people. Living in covenant with God had not been easy for the Israelites, but God had always shown them that it was worth it when they were faithful to Him.
When reflecting on scripture we see how God has been active throughout all of history, and ultimately we can see how He worked all things together so that He could redeem His people. The ultimate place we see redemption is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God has offered you a salvation that you could never earn and now you have the opportunity to daily choose to take up your cross and follow Him.
Written By: Paulette Black
In highschool my mom would always tell me, “It’s not if something happens, but when something happens.” My mom would walk me through scenarios after school and try to prepare me to respond to whatever I could/would encounter.
As we wrap up the book of Joshua, we see that Joshua is similarly charging the Israelites to choose to serve God. It was not “if” the Israelites would be tempted to follow what was right in their own eyes, but “when.”
When you are under pressure to make a choice, what you choose to do will be a culmination of the convictions you have already chosen. Joshua is charging the Israelites to choose now so that when they are tempted to follow what is counter to God, they will be led by that prior conviction.
But this is not meant to be an empty, blind conviction. No, this conviction is formed by reflecting on God’s faithfulness throughout history and His faithfulness to you personally. God had been with the Israelites for generations. Joshua 24:1-13 is filled with the Lord proclaiming all the ways that He had saved them. Look for where the Lord says “I _____.”
Verse 13 says, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.”
Everything the Israelites had, everywhere they had been, and every battle they had won was because the God of all creation had orchestrated all things for the good of His people. Living in covenant with God had not been easy for the Israelites, but God had always shown them that it was worth it when they were faithful to Him.
When reflecting on scripture we see how God has been active throughout all of history, and ultimately we can see how He worked all things together so that He could redeem His people. The ultimate place we see redemption is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God has offered you a salvation that you could never earn and now you have the opportunity to daily choose to take up your cross and follow Him.
Written By: Paulette Black
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