Joshua 24:14,15 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. 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.
This is again very needful for me; I am thankful for what the text says.
Almost certainly everyone has heard or quoted the end of the 15th verse, but this helps frame the seriousness and depth of what Joshua is telling them, and, that is exactly what he was impressing upon them, that it was of utmost importance that they set their hearts to earnestly heed what he was telling them. If you are like me, I need oft and strong reminders to pay rapt attention to the Word as I read it, think about it, and hear it proclaimed. It is a most serious matter.
There are a number of things that can occasion our slighting of the needed attention and observance of the Lord's things. To my dismay, that has been happening more in the last couple of years than I'd ever thought that it would. It is sad and frightening that these slights mean the attention and devotion was given to something else; Ezekiel refers to this type of thing as idols which men set up in their hearts. It is something the LORD will not leave unreproved.
But, as we see repeatedly, the foundational sin which opened the door to these things was a departure from the fear of the LORD. So, as Joshua is beginning his remonstrances to them, he pleads and exhorts them to embrace that fear as a means to expel all the ways they had departed from and turned against Him, He Who had miraculously delivered and kept them in every circumstance and perplexity they had faced and come through. When the fear of the LORD is relaxed, the dam is broken, and the overwhelming waves of sin begin to rampage and destroy.
It is a choice we continually make, in each decision we make, each thought we think, each path we choose - it is to fear Him or go from Him. It is a question worth; well worth it to take the effort required to hold the dread of the LORD before us at all times, that it may direct our minds and hearts toward right thoughts and paths.
This was the last thing Joshua said to Israel, the whole nation being gathered to hear him. He was old, and loved his nation. In one of the verses he implores them to incline their hearts toward the LORD. May that be our heart and petition to our country and to our God for our country. LORD, we need You; may You turn our hearts again to You.
